August 15, 2017 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says By Daris Howard Home Improvement Debt? Dear Dave, I’m debt-free except for my home, and I’m considering having solar panels installed on the roof of the house. It would cost about $27,000. I have $80,000 in savings, but the company doing the installation will finance it all for just one percent interest. It’s almost like free money. My electric bills average around $310 a month, and I thought this would be a good way to save money in the long run. What do you think? Michael Dave Dear Michael, If you have to finance the project, my answer is no. My guess is the break-even analysis you’re trying to give me is the sales pitch your solar panel company gave you. That’s how they sell solar panels, but it doesn’t justify going into debt. You told me you have around $80,000 in savings right now. Why not just write a check? Let me ask you a question. What if you could borrow $10 million at one percent interest and put it in the stock market? Would you do that? Of course, not. It would be way too risky, right? Basically, we’re talking about the same kind of thing. I made you feel the risk by scaling things up in my scenario. You’re not feeling the risk right now because we’re talking about $27,000 instead of millions. This move wouldn’t bankrupt you, but wealthy people don’t do the kind of thing you’re talking about. Either pull the money out of your savings account and buy the panels, or don’t buy them at all! — Dave RAMSEY Snap Up a Deal in the Classifieds Call or go online to browse, buy or sell! In Print and Online! 665-5884 • www.missourivalleyshopper.com Over 95 Years In Business Serving... Vermillion, Yankton, Sioux City and Everywhere In Between Problem Plan Dear Dave, I make $48,000 a year, and I have $35,000 in credit card debt. I owe $25,000 on my home, and I was thinking about taking out a loan against my house to pay off the credit cards. Is this a good idea? Mike Dear Mike, I would never advise anything like this, unless it’s to avoid bankruptcy. Here’s the problem with that kind of plan. Most people who do that kind of thing don’t change their financial habits. In fact, they end up with a new mortgage and new credit card debt somewhere down the line. You need to start building a track record of paying off debt. Cut up the credit cards, slash your spending, and start living on a tight, written, monthly budget. Prove to yourself that you’re not going to take out a mortgage and turn around and run up a bunch of new credit cards. I want to see you not take on any new debt and reduce that $35,000 credit card bill dramatically over the next six months. If you can knock out half of it in a year, you can take care of the other half in another year or less. Then, you wouldn’t need a second mortgage! — Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven bestselling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. Desdemona died sometime in the night. Aunt Ada had had the cat since she was a tiny kitten, and she was naturally heartbroken. So was Boots, Desdemona’s partner in crime and play and food and everything else that makes life worthwhile for two old cats. Through her tears, Aunt Ada wondered if she could’ve noticed something or had done something differently that would have given Desdemona back to her for a while longer, but there just wasn’t anything. The cat had looked good at bedtime, and was gone before the sun came up. What if? Well, what if she’d done this or that? Would it have saved the cat? No, of course not. Even if your heart is breaking, you have to look at things logically. Cats get old and cats die. So do people. Aunt Ada Sandiford is old. Very old to some ways of thinking. But she still putters around the house and does her own shopping and cooking. She makes it to church every Sunday, too. Years ago she sang in the choir, but she stopped doing that when she discovered her voice had gotten old. So she called a good • Horse Arenas friend and asked her if she • Private & Commerical would look after Boots if she died before he did. Drives There, that was something I could do. And she • Unpaved Roads quietly • Grain Elevator Access went with theout in the back yard shovel and • Free Estimates said goodbye to her old friend Desdemona. Sometimes there’s nothing left to say except I love you. 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We arrived at our destination shortly before five in the afternoon and rushed to the school where the practices would be held. We needed to unload the harp there, and one of the directors was waiting for us. He opened a gate to allow us to pull closer to the gym where the groups would practice. I unhitched the tent trailer so I could get the harp out, then drove the van to the door where he was waiting. I lifted the harp from the van, loaded it on the dolly, and rolled into the room where he said it needed to be. As my daughter took a minute to practice, the director told us about the camp. “This is one of the premiere music camps,” he said. “Students come from almost all of the western United States. We have music people from all over the U.S. come to help and to teach the students. Many of them volunteer and come at their own expense year after year.” When we finished there, I hitched the tent trailer back up, and we went to the campground. Almost every one of the camp spots was full. We started visiting with the people there and learned that many of them were like us, there for their children to go to the music camp. Even though we had the music camp in common, the diversity was greater than the commonality. Some parents were teachers like us while others were wealthy businessmen. There were people of different races and from almost every walk of life. Despite the differences, we all soon became friends. I had to go home for a few days to work and to take care of commitments for our other daughter. When I went back to the music camp for the final concerts later in the week, Elliana had some fun stories to tell. Her choir teacher was one of the people who had volunteered to help. He was a big, burly man who wore shortsleeve shirts. At the curve of his right arm, where the shirt sleeve ended, part of a tattoo could be seen. At first, because of his size, he made everyone nervous, so no one dared ask him about it. But as time went on, and the students in the choir realized he was just a big, fun-loving softie, their fear of him faded away. Finally, the day came when he asked if anyone had any questions, and one of the students raised her hand. “What is your tattoo?” the girl asked. The choir director laughed and pulled up his sleeve. There on this big man’s arm was a Disney tattoo. It had Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and many other Disney characters. The students laughed, having expected something more rugged. “Why did you get that?” a boy asked. The orchestra director smiled. “Well, you see, I have always loved everything Disney. In fact, I have taken my choir to the competition there every year. We never did very well, always placing last or close to last. But one year I couldn’t get my class to settle down and work. So I came up with this brilliant idea. I told them if they would work, and if we won the grand prize at Disneyland, I would get a Disney tattoo. I figured it was a safe bet since we had never even come close to winning before. “My students got in and worked, and we had a great year. I still didn’t think we had a chance of winning since my school was small compared to the other schools we were competing against. But when we got to the competition, my small choir sang with such heart that they had the sound of a choir twice their size. We ended up winning, and, well, that is why I have a Disney tattoo.” www.missourivalleyshopper.com That night, as Elliana’s choir director lead the choir in an incredible performance, I had to laugh at Mickey’s head poking out to watch from the director’s sleeve. www.missourivalleyshopper.com www.misso www.misso www.missourivalleyshopper.com www.misso & Dining Visit our Web site atent ertainm www.missourivalleyshopper.com Ent Visit www.misso Visit our Web site at www.missourivalleyshopper.com DC Lynch Shows Visit www.misso 8 Rides Riverboat Days www.missourivalleyshopper.com www.misso COUPON August 18–19–20 10 for $ 1 Ticket Per Ride except Zipper (2) Friday 6pm-11pm, Saturday 12pm-11pm, Additional coupons available from mall merchants Sunday 12pm-6pm www.missourivalleyshopper.com www.misso Menno Volunteer Fire Department www.missourivalleyshopper.com www.misso 2nd Annual Car Show & Rib Cook Off Saturday, August 26th Main Street Menno • 3pm to 6pm ~ Rain or Shine Serving Ribs, Hotdogs & Pulled Pork Visit our Web site at ALL ARE WELCOME!! www.missourivalleyshopper.com All proceeds will be used for new firefighter equiment. Visit www.misso Not responsible for accidents Visit our Web site 20 Sunday, August at th www.missourivalleyshopper.com YANKTON SCRAMBLERS MOTOCROSS RACE See It To Believe It! Practice 9:30AM • Race 11:00AM Call 665-3500 www.scramblersmx.org Admission $7 • 5 & under Free Concessions Available (Not responsible for accidents to spectators or riders) SCRAMBLERS CYCLE CLUB 8 miles W. on Hwy. 50, then 1/4 miles S. on Hwy 52 Visit www.misso