e November 27, 2018 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Getting Ready For The Baby Steps Dear Dave, I like your plan, and I’m ready to get control of my finances. Should I catch up on past due bills before saving $1,000 for the beginner emergency fund you recommend in Baby Step 1? Samantha can each month, while making minimum payments on your other debts. When you’ve paid off the first one, add what you were paying on it to the payment on your next debt and start attacking it. In Baby Step 3, you’ll save up and increase your emergency fund from $1,000 to a full three to six months of expenses. Trust me, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can save money when you’ve got all that debt out of the way! Once you reach this point, it’s time to really start looking at the future. In Baby Step 4 you start investing 15 percent of your income for retirement. College funding for any little ones is next in Baby Step 5, and Baby Step 6 is a big one—pay off your house early. But Baby Step 7 is the real deal. When you’re able to build wealth and give with extreme generosity, you’ve reached the pinnacle of smart money management. Good luck, Samantha! — Dave An Unusual Assignment By Daris Howard It was the day after Thanksgiving. As a police officer, Samuel was preparing to go on patrol, but he had to fill out the required reports first. Paperwork was the thing he hated most. He much preferred to be out on the streets. He finished his reports and looked at his assignment. He was going to be working in a poor section of the city. If there was one place Samuel liked to work, it was that Dear Samantha, section of town. He had made lots of friends in that area. This is a great question, because Even though there was more crime there because of the povit gives me a chance to walk you all the way through the Baby Steps erty, the people whom he had come to know were more inplan. Dave clined to stop and visit, and it made work go by faster. When Make sure your necessities are he worked in the rich areas of town, too often, people were taken care of first. I’m talking about so caught up in their fast-paced lives that he never got more food, clothing, shelter, transportation, * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and busi- than a nod from them before they hurried on their way. and utilities. Then, get current on anything you owe or make Samuel was just putting on his coat when he heard someness, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven bestpayment arrangements for your past due bills. Once you have these things taken care of, it’s time to take your first Baby Step. selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave one call his name. Samuel turned around, and there stood his You’ve already mentioned getting $1,000 in the bank for a Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each sergeant. Samuel’s heart sank, thinking he was going to be starter emergency fund. That’s Baby Step 1. After that, begin week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow assigned some more paperwork. your debt snowball. That’s Baby Step 2, and here you’ll pay off Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveram“Officer Nakamura,” the sergeant said, “could you use a all your debts from smallest to largest, except for your home. sey.com. sandwich before you head out?” Attack the first balance on your list by paying as much as you This statement took Samuel by surprise. Usually, his sergeant was all business. Samuel stood there for a minute, unable to speak. When he finally did speak, he just said, “A sandwich, Sir?” The sergeant nodded. “Yes. Turkey or ham, to be exact.” Samuel hardly knew what to say, so he just sputtered, “Uh, yeah, I suppose a sandwich would be nice.” As the sergeant handed Samuel a sandwich, he sighed. “My wife expected a lot of family members to come yester“You see that sunset last night?” manmade ones. Our gratitude extends rabbits arrive in large litters, and bears day, but the storm forced most of them to turn back. She had Steve said. “Now that was a honey.” past not having our teenager go to jail, don’t. When we think about it, we are cooked two turkeys and a ham and made enough rolls to feed “I’ll say,” said Doc. “You know, with or for the raise we just got at the factory. thankful that we get eggs from hens and an army. She said she’s not about to eat leftovers for a month, Thanksgiving on us, I have to tell you I’m Our favorite ball team can win or lose on not from rattlesnakes, as checking the so she made them all into sandwiches and told me to give very thankful for sunsets like that one.” its own without our having to look for rattler house each morning could get them away.” Those of us who don’t live in the Divine Intervention, usually. We tend to ‘way too exciting. Samuel took the sandwich and took a bite. “This is very big cities tend to be thankful for differbe grateful for other things, like calves When you consider that porcupines good, Sir. Thank you.” ent things than those who may live in in the spring, and how clean they look have quills, and not deer, it gives us “Yeah, she’s a good cook,” the sergeant replied. “But I was stucco cliff dwellings. We tend to look before they discover mud. pause for praise, and we’re happy that just ready to get off work when I remembered the sandwichat the natural blessings more than the We are deeply grateful that tasty it’s skunks who carry scent glands and es. I don’t dare go home until I have given them all away.” not squirrels. The sergeant started back to his desk, and Samuel started We are thankful, too, that hurricanes and tornadoes only to button up his coat. Suddenly, the sergeant stopped and happen in warm weather. It’s turned back around. bad enough to lose the barn “What am I doing?” the sergeant said. “I don’t have to give without being chill-factored to the sandwiches away. I can just assign you to do it.” death while it’s happening. “How many sandwiches are there?” Samuel asked. “Turkeys,” Dud said, sip“Three huge coolers full,” the sergeant replied, pointing ping his coffee. to the coolers by his desk. “You can just put the empty cool“What?” ers back by my desk when you’re done.” “I’m thankful turkeys are “But I was going out on a walking route,” Samuel replied. stupid. Ever looked in a tur“Not anymore,” the sergeant replied. “You’ll need to take key’s eyes? Not only is no one the patrol car.” home, but there was a mass With a nod, the sergeant said, “Happy after-Thanksgiving evacuation sometime during Day,” and he quickly left. the Eisenhower AdministraSamuel looked in the first cooler and figured there was tion. A turkey has just enough well over a hundred sandwiches in it. The other coolers were brains to operate his heart stuffed full as well. He wondered how and to whom he could and lungs.” “You’re thankful for that?” give that many sandwiches. But then he smiled as he realized how stupid that thought was. Doc said. He loaded the coolers into the patrol car and headed to “Sure,” said Dud. “If his assigned area. He stopped first by an old basketball court turkeys had been given the rudimentary intelligence of where teenagers were playing ball. a garden snail, we might be “Hey, anybody like a sandwich?” Samuel called out. forced to eat sheep on ThanksSoon he had given out a few dozen sandwiches to some giving.” appreciative young people. Samuel stopped next at a place where homeless people hung out and were warming themselves around a fire. Though some people quickly disap2015 Ford Explorer peared at the site of his patrol car, they just as quickly XLT 4x4 Metallic Black, Black Leather, 3.5L came back when they heard V6 Full Power, 33K, 3 Row Seating he was offering free sandwiches. Samuel continued passing out sandwiches wherever Salvage Title he went, to the old, to children in threadbare coats, and to everyone he met. His shift ended before the sandwiches 605-665-3720 • Yankton, SD were gone, but he continued until every last one was given away. When Samuel came to work the next day, his sergeant apologized for giving him such a strange assignment. But Samuel just smiled and told what he had done. “If your wife ever cooks too much, I’d be happy to December 25th Edition give it away again.” After the sergeant told Deadline is his wife about it, she made Thursday, Dec. 20th at noon it an annual tradition to cook too much and make the leftovers into sandwiches. And Samuel looked forward to January 1st Edition sharing the food on his beat. Deadline is It was one of the few reports he looked forward to writing Thursday, Dec. 27th at noon about. The Women’s Fellowship of the RAMSEY g& nin ent Di inm rta nte E Utica Hall Bazaar 8 Saturday, December th Why pay more? 10AM to 4PM $19,500 Lunch & Bake sale Photos & Treats with Santa Claus! 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