December 25, 2018 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Dave That’s A Lot! Dear Dave, I’m on Baby Step 1 of your plan, and I work at a community college that takes a mandatory 20 percent from our pay for retirement. I know you say retirement contributions should be put on hold until all debt except for your home is paid off, so do you have any thoughts on this kind of system? It feels like it’s hard to get traction with getting control of my money when so much is being taken out of every paycheck. Kristi RAMSEY Dear Kristi, That is a lot to take out. I’ve heard of a few places that have a mandatory 12 percent contribution, but 20 percent? That’s very unusual. And it’s unusually high. I’m not sure what to tell you. I mean, you took the job. It’s what you signed up for. But if it becomes enough of an issue with your finances, you may have to decide at some point if you still want to work there. My recommendation is to begin setting aside 15 percent of your income for retirement after you’ve paid off all debt except your home, and you have an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses in the bank. At least you’re not losing the money, so it’s not the end of the world. It’s your money that’s going in there for your use some day. I don’t know the exact structure of the retirement account, but it is going toward retirement savings of some kind—and that’s important! — Dave Return Of Premium? Dear Dave, I’m thinking about signing up for a return of premium life insurance policy. It costs more per month than other policies, but it allows you to get all your money back after 30 years assuming you live that long. Is this too good to be true? Tommy Dear Tommy, It’s not too good to be true, but it is a rip off. Never buy a return of premium life insurance policy. You said it costs more than other policies, right? Well, if you were to take that extra money you’d be paying and put it into a good mutual fund, you’d get all the cost of your policy back after 30 years 100 percent of the time. Return of premium policies are just a gimmick. When it comes to life insurance, always go with a good, 15- to 20-year level term policy. And always stay away from that return of premium garbage! — 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. Five-Year Farm Bill Will Provide Certainty, Stability to South Dakota Ag Community By Sen. Mike Rounds After months of negotiations, Congress recently passed a five-year farm bill with strong bipartisan support. This vital piece of legislation will provide certainty for farmers and ranchers across the country, and especially in South Dakota where our state’s economy depends on agriculture. With more than 31,500 farms across the state, South Dakota ranks in the top 10 for ag production, providing a $21 billion dollar impact on our economy annually. With net farm income down 50 percent in the past five years and producers on the tip of the spear with the ongoing trade disputes, the farm bill will provide our ag community with much-needed stability as they plan for the future. A five-year farm bill is necessary to give South Dakota producers the certainty they need to help weather times of low commodity prices, such as the one we are experiencing now. Measures included in the farm bill can help them keep their operations viable. During farm bill negotiations, I outlined my priorities to the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee to make certain the top concerns of South Dakota producers were heard. I was pleased most of these priorities were addressed as part of the final farm bill package, including a measure to increase the cap for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres from 24 million acres to 27 million acres, with 2 million acres reserved for grasslands. The farm bill also strengthens the federal crop insurance program, increases the total Farm Service Agency (FSA) Guaranteed and Direct Loan Program authorization to $12 billion and establishes an Animal Disease and Preparedness Program. This includes a vaccination bank to combat economic, food and national security concerns. Additionally, it allows for re-enrollment for producers utilizing commodity programs under Title I, specifically Price-Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC). It also includes Sen. John Thune’s provision to update and improve accuracy of the U.S. Drought Monitor and better use collected data to determine emergency grazing procedures through FSA. This is an important provi- sion for South Dakota producers in times of extreme drought like we experienced in much of the state last year. Farmers and ranchers in South Dakota work hard every day to feed and fuel a growing population here in the U.S. and around the world. As in all businesses, some years are better than others. During those tough times, it’s important that producers have access to tools that can help them keep going. I thank Senate and House Agriculture Committee leaders and members for their work getting this important bill passed the finish line. It is a critical step toward providing certainty and stability for South Dakota farmers and ranchers as we continue to seek ways to improve the ag economy as a whole. Treasure Awaits! Shop Classifieds 319 Walnut St. • Yankton, SD 57078 605-665-5884 www.missourivalleyshopper.com Earn as much as $400+ this month & $120 this week 319 Walnut St. Yankton, SD 57078 605-665-5884 www.missourivalleyshopper.com ith the e host w Be th Years! is New most th lection! Large Se Cooks Champagne t Prices! Grea 6.99 750 ML 10.99 1.5 ML $ Reason for Being Late $ 99 Schnapps Party Bowl $19.99 Fireball Party Bucket $19.99 20/50 ML Gray Duck Vodka $28.99 1.75 ML Crown Royal $45.99 1.75 ML Includes All Flavors Cork N Bottle 1500 Broadway, 665-3881 We’ll Match All Local Advertising Prices! Save 10¢ Off A Gallon Of Gas When You Use Your Sinclair Card By Daris Howard When eight-year-old Katherine walked into class, the teacher looked at the clock. It was almost noon. Few students came to school that late without a good reason. “Well, Katherine,” the teacher said, “would you like to tell us why you’re so late?” “A moose?” Katherine replied. “A moose?” the teacher asked, skeptically. “I can’t just write ‘a moose’ as a reason on the late slip. The secretary will think I’m crazy. What about a moose?” “Well, a moose wandered into our yard this morning,” Katherine said. “The dogs decided to chase her. They chased her a distance down the road, but then she decided she had had enough. She turned around and chased them back to the shed that was just past the house.” “Okay,” the teacher said. “But I don’t see why that made you late.” “That was only the beginning,” Katherine said. “When the moose turned to walk away, the dogs chased her again. Then, after they had gone a short distance, the moose turned and chased them back. The dogs hid in the shed, so the moose turned to walk away. But the dogs took off after her again. They went back and forth that way all morning. We watched it all through our window as we ate breakfast.” The teacher sighed, feeling that this story wasn’t getting anywhere. “But what does that have to do with you being late for school?” “Each time the dogs chased the moose, and the moose chased them back, the moose appeared to get a little bit madder. She ran after the dogs a little bit faster, and each time, she was closer on the dogs’ tails by the time they reached the shed. “After quite a bit of this, it was time for the bus to come, so we carefully checked outside to see if the coast was clear. We hadn’t seen the dogs or the moose for about ten minutes. The last we time we saw them, the dogs were hot in pursuit of the moose as she headed over the hill across from our house. “So we made our way out to stand by the mailbox and wait for the bus. We had only been there a minute or two when the dogs came running back over the hill, with the moose almost on top of them. The dogs were whining as they ran. They seemed to know they weren’t going to make it to the shed before the moose stomped them into compost. “But then the dogs saw us, and they must have thought we could save them. They headed right for us. We didn’t know what to do except to run, so we ran back to the house, screaming for Mom. Mom came out and saw us all heading for the front door, and she started screaming to scare the moose away, but it kept coming. “We all ran into the house with the moose not too far behind. We ran into the bedroom, and Mom slammed the door behind us. We all made it in, the dogs, us, and Mom. After we caught our breath, Mom said she was sure a moose wouldn’t follow us into the house, so she slowly opened the door to peek out. But the moose was right there in our living room. “The moose snorted as if daring us to come out of the bedroom, so Mom quickly slammed the door again. Just about then, the bus started honking, and one of the dogs started barking. Then he bayed at the moose as if challenging her. Mom took a pillow and hit the dog across the face. But the barking apparently made the moose mad because she started stomping our living room floor, rocking the whole trailer house. “Mom said if we could keep the dogs quiet for a while, the moose would probably leave. So we all grabbed a pillow, and the dogs seemed to sense it was better to stay quiet. Over the next few hours, Mom peeked out a few times, and the moose was still there. My brother said he thought maybe she planned to stay all winter and take control of the tv remote. But finally, when Mom peeked out, the moose was gone. Mom carefully went into the living room, looked through the window, and saw the moose in the yard. We stayed in the house and kept the dogs locked up and quiet in the bedroom until the moose left. Then mom drove us to school.” The teacher looked at the line on the tardy paper that said, “reason for tardy,” paused momentarily, then simply wrote, “a moose.” g& t nin en Di inm erta nt E ’s Eve Year New ARTY P day, Dec. 31 st Mon 0AM PM to 12:3 9:30 Hall Utica Ring In The h ew Year Wit N Live Music d ps & Beyon Dro ill The Ball r! Party T Of The Yea arty ! r Biggest P At Ou ADMISSION REE F