January 8, 2019 • Page 2 Dave Says shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Worried About Mom Changing Jobs and Retirement Savings Dear Dave, My mom is 75, and I’m the executor of her estate. She has $500,000 in retirement accounts, and the only debt she has is around $70,000 on her mortgage. Most of her money is in the stock market, with only $20,000 in a money market account, and this worries me. She lives well within her means, so am I wrong to be concerned? Also, do you think she should go ahead and pay off her mortgage? Keith Dave Dear Dave, What happens to my Roth 401(k) when I change jobs and go to a company that doesn’t offer this type of investment savings account? How should you proceed in this situation? Jamie Dear Jamie, Dear Jamie, Anytime you leave one company for another, you should always roll your 401(k) from your former employer into an IRA (Individual Retirement Account). If it’s a traditional IRA, you roll it to a traditional IRA. If it’s a Roth IRA, you roll it to a Roth IRA. You would choose your own mutual funds, and you would manage your own accounts, with the help of a financial advisor of your choosing. When it comes to choosing a financial advisor, my advice is to find someone with the heart of a teacher. A good financial advisor will help you make informed decisions about your money, and they will explain all aspects of your investments until you fully understand everything. In short, a quality advisor will never encourage you to invest in something you don’t understand. Also, look for someone with the ability to assess your overall retirement picture. You need someone who will help you map out a complete retirement plan, and your advisor should be able to explain the big picture and provide a comprehensive, easy-to-understand strategy for achieving your retirement goals. — Dave RAMSEY Dear Keith, Yes, I would recommend she go ahead a pay off the mortgage. If she can do that at age 75, and still have $430,000 left, that’s the way to go. Now, being in the stock market at her age sounds like a shock to you. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. It’s not what the typical financial planner tells you to do. For the most part, they’ll tell you to get super conservative with your money as you get older. But from what you’ve said, she’s not going to use this money. She’s going to use the income from this money. So, the money’s going to be left alone. If she’s in good mutual funds, and not single stocks, I’m not worried about her. Let’s pay off the mortgage, and then she can start taking her income off the remainder. With the house payment out of the way, she won’t need as much in terms of income, because she won’t be sending money to the bank to pay the note on the * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and busihouse anymore. I’m comfortable with that. I’m 58, and I’m 100 percent into stocks through mutual funds. I don’t have anything ness, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven bestselling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave else, and I really don’t ever plan on changing that! Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each — Dave week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. finding the right job is easier than you think The last of the geese went by the other day. The late ones. The big dark geese. Headed south noisily. I used to envy them, somehow. They go down there to the warm coastal areas where the jacks swim and the nights are chilly but livable this time of year. If they’re especially sensitive geese, they’ll keep going until there are mangoes and palm trees and the language of the people is Spanish. But they cross over here in their long, languorous vees, and all we can do is look up and wonder what our lives would be like if we could go along. To fly over the farms and valleys, to coast along on the rising thermals, to sail down the long way to warmth and sand and comfort, how nice it might be. But if we did that, we’d miss the snow, and the fire in the fireplace when the work was done in the evening. We’d miss how the snowy world looks just at dusk when the snow is an alpenglow orange and tells us secrets it has saved for us all these years. If we went to the winter feeding grounds, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate how splendid the spring will be with the basking rays of sun on our necks and the swelling of the buds in the fruit trees. To truly appreciate warmth, we must first get cold, and that’s evidently a part of our lives that the geese won’t ever get to share. Of course, they seem quite content to sail on down the southern winds to the warm places, leaving us to wrap ourselves tighter in thicker clothes and dream of sandy beaches and snorkels. Have a good winter, geese. Eat a crab or two for me. You see, I’ll be here for you to honk at when you head north again in the spring. I’ll be right here, living in the same place. Cold or hot, windy or still, my world and my responsibilities are here, and I’ll be right here taking care of them. It’s my way of doing things, and I’m used to it. when you’ve got the right direction Stop searching. The Help Wanted section of the Missouri Valley Shopper lists many possible new job opportunities. Find a career that’s right for you. MV Shopper MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y New Year Commitments By Daris Howard Even though it had been a few years since I had been a scoutmaster, I always tried to go on campouts with the boys when an extra adult was needed. This mostly fell on the high adventure in the summer, which lasted most of a week. Each year, as we hiked miles into the wilderness or attempted steep mountain terrain, I felt the challenge of my age a little more. And each time, I made a mental commitment to get into better shape. I missed a couple of years of high adventure due to other responsibilities, and when I was able to go again, there were some new scouts. We were camping at the base of Mount Borah, the highest peak in Idaho, facing the challenge of climbing it the next day. We had just finished dinner for the evening when one of the younger boys, Jason, mentioned that he wanted to play a game of old sow. For those of you who have never played old sow, it’s a game with about six to eight players, a hockey puck, clubs to pound the hockey puck, and everyone against everyone else. I doubt I need to say how this type of game plays out with a group of rambunctious boys, but I will mention that few ever go away from the game without a nice collection of bruises. Jason started getting the game together, and a few of the boys his age agreed to play. But he really needed at least one more player. He went to all of the older boys first, and all of them turned him down. He then started at the youngest leaders and worked his way up. I was the oldest leader by a good ten years, so after all of the others had turned him down, I was the last one for him to ask. He approached me with skepticism that I would accept. “Daris,” he said, “I know you’re old and out of shape, but we really need someone to play old sow with us.” He had me at the “old and out of shape” line. “Get me a stick,” I growled, “and prepare for a whippin’.” He excitedly ran back to the other boys and told them the news. They quickly found me a big club, and after I whittled it somewhat smooth, we were in business. I might have been old and out of shape, but I had played some tough games of old sow. The boys soon learned that experience could make up for an overabundance of energy. I blocked their sticks and moved the puck with great expertise. “Wow!” Jason said, “I’ve never seen anybody play like that.” By the time the game was over, I had earned their respect, even though I was gasping for air. I determined once more to get into better shape. The hike the next day only increased that resolve. Still, by the time the new year rolled around, I hadn’t started an exercise routine. However, the thought of the high adventure only six months away made me recommit. The days went by, and work and other challenges took priority. Before I knew it, we were on a high adventure again. This time I was the scoutmaster. Our camp was at Bear Lake with lots of water activities. One of them included carrying our big paddle boards down the mountainside, spending a day on the lake, then carrying the paddle boards back up to the waiting trailer. We carried the boards down in groups, two on each board, making multiple trips. But we spent a long time on the lake, and it was past time to set up camp. As the boys started struggling up the mountain, two carrying a paddle board, I decided we needed to hurry things up. I threw one on my shoulder and carried it up by myself. I even passed the boys. But when they finally caught up to me at the top, I was still struggling to catch my breath. Jason looked at me and said, “You know, inside all of that old fatness, you’re actually pretty strong.” And that was when I made a renewed commitment to get into shape again. And I still plan to make that my new year’s commitment—right after I finish off the last of the Christmas pie so it won’t go to waste. M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y MV Shopper 665-5884 MV Shopper Save 10 Off A Gallon Of Gas When You Use Your Sinclair Card M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y In Print and Online! 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