January 28, 2020 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Keep It Small, And Budget For It Dear Dave, I’m trying very hard to get out of debt. I have my beginner emergency fund in place, and I’m living on a monthly budget. Is it okay to include a little wallet cash in my budget at this point, just in case? Andrew Dear Andrew, It’s probably not going to throw you off too much in terms of getting out of debt if you budget $20 or Dave so, just to have some cash in your wallet. I wouldn’t recommend much more than that, though. The idea of having $50, $100, or $200 in walking around money is pretty self-defeating when you’re supposedly saving, budgeting, and working hard to get out of debt. What really matters is the amount of pocket money you allow yourself to have. Think of it as a safety valve. Sometimes things come up in the course of day-to-day life that are just necessary, unexpected expenses—but not emergencies. Just designate a small amount of cash for it as part of your regular, monthly budget, and stick to that amount! —Dave RAMSEY Emergency Fund First, Then Investing Dear Dave, Do you think I should stop making contributions to my 401(k) for a year, so I can save up an emergency fund? Ran into Herb Collins the other day down by the school. He volunteers there, from time to time, helping kids with their math homework, and trying to recruit future members of The Great World of Business. He loved business, back in the days when he lived in the city and ran the pawn shop. For years now, ever since he hung up his jeweler’s loupe, he’s told us that there was an excitement to making the right deal. “It has to be right for the customer and for me, or it isn’t right at all,” Herb always says. “You can do that and make several people happy and earn a living. There’s no need to take unfair advantage of someone just to earn a living.” Our little town is a bit tame after city life, but it’s Herb’s wife’s home town and she wanted to come back here to live after he retired. So Herb turned to helping kids understand how wonderful business can be. He’s advised kids on the most effective way I’m 28, and debt-free, but I don’t have anything saved for emergencies. Bryan Dear Bryan, If you’re debt-free and making decent money at your job, it shouldn’t take a whole year to set aside an emergency fund. Just make it a priority in your monthly budget. And yes, my advice to you is temporarily stop making contributions to your 401(k) until you have a fully-funded emergency fund of three to six months of expenses. I recommend people stop investing, or wait to start investing, until they are debt-free except for their home and have a fully-funded emergency fund in place. In some cases, depending on how much debt they have, it can take two or three years to do all this. I know that seems like a long time, but in the grand scheme of things it’s really not. If you don’t have an emergency fund, but you’re contributing to a 401(k), there’s a good chance you’ll end up cashing out your 401(k) if a large, unexpected expense comes along. Then, when you cash out a 401(k) early, you get hit with a penalty plus your tax rate. That’s not a wise plan! —Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling 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. of delivering newspapers on their bicycles, he’s suggested advertising gimmicks for kids with summer lemonade stands, and he’s helped several boys market their skills with a lawn mower. You can take the man out of the business, I guess, but it’s hard to take the business out of the man. So after the shaking hands and the how-areyous, we talked about kids and business, and the new crop of youngsters coming up this year. I couldn’t help thinking ol’ Herb might jump at the chance to dive back in the world of commerce again, but he disabused me of that right away. “All through with that,” he said, shaking his head. “I was a successful businessman and now I’m successfully retired.” Successfully retired? “That’s right,” he grinned. “I have a wife and a television set, and they both work.” Social Security Launches New Campaign To Fight Scammers The Social Security Administration launched a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign to continue warning people about the ongoing nationwide Ron’s Auto Glass 1915 Broadway, Yankton Glass Repair & Replacement Home • Auto • Business 605.665.9841 telephone impersonation scheme. The PSAs feature a message from Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul. Social Security and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) continue to receive reports about fraudulent phone calls from people falsely claiming to be Social Security employees. The scammers mislead victims into making cash or gift card payments for help with purported identity theft, or to HOME REMODELING Call Gerald • Interior & Exterior Painting • Kitchen & Bath Renovations • Doors & Windows • Carpentry & Cabinets GE Jensen Construction avoid arrest for bogus Social Security number problems. “I want every American to know that if a suspicious caller states there is a problem with their Social Security number or account, they should hang up and never give the caller money or personal information. People should then go online to oig.ssa.gov to report the scam call to Social Security,” said Commissioner Saul. People should also If be on the lookout for a new version of this scam. Fraudsters are now emailing fake documents in attempts to get people to comply with their demands. Victims have received emails with attached letters and reports that appear to be from Social Security or the OIG. The letters may use official letterhead and government jargon to convince victims they are legitimate; they may also contain misspellings and grammar mistakes. Read and Recycle you read this you know... Shoulder Surgery By Daris Howard (Continued from previous week.) After finding out there was a bullet in my arm, I hoped that was what was causing the pain in my arm. I figured that if a bullet was removed, there would be less trauma and healing than if it was torn ligaments. But I was to have no such luck. The doctor told me there was indeed a bullet in my arm, like the MRI technician had said, but it wasn’t causing me any problems. The real problem was that I needed a rotator cuff repair. We looked at available surgery dates. I wanted to get it done before Christmas so I would have more time to heal before going back to work in January. But I needed to move the harp for my daughter until December 22nd. That only left December 24th for the surgery date. I had the nurse schedule it. Later, when I met with my family, I let them know. “Can we have Christmas on the 23rd?” my daughter asked. “If we have it on Christmas right after you have had your surgery, you will probably be grouchy. I’d rather not have my father be grouchy on Christmas.” I told her I didn’t think I would be grouchy, but agreed to celebrate Christmas on the 23rd, anyway. It ended up being a nice day. We opened presents and then invited another daughter that lived close by to bring her family and join us when we went out to eat. We scheduled it so her husband could come from work during his lunch hour. It was fun. The next day, as I headed to the hospital, I must admit that all I could think about was when I was 45, and my tonsils were removed. For two hours before being wheeled back, I was in a room where the broken tv could not be shut off and was locked onto a channel that played only Barney reruns. By the time they came to get me, I was feeling like, “Just shoot me now!” However, this time the room I was put in for surgery preparation didn’t even have a tv. I was okay with that. Many people came in to take my vitals and talk to me about recovery. Four of them asked me which shoulder was being operated on. When I told them it was my left, they marked it with a marker. As the fourth person made his mark, I said, “Don’t you trust the other three people who marked it already?” He laughed. “A person can never be too careful.” After he left, I told my wife Donna to hand me a marker. “Why?” she asked. “I think I ought to put marks all over me just to confuse them.” She did not think that was even funny and made sure there were no markers anywhere in the room. She said that removing my access to markers was her part of being careful. Eventually, I was wheeled into the surgery room. The anesthesiologist leaned over me. “It will take about ten minutes for you to fade off to sleep.” Ten minutes, nothing. I was out almost instantly after he said it, and if I said anything past that point, I want to make it clear that I can’t legally be held responsible for it. The next thing I remember was having someone patting me, calling me by name, and asking me how I was doing. “Did you get the number?” I groggily replied. “Of what?” she asked. “Of the license plate of the truck that hit me.” I heard my wife laugh. “I think he’s going to be fine.” And I’m not admitting that I was grouchy. But my daughter was probably smart to have had us celebrate Christmas on the 23rd. And the bullet? Well, it remains in my arm as a souvenir of some exciting day from my youth. I just wish I could remember which day. Officers Elected For Governor’s Tourism Advisory Board PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Governor’s Tourism Advisory Board has selected its officers for 2020. Kristi Wagner of Whitewood was elected the board president during a meeting today in Pierre. Carmen Schramm of Yankton was elected vice president. “The guidance and support the advisory board provides the department is critical to the success advertising pays! Call the Missouri Valley Shopper at 665-5884 or stop by to place your ad today! 319 Walnut St. • Yankton Irene, South Dakota 605.263.3927 MV Shopper MV Shopper Save 10 Off A Gallon Of Gas When You Use Your Sinclair Card Entertainment M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y ¢ Prices Best In Town Crown Royal Includes All Flavors.............. $ ..........750 ML 26.99 Seagram’s 7 Whisky............................ $ ... 1.75 ML 19.99 Seagram’s 7 Apple Whisky.......EW! 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The board also offers input about marketing strategies for the department. Current Tourism Advisory Board members include Caleb Arceneaux, Rapid City; Tom Biegler, Sioux Falls; John Brockelsby, Rapid City; Ted Hustead, Wall; Ann Lesch, De Smet; Julie Ranum, Watertown; Val Rausch, Big Stone City; Carmen Schramm, Yankton; Frank Smith, Gettysburg; Ivan Sorbel, Kyle; and Kristi Wagner, Whitewood. The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism and the South Dakota Arts Council. The department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.