January 30, 2018 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Boss Says Get a Credit Card Dear Dave, I recently got a new job that requires monthly expenses of almost $5,000 that are reimbursed. I can’t swing that kind of money right now, and my company told me to get a credit card to cover things. I’m trying to get out of debt, and I don’t like this idea. What should I do? John Dear John, Your company should be fronting the money for these expenses. When you talk about the cost of doing busiDave ness, it’s the responsibility of the company — not the employee — to pay expenses. If I send someone on the road to make money for my company, I pay the bills. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about hotel rooms, airfare, or rental cars, those are my expenses. If it’s someone who travels a lot, we give them a company debit card. If it’s just an occasional thing, we’ll give them money out of petty cash. But a company shouldn’t treat its employees this way. That’s just plain wrong. It’s a mystery to me how some segments of Corporate America have sold their employees on the idea of being the company bank. Ultimately, the decision is yours. If you don’t mind covering your company’s expenses and getting reimbursed, but you don’t want to go into debt, you’ll have to save and build up a $5,000 business expense fund in a separate checking account. This should be used only for business expenses, and what’s spent should be replenished immediately when they reimburse you. You’re in an unusual spot, John. Personally, I think this is an unprofessional way to run a business. But if you like your job, and want to stay without taking on any more debt, the good news is you’ll only have to fill up your expense account one time. Good luck! — Dave RAMSEY MV Shopper CLASSIFIEDS Well Meaning, But Misguided Dear Dave, My sister has bad credit due to a lot of late payments. She has finally started to change her ways and get control of her finances, because she and her fiancé want to make an offer on a house. The bank won’t approve it if she is on the loan, and his income alone isn’t enough to get the amount they need. His parents are well-off, and they have offered to co-sign on the loan. Is this a bad idea? Rhonda Dear Rhonda, It’s a really bad idea. Those two have no business thinking about a house right now, and his parents are about to make things even worse with their loving, misguided help. If you need a co-signer, you’re nowhere near ready to buy a home. They need to slow down. I mean, they’re just engaged. They don’t even need a house at this point. They should get married, live in a cheap apartment for a while, and work on paying off their debts. After that, they need to save up an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses, then start setting cash aside for a huge down payment on their first, modest home. These two have a bad case of house fever. And mom and dad need to step back, look at things objectively, and realize they would not be blessing these kids by helping get them into a home they obviously can’t afford! — 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. “WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB, I PUT THE CLASSIFIEDS TO WORK!” M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y IN PRINT & ONLINE To place your ad call... 605.665.5884 Our Help Wanted Listings Have Hundreds Of Opportunities For You... • Full-Time • Part-Time • Permanent • Temporary Dining & Entertainment Tyndall Fire Department BINGO NIGHT February 3rd 7:30PM Tyndall Auditorium Advance Tickets: $20 (sold by all firefighters) $25 at the door • Lunch Served Afterwards with Drinks Available Open To The Public Pancakeast Breakf 319 Walnut • Yankton, SD 605.665.5884 Pair of Businesses For Sale in Wakonda! By Daris Howard At Any Price Don’s wife called out to him. “Don, the phone’s for you.” Don picked up the receiver and said hello. “Don,” the man’s voice on the line said, “this is Charles. You delivered a load of hay to me today.” “Yes,” Don replied. “Is there a problem?” “The hay is no good. My cows won’t eat it. I’m not willing to pay more than fifty dollars per ton for it.” Don gasped. “Fifty dollars! But we agreed on one hundred and fifty, and that was a good price for you with what most hay is going for right now.” “Well, I can’t pay you that much if the cows won’t eat it,” Charles said. Don took a deep breath and tried to consider what to do. While Don was thinking, Charles continued. “I will have a check out to you tomorrow.” “I haven’t agreed to that,” Don said. “I will need to think about it and get back to you.” When Don’s wife walked in, she asked, “What was that all about?” Don told her the story. When he finished, he said, “Hay prices almost everywhere are more than a hundred and seventy-five per ton. I was giving him a good deal at one fifty.” “Does he usually cheat people?” Don’s wife asked. “I don’t know,” Don replied. “It’s my first time dealing with him.” Don decided to call some other farmers to see what they could tell him about Charles. One old, retired farmer said he had been in the very same situation with Charles. “What did you do?” Don asked. “There wasn’t much I could do. It’s a long way out to his place, and we used his tractor to unload the hay. He wasn’t about to let me use it to load it up and take it away.” The more Don thought about it, the madder it made him. Besides, hay was scarce, and prices were still climbing. He probably could have sold it for more, but Charles had talked him down. Don finally made a decision. He called his son and asked him if he could take the next day off from work. “I’ll pay you to work for me,” Don told him. Don loaded his tractor on the flatbed trailer. The next day bright and early, with Don in the semi and his son in the pickup pulling the trailer with the tractor on it, they were on their way to Charles’s farm. They arrived mid-morning. Charles was nowhere to be seen, just as Don had hoped. Don quickly loaded the hay back onto his truck. Charles had fed part of one bale, so Don loaded what was left of it into the back of his pickup. Don and his son were soon on their way back home. That night Don received an angry phone call from Charles. “What in the devil’s name am I supposed to feed my cows?” Charles asked. “That’s not my problem,” Don said. Charles hung up angrily. But a few days later he called back and was more humble. “I’m willing to pay you the full one hundred and fifty for your bad hay,” Charles said. “I can’t find any anywhere else.” Don had expected the call might come. Farmers share information with each other when someone tries to cheat them. Besides, most of the hay in the valley was already sold. “I’ve already sold it at two hundred per ton,” Don said. “It goes out tomorrow.” “But we had a deal,” Charles said, hotly. “We did, and you broke it,” Don replied. “I’ll pay you two-hundred and five a ton,” Charles said. “I’ve just got to have some hay.” “Sorry,” Don replied. “If your cows won’t eat it at one-fifty per ton, they won’t eat it at any price.” Everyone knows that’s just the way cows are. The Wakonda Hotel & Bar – “The Pit” Turn-Key Bar & Restaurant Business It might have been the winter doldrums that did it. You can never be sure of these things. It’s just that … well, Doc is one of those guys who can’t stand to see anyone bored. $ Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, He claims it’s bad for their inner chemistry, and since he has more initials after his name than anyone else in town, we Sausage, Biscuits & Gravy, tend to listen to him. French Toast When it happened, we in the inner circle of the World Save $30 on a Summer AC Tune-Up! $ Dilemma Think Tank down at the Mule Barn truck stop Children 6-10 $4.00 • 5 & Under Free thought back on what Doc had said a year ago when the temperature dropped, along with everyone’s spirits. th “In weather like this,” Doc pronounced, stirring sugar Just give us a call and we’ll into his cup, “a real American would come up with a great send out a qualified hoax.” Those of us sitting at the philosophy counter that morn209 Cedar, Yankton • 665-3562 Service Technician like ing just nodded, even though we didn’t have a clue. No one wanted to admit it, you see. Tyler, to make sure your When the Valley Weekly Miracle hit the street yesterday, AC unit is ready for thoseStation fully Equipped! we bought one to see how much the editor dared to print, Turn-Key as always, but there in the classifieds was this: Several Updates in the Last 3-Years! hot summer South Dakota “LOST – One gray squirrel, fluffy tail, two years old. $ Tyler Reiser Answers to “Chipper.” $5.25 reward. Call Doc.” days and save $30!* Service Technician The paper was passed down the counter and we all To View Either of These Properties, contact 13 years experience looked at Doc after we read it. He was smirking as only Doc Mike Girard at (605) 661-7167 or mike@girardauction.com can smirk. 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