March 12, 2019 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says The Skunk Skin Play It Smart Dear Dave, Recently, the garage where I worked for a long time went out of business. I have a lot of my own tools, and I was thinking about taking out a loan of around $20,000 to buy a few extra tools I need to open my own garage. It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own shop, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. What do you think? Rick By Daris Howard a thriving business on your hands in a few years and no debt to eat up the money you make! —Dave What does a person do with the skin of a skunk? Well, Rick decided that it might make a piece to use for a pracGet Off The Account Today! tical joke. He placed it on his doorstep, and he loved to Dear Dave, watch people do a double take when they came to his I opened a credit card account with a boyfriend sevdoor. Some people would see it from a distance and not eral months ago in both of our names. We’re no longer even come to his door. Rick saw that as a definite plus. dating, and I was wondering if I can get my name off the Rick thought fewer interruptions in life was always good. account. Another advantage was it kept door-to-door salesmen Melody away. But it also kept away people that his family did want to visit, so he decided to hide it somewhat under a bench Dear Melody, that was there. That meant most people were almost on Yes, you can. Call the credit card company right now, Dave top of it before they saw it. Some people would stumble and tell them to take your name off the account immeDear Rick, and fall backward, almost tumbling off of the steps before I love it when a person has the diately. Find out if there’s a balance on the card. If there they realized it was not alive. But it made it so people at talent and drive to open their own is, and it was charged up while your name was on the least got close enough to know it would not get them. account, you’ll still be liable for that amount. They won’t business, but right now you’re unemployed and looking Rick had a lot of fun watching out his window and seerelease you from responsibility for those purchases, but at going into debt. That’s a bad idea. ing how people reacted, but he had to admit that he had you can get off the hook for any future charges. You’ll never hear me recommend going into debt to almost taken a backward tumble once or twice himself. He Then, send them a certified letter—return receipt start a business. Did you know most new businesses fail was the one that put it there, but there were times when requested—stating that you are no longer liable for adwithin the first five years due to debt payments? I literhe had come to his own door while deep in thought, only ally started my company on a card table in my own living ditional charges on the card going forward. It wouldn’t be to be startled into the present by the black and white fur a bad idea to call them again in a few days to make sure room years ago, so I know for a fact you can launch a sticking out from under the bench. they got the letter, too. business without going into debt. There was another advantage that Rick had found. You’re learning a hard lesson here, Melody. You should You said you have your own tools, plus you have lots Even though the skunk skin had long ago lost any scent it never open any kind of joint account with someone when of experience. My advice is to find a place that needs a may have carried to human senses, it tended to deter wild you’re not married. And stop using credit cards! good mechanic. Then, use the income from a new job animals from coming near. Rick found that he could put —Dave to save up for the additional tools you need, and other his cats’ food bowl on the doorstep near the skunk skin, startup costs associated with opening your own shop. and wild animals didn’t come around as much to eat the * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and If you play this smart and start slow, you could have cat food. business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored Of course, at first, even his cats tended to shy away. seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million But after some time, his own cats got used to it. He could listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital put out some food, and his cats would come running. He was spending about half as much on cat food as before, platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on and his cats were still fatter. the web at daveramsey.com. Word got around the community about the skunk skin, and soon everyone knew about it, People talked about it and joked about it. Still, even knowing it was there and that it was not alive, people approached Rick’s door cautiously. “Why do you keep that old thing around?” Rick’s wife asked him one day. “Give me one good reason not to,” Rick said. His wife’s reasons were nonfunctional—things like the skin was old and ugly. “Do you want me to bring it into the house to wash it PIERRE, S.D. – Homeowners have until March 15 to apply and spruce it up?” Rick asked for property tax relief through South Dakota’s owner-occuHis wife said it would be the last conscious thing he Saturday, March 16th pied program. Any South Dakotan who owned and occupied a home on ever did if she found that in her bathroom. And so they 8:00PM Nov. 1, 2018 is eligible for this classification and its property compromised with Rick keeping it on the porch and never tax reduction. Taxpayers who have previously received this bringing it into the house. reduction and still own and occupy the same home will conRick had had the skunk skin for over a year, and peotinue to receive the property tax relief without applying. ple in the community had quit talking about it. It was old The Department of Revenue recently sent taxpayers their news now. It didn’t even catch Rick’s attention anymore, 2019 valuation notices, which indicate if the property clas$5 Cover Charge At The Door sification is owner-occupied. Homeowners are advised to even when he was deep in thought. He didn’t even notice check their notices to ensure their property is classified as it was there. owner-occupied. But then one day, the word around the community was Taxpayers who have purchased or built a home prior to that the skunk skin was gone. No one knew for sure that it Nov. 1, 2018 may apply for this classification through their was, and no one knew why. But someone had heard somelocal county director of thing had happened. At church the next day, curious comequalization. The form is available on the Department munity members watched for Rick to come so they could of Revenue web site at http:// find out the details. But Rick didn’t come to church. Howdor.sd.gov/Taxes/Property_ ever, his wife and children did, so people gathered around Taxes/Forms.aspx. to hear the tale. If applicants have ques“Well, Rick came home yesterday,” his wife said, “and tions about the ownerhe walked up on the porch as usual. Nothing seemed out occupied program, they of the ordinary to him until, suddenly, the skunk skin are encouraged to contact their local county director turned its back end toward him and put its tail in the air.” of equalization or call the That was when Rick realized there was one animal that Department of Revenue’s a skunk skin didn’t scare away from eating out of the cat property tax division at 605dish—another skunk. 773-3311. No one except Rick’s family saw him for a week or two. His wife said, “It was befeeling scentNotice of Meeting of Local Review Board cause he was the odor-deal si-tive about SDCL 10-11-13 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the governing body, he had been through.” RAMSEY t Patty’s Dance S Utica Hall Owner-Occupied Property Tax Relief Deadline Approaching Clay Creek Band Get Your Green On! Yankton interactive 6 Easy Steps To Bring Your Paper To Life! sitting as a Review Board of WALSHTOWN Township, Yankton County, South Dakota, will meet at the Gerald Keely Residence, 44238 302nd St., Mission Hill, SD 57046, in said taxing jurisdiction on Monday, March 18th, 2019 7:30-9:00 p.m. for the purpose of reviewing and correcting the assessment of said taxing district for the year 2018. All persons considering themselves aggreived by said assessment, are required to notify the clerk of the local board in writing no later than Thursday, March 14th, 2019. 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