2 Broadcaster Press November 19, 2019 www.broadcasteronline.com A Real Patriot Dave Says Double For Couples? Dear Dave, Does the amount you advise saving for a beginner emergency fund in Baby Step 1 double for a couple, or does it stay the same? Charlie Dave RAMSEY Dear Charlie, Whether you’re single or married, Baby Step 1 of my plan is to save $1,000 as quickly as possible for a starter emergency fund. This may not sound like a lot of cash to have on-hand in the event of an emergency, but you need to remember the $1,000 figure is a temporary thing. Baby Step 1 is saving up $1,000 for a beginner emergency fund. Baby Step 2 is paying off all debt, except your home. The vast majority of folks working my plan are debt-free, except for their mortgage, in two years or less. Then, you move to Baby Step 3, which is increasing your emergency fund from $1,000 to three-to-six months of household expenses. In reality, we’re talking about a pretty short period of time where you’d have just $1,000 in emergency savings. Plus, it serves as an exercise in financial discipline. A lot of people have nothing saved before beginning the Baby Steps. If that makes things seem a little scary at the start, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. A healthy level of fear can be a fantastic motivator. I don’t want anyone constantly living their lives in fear, but that added push—that sense of urgency—can make you work harder to get out of debt, and move on the Baby Step 3, as quickly as possible! —Dave By Daris Howard Baby Step For Weddings? Dear Dave, We recently started following your plan, and it has made a huge difference in our financial outlook and our marriage. When it comes to the Baby Steps, when do you recommend setting aside money for a wedding? We have a daughter, and we want to be able to do as much as possible for her when the time comes. Jim Dear Jim, That’s a good question. There’s not really a Baby Step specifically for weddings. In my mind, it should probably come after Baby Step 5—setting aside a college fund for your kids. Maybe part of this is the dad in me, but in prioritizing these things I think a good education is more important than a big wedding. Don’t get me wrong, a wedding is a wonderful event and cause for lots of joy and celebration. But it’s also a one-day event. Plenty of people have inexpensive, beautiful weddings, and enjoy long, wonderful lives together! —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. CFR Provides Free Class For Anyone Interested In A Home Purchase Homebuyer Express is a class designed for anyone considering a home purchase or currently in the home buying. We will look at six keys areas that impact a home purchase and maintaining the home after purchase. Those six areas are personal money management; credit history review; mortgage financing and the loan process; shopping for a home; homeowner responsibilities; and predatory lending awareness. LSS Center for Financial Resources’ (CFR) Home- buyer Express Part One will be Tuesday, November 19th and Part Two will be Tuesday, November 26th. Both classes will be 5:30-8:30 PM at the Downtown Library at 200 N Dakota Ave. in Sioux Falls. Those interested can register through the calendar at www.LssSD.org or by calling 888-258-2227. Preregistration is encouraged but not required for those attending in-person to help ensure we have seating for those attending in-person. Homebuyer Express is free to attend and open to the public. Video conference is available for those unable to attend in-person. To attend by video conference, you must register at least 24 hours in advance. The LSS Center for Financial Resources’ Homebuyer Express series is made possible through a grant from the SDHDA Homeownership Education Resource Organization (H.E.R.O.) H.E.R.O. Certificates of Completion are issued to participants after attending both parts 1 and 2. This certificate is required for some loan prod- WE WILL MOVE YOUR HOME FOR FREE We have a few spots open for new tenants. Looking to save money on lot rent? Lot Rent $250 A Month Includes, water, sewer, trash and lawn care! ucts, down payment assistance, and may qualify the buyer for closing cost credits through their title company. Lutheran Social Services is a private non-profit social service agency. Last year, 48,690 lives were touched through a variety of services offered through LSS statewide. Core services offered by LSS include adoption, pregnancy counseling, foster care, kinship services, childcare & education, disaster response, behavioral health services, re-entry services, Center for Financial Resources, residential services for children & youth, alternatives to detention, independent living services for young adults, mentoring, Better Together and Center for New Americans. LSS serves people of all ages, races, faiths and economic levels with professional, confidential and affordable services. LSS services are licensed by the State of South Dakota and accredited by the Council on Accreditation. LSS is a United Way agency. A good friend of mine, Blaine, was a World War II veteran. He was one of the most patriotic men I knew, even if he had many reasons not to be. As a young man, Blaine, like many others his age, found himself embroiled in the bitterness of war. After the invasion at Normandy, he was part of the army fighting across Europe toward Germany. The German army had been falling back, but as the Allied armies came closer to Berlin, the Germans dug in. The bombardment from both sides went on for days. Blaine’s unit was right at the front, and when the shelling slowed, they received the command to move forward. They ran forward toward the enemy lines, but they only got about halfway there when the Germans opened fire again. Blaine, and all of the men with him, immediately dove for cover. They still had enough of a barrier between them and the enemy that they could defend themselves. But then something happened that was unexpected. The soldiers from the line behind them opened up with gunfire that was coming in low. Blaine saw some of his comrades fall, not from enemy fire, but from friendly fire. He also felt bullets rip into him from behind his own line. For some time, Blaine and those with him who were still alive lay in the field as bullets whizzed around them. But eventually, for Blaine, everything went black as he passed out from loss of blood. When he woke, he was in a field hospital. They had stitched him up, but some of the bullets he had taken were impossible to remove, bullets that would cause him pain all of his life. Blaine later found out that those who had given the order for his unit to move forward had done so without coordinating it with other levels of command. The other units could only assume he and the men with him were enemy soldiers. Some of those who survived became bitter at the loss of friends and much of their own ability. Some carried that anger even to the point of bitterness against the country they served. But Blaine chose another path. He chose to let that bitter moment go from his life. He seldom shared it, but when he did, he only talked about the honor he felt being able to serve his country. Despite his struggles, Blaine was always positive and kept a keen sense of humor. One patriotic holiday, we were standing next to each other with our hands over our hearts in honor of the flag that was being raised. There was a stiff wind, and Blaine was struggling to stay on his feet. When the halyards were securely fastened, and the flag whipped in the wind at the top of the pole, we dropped our hands. Blaine turned to me and laughed. “I tell you, I think my hair is even more patriotic than I am. In this wind, it stands up, salutes, and stays that way for hours.” I looked to see his white hair standing straight up, and I smiled. As Blaine was getting older and knew his days were numbered, he had one desire. He wanted to go back to Washington, D.C. to the World War II memorial to honor his friends who had never come home. But he didn’t have a lot of money, and he felt that opportunity was out of his reach. Then Blaine’s nephew heard of the Honor Flight, where a nonprofit group raised funds to help veterans make the trip to the war memorial honoring those with whom they served. Together Blaine and his nephew worked to fill out the necessary applications. It seemed like forever to Blaine before he received word that he had been accepted. But when the acceptance came, he was overjoyed and shared some of his excitement with me. But sadly, Blaine never lived long enough to make the flight. When I got a chance to go to Washington, D.C. on a business trip, I had little time for sightseeing, but I did take time in Blaine’s behalf to go to the World War II memorial. As I quietly stood there with the sun setting behind me, I could almost see Blaine standing and saluting as his friends welcomed home a brother in a grand veterans’ reunion. I smiled and saluted back. Good job, my friend. Noem Waives Hours Of Service Regulations To Deal With Propane Shortage PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has signed an executive order granting extended hours of service for commercial delivery of propane products in South Dakota. The order declares a state of emergency and exempts delivery of propane from federal motor carrier regulations on drivers’ hours of service. Noem said South Dakotans are currently faced with low inventories and propane outages. Let Our Family Business Keep Yours In The Go With: • Farm Filters • Hydraulic Hoses • Bearings & Seals Please contact us at Cox Auto 605-624-8001 Summerset Acres Mobile Home Park Vermillion, SD 1007 Broadway Ave Yankton, SD 605•665•4494 h& lay Pitc Win Volin Fire & Rescue P Bingo &ey Or Feather Party! A Turk rizes! Friday, Nov. 22 • 5:00PM Volin Town Hall Other P Raffle tickets for guns available from any Volin Fireman or the night of the party. Serving chili, chicken dumpling soup, ham sandwiches, bars and beverages. Play pitch and bingo to win a turkey! For more info call 605-660-6006. “It’s been an incredibly difficult year for producers. The last thing farmers and ranchers need to deal with is a lack of propane to fuel their equipment,” said Noem. “Our ag operations are dependent on a continued transportation of propane, and we need to ensure that supplies are maintained so producers can carry out normal harvest operations.’’ South Dakota producers are faced with extremely low inventories of propane supplies as a result of market conditions impacted by severe season weather and increased heating fuel demands. Although hours of service have been temporarily suspended for commercial deliveries, companies may not require or allow fatigued drivers to make deliveries, Noem said. The executive order was signed Nov. 1 and expires at midnight Nov. 30, 2019. All road safety and vehicle compliance regulations still apply.