Siouxland Life Fall 2018

If allergies haven’t hit, they soon will

Teens learn valuable lessons about saving

A home fit for a college president

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND

THE MONEY ISSUE

WE GO INSIDE THE VAULT

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A LOTTERY WINNER?

FALL 2018

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FALL 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

CONTENTS Fall

2018

In this month’s issue of Siouxland Life, you’re going to learn how to save for school, home and retirement. You’ll meet a lucky lottery winner, too, and discover how you can make sure future generations have something to remember you by. It’s our big money issue…and it’s entirely free.

(How’s that for an offer?) If you’ve been wondering about how to make your money grow, you’ve come to the right place.

4 A BIG GIFT

Northwestern College has a great home for entertaining – thanks to a generous gift from grateful donors.

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19 ON THE COVER Monica Waldon, Security National Bank assistant customer service manager, is shown with bags of coins and a coin counting and wrapping machine in the cash vault at the bank’s downtown location in Sioux City.

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HOME fit for a president MONEY inside a vault MONEY wills will MONEY winning the lottery MONEY get out of debt MONEY learning the lingo MONEY start saving today

32 34 36 38 40 44 47

MONEY market gains MONEY wresting student loans MONEY retirement ready HEALTH boxing away pain HEALTH allergy woes HEALTH medical answers PARTING SHOT cheating

PUBLISHER Chad Pauling EDITOR Bruce Miller EDITORIAL Dolly Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Mason Dockter PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Justin Wan DESIGN Andy Neumann, Jeffrey J. Randall, Emily Shullaw ADVERTISING SALES A.J. Ashley ©2018 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published quarterly by The Sioux City Journal.

For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6279. For editorial information, please call (712) 293-4218.

TACKLING STUDENT DEBT Those student loans don’t go away with graduation. One couple learned how to get a handle on making them easy to handle.

40 ALLERGY WOES

There’s a new way to deal with those dreadful allergies. Find out how you can breathe again.

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HOME fit

for a president

Northwestern College President Greg Christy and his wife, Michelle, stand in the entryway of their Orange City, Iowa, home, in October. The home is owned by the college, given to NWC by Drew and Jean Vogel in 2016.

NO

PR 4

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE

PRESIDENT’S HOME THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING Text by Tim Gallagher | Photographs by Tim Hynds

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

The home of Northwestern College President Greg Christy and his wife, Michelle, is shown in Orange City, Iowa, in October.

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‌ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Greg and Michelle Christy had more than 100 guests in their home for a Christmas celebration one year ago.

“It didn’t even feel like it,” said Greg, the president of Northwestern College, who spoke of the spaciousness and inviting feeling one gets in the home at 106 Martin Dr. NE, just off No. 10 fairway at Landsmeer Golf Club.

“We had 70 women here for a retreat in January,” Michelle Christy added. “And they all slept here. We’ll host 70 again this year.”

That wouldn’t have been possible up until two years ago. At least not for the First Couple of all things Northwestern College. It wouldn’t have been possible were it not for the generosity of Drew and Jean Vogel, Orange City residents who GAVE Northwestern their home and its 8,500 square feet of hosting ability.

Greg and Michelle Christy came to Orange City with their children when Greg was hired as president in 2008. The family took up residence at the former President’s Home at 701 Juno Ave., not far from MOC-FV High School.

A few years later, Drew and Jean Vogel approached Christy, saying they (the Vogels) were considering downsizing a tad in their residential plans. They wondered if the college might be interested in having their home as a place to entertain visitors, NWC students, the NWC Board of Trustees and more.

Fall decorations bright the Northwestern College’s president’s home.

A collection of vintage root beer items is shown at the Orange City, Iowa, home of Northwestern College President Greg Christy and his wife, Michelle, a native of Storm Lake, Iowa, whose maiden name is Mason.

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AN ACE FOR NWC PRESIDENT? Greg Christy, a Hall-of-Famer at Simpson College, where he played both baseball and basketball, is a fine golfer in his own right and now residents in the President’s Home just off the No. 10 fairway at Northwestern College, something that shows with an old tee-marker sign for No. 10 in the home.

Christy, who maintains a small collection of golf balls, shakes his head and laughs when asked if he’s ever recorded a hole-in-one.

“Our oldest son, Ryan, has aces on two different holes on this course (Landsmeer),” Greg said. “My dad has an ace, so does my uncle and my brother. But I don’t. Not yet anyway!”

Hope springs eternal.

Official Northwestern College dishes are part of the home’s formal dining room.

The donation, one worth several hundred thousand dollars, formally took place on Dec. 30, 2016. It is duly noted on a plaque just inside the front door of this gorgeous 19-year-old residence.

“Northwestern College gratefully acknowledges the generous gift of this home on Dec. 30, 2016, by Drew and Jean Vogel.

“Drew attended Northwestern for

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

one year before earning a degree from Iowa State University, and Jean earned an art education degree from Northwestern in 1975. The Vogels returned to Orange City when Drew became president of Vogel Paint in 1987. Together they have generously invested their time, talent and treasure in their community’s organizations, including Northwestern College.

“The Vogels’ Christian commitment inspired them to donate their home to Northwestern to serve as the president’s home and continue the college’s long tradition of presidential hospitality,” the plaque reads.

Greg and Michelle Christy echo those sentiments, noting their gratitude to the Vogels for this incredible gift.

“Few colleges are so blessed to have a couple as generous as Drew and Jean who would give a home of that nature to the college,” Greg Christy noted.

“Their vision and sense of stewardship is greatly appreciated by Northwestern College and provides the college with an ideal location for college functions and other forms of ministry.”

As an example, Christy disclosed how Words of Hope, which takes the Gospel of Christ to places like Iran, Turkey and South Sudan, had 35 to 40 guests at an event in the home in early October. Michelle Christy serves on the board for Words of Hope. The Vogels, by the way, attended that event in their old home.

The home, built by Dave Goslinga of Bouma Construction, was constructed in 1999 and 2000, years that show on a pair of fireplaces bearing the Roman numerals MM (for 2000) and MCMXCIX (for 1999).

A pillow is shown in daughter Maddie Christy’s room. Maddie was a member of the 2016 Orange City Tulip Festival court.

A photo surrounded by fall decorations.

The formal dining room is shown at the Orange City, Iowa, home of Northwestern College President Greg Christy and his wife, Michelle.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

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or many people, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is usually the first place everyone gathers. Small children will play there while parents are cleaning up and planning menus. Older children will do their homework and converse with the family as an evening’s meal is prepared, If you love to entertain, the kitchen is where your party goers will spend most of their time, too.

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he kitchen often makes up a large focus of a home’s interior design, central to the traffic and living flow. It is often one of the major areas of the house that people consider when purchasing a new home. The right design, layout, cabinetry, countertops, colors and hardware all have an impact on how you use and enjoy your kitchen.

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Michelle Christy opens the blinds in a lower-level family room serving the Orange City, Iowa, home of her and her husband, Northwestern College President Greg Christy.

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Northwestern College President Greg Christy, right, and his wife, Michelle Christy, laugh after she makes a joke about her husband’s beloved St. Louis Cardinals while showing off his “Cardinal room” in their Orange City, Iowa, home.

The kitchen offers spacious views of Orange City.

Moving past the entryway, Michelle Christy shows the formal dinning room, a table that can be set for 12, if not more. And while it isn’t often the place the Christy family dines (youngest son Kyle, a junior at MOC-FV High School is the only child still living at home), the dining room serves NWC’s Board of Trustees, for example, when the group convenes in Orange City.

“We also use the dining room each spring as we host Northwestern seniors in groups of 12 to 24 at a time,” Greg said, adding how those groups cover career topics and NWC memories in their gathering while also diving into tips on etiquette that new grads will need in the working world.

A table for 12 is shown in the formal dining room serving the Orange City, Iowa, home of Northwestern College President Greg Christy and his wife, Michelle. The couple hosts NWC seniors each spring for a formal meal as they talk about career goals, memories and etiquette.

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The home’s fireplaces bear the date they were built.

Northwestern College President Greg Christy and his wife, Michelle, stand in an upper-level piano room and office (Michelle’s office) in their Orange City, Iowa, home.

A harvest display is shown in the kitchen.

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Each fall, the NWC freshman class reports to the President’s Home for a backyard meal, a collection of some 350 to 400 students who fan out across the 1.65 acres that extends to the eastern edge of the No. 10 fairway at Landsmeer Golf Club, which borders the yard west of the home.

The home boasts five fireplaces and seven bathrooms. Each of the five bedrooms has a bathroom.

“The kitchen and family room (on the main floor) is where we spend 80 percent of our time,” Greg said, pointing to a rock wall beneath the TV in the family room, which is an addition post-Vogels.

“It’s timeless in its construction,” said Michelle. “There was some wallpaper in the kitchen, the pantry and the laundry, but the paint color is all original.”

When Terry Branstad decided to run for governor again, he came here, hosted by the Vogels, for a reception. The late Sen. George McGovern, of South Dakota, also stayed here, with the Vogels, when he ventured to Orange City to be a special guest for Greg Christy at his inauguration as NWC president. When a representative of the Rose Bowl Parade from Pasadena, California, came to check out MOC-FV’s Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band during a recent Tulip Festival, she also stayed here.

Even Greg and Michelle Christy stayed here as guests more than a decade ago, spending time with the Vogels as the interview process for the next NWC president played out. Little did they know, they’d be living here in time, making memories as their oldest son, Ryan, invited his wedding party to stay here on the eve of his wedding. Johnny Venegas, a 2016 NWC graduate who works as a worship leader in Omaha, entertained that gathering by playing the Baby Grand piano on the second level room, a perch overlooking the dining room and entryway, an area Michelle shares as her office space.

“The roof wasn’t done when the piano was moved in,” Greg said.

The piano, which Michelle can play, was donated in honor of Jean Vogel’s mother, Corinne Tallman. The piano is also played by various NWC music students during dozens of events hosted by the Christys at the President’s Residence, a gathering place and a place of worship, work, recreation and friendship to serve Northwestern College.

That’s the aim for Greg and Michelle Christy, ever-thankful for this gorgeous place of warmth for their family. They’ll continue to pay it forward for the NWC family and a host of other organizations and people, rolling out the Red Raider carpet and using the home in ways the Vogels likely envisioned: As a gift that keeps on giving.

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MONEY inside

a vault

Monica Waldon, Security National Bank assistant customer service manager, left, and Mandi Sievers, Security National Bank assistant vice-president of retail services and bank security, stand in the safe deposit box vault at Security National Bank’s downtown location in Sioux City.

GO INSIDE A VAULT

s

(it’s not as thrilling as you may think) Text by Tim Gallagher | Photographs by Tim Hynds

SIOUX CITY — In downtown Holstein, Iowa, there’s one vault atop another, both serving CornerHaus 101, a sharp coffee shop that’s perked up the 1896 Holstein Savings Bank.

A safe for the old Mines Jewelry store serves as a display cabinet and a centerpiece at Swans for Men, a clothing store at 204 Main St. in downtown Wayne, Neb. The hulking contraption shows ties, dress pants and jeans offered for sale.

Security National Bank in downtown Sioux City, meantime, has a pair of vaults still working in the way builders envisioned: One on the main floor for collecting, counting and distributing bills and coins and branch banks; and one in the basement, teeming with safe deposit boxes of a half-dozen sizes and prices, protecting just about anything a customer deems valuable.

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Rolls of nickels are shown in the cash vault at Security National Bank in downtown Sioux City, Iowa.

It could be coins, savings bonds, stamps, stock certificates an abstract or deed for property you own. It might also have baseball cards, family letters, photos, jewelry, a passport, marriage license or birth certificate; something a little different for each of 4,461 boxes filling a secure bunker of sorts at Security National Bank. Some homeowners store a videotape of all their possessions in the safe deposit box, a good idea for insurance purposes.

Did you know that Security National Bank professionals don’t know what you keep in your safe deposit box? They are THAT secure.

“We aren’t with a person when they put items in their safe deposit box,” said Mandi Sievers, assistant vice president of retail services and a bank security officer with Security National Bank. “We handle the boxes as little as possible.”

When a person opens a safe deposit box at Security National Bank, the customer signs a contract, a signature that is matched to a second signature once the customer signs in to gain access to the box. This is allowed through a secured door maintained by officials with the bank at its downtown location.

“You don’t get buzzed in until we verify their signature,” said Monica Waldon, assistant customer service representative.

Sonya Krosch, Security National Bank control vault customer service representative, pours coins into a counting and wrapping machine in the cash vault.

“The boxes have dual control access,” Sievers continued. “The customer has a key and the safe deposit clerk also maintains a key. It (the box) is entered under dual control with both keys.”

After gaining possession of the box

in that scenario, the customer is granted time in a separate private room to go over its contents.

“The customer gets two keys and no one has access to or can replicate those keys,” Sievers said.

Mandi Sievers, Security National Bank assistant vice-president of retail services and bank security, shows the vast number of safe deposit boxes.

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A safe for the old Mines Jewelry store serves as a display cabinet and a fun centerpiece at Swans for Men, a clothing store at 204 Main St. in downtown Wayne, Neb.

Monica Walden says her bank controls the number of people who can be in the vault at any given time.

What happens if a customer loses a key to their safe deposit box? The box must be re-drilled for a new key at the renter’s expense as there are no other copies of the customer’s key. Law prohibits the bank from keeping a key for both locks. If the renter’s keys are lost, a locksmith must drill out the renter’s locks (at his/her expense).

Boxes come in different sizes, ranging from 5 inches by 3 inches to 20.5 inches by 21.5 inches. All boxes are 22 inches in length. They must have a fireproof rating and can be accessed during business hours.

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Security National Bank’s safe deposit box vault in the basement is adjacent to a basement meeting room and a kitchen/ lunchroom area employees affectionately refer to as the Vault Cafe.

Upstairs, the vault contains money, mostly, as employee Sonya Krosch works each day to move coinage through counting machines on one side of the vault, bills on the other side. Krosch handles transactions for branches served

by Security National Bank. Her work area, which, like the basement vault, is highly secure, is a favorite stop for children on school field trips.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

The old bank vault, one of two in the old Holstein Savings Bank, is still in use at CornerHaus101 in downtown Holstein, Iowa.

Krosch, who lifts 72-pound boxes of change on a regular basis, smiled while noting how she must remind elementary school children to place their hands at their sides while peeking into the upstairs vault at the bank.

“We host a number of school field trips and advise young students on the steps they’ll need to take to save for college,” Sievers said.

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MONEY wills

20

will

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Death & taxes & wills & such

s

‌SIOUX CITY — Nobody wants to think about dying and leaving all their valuable land and possessions behind, but it happens to everybody.

And while the deceased may no longer have to worry about the sibling disputes and lawyer-on-lawyer dogfights, the whole process can proceed a lot more smoothly with some proper estate planning.

There are a lot of questions to consider when planning an estate — what can we do to minimize our tax burden?

Will an heir get mad about how things are being divvied up? Do debts fly away to heaven along with the debtor?

The following is a Q&A with Dan Dykstra, a Sioux City attorney and partner with Heidman Law Firm. With decades of experience in wills, trusts and estate planning, the man has some choice guidance to offer. Danny DeVito’s attorney character in “The War of the Roses” said it best: “When a man who makes $450 an hour wants to tell you something for free, you should listen.”

Comments have been edited for clarity and length.

MD: What are some of the most common mistakes people make when setting up estates, trusts and wills?

DD: The biggest mistake they make is not doing any planning at all. By far, a majority of people don’t have any kind of planning. And one of the reasons is because they say, ‘I put my kid’s name

A Q&A WITH DAN DYKSTRA ON ESTATES Text by Mason Dockter | Photographs by Tim Hynds

on this bank account,’ or ‘My wife and I own everything as joint tenancy’ — but we never know who’s going to die first.

And if something should happen to the both of us, then what happens to the kids, who’s going to take care of the kids? So the biggest mistake is actually not doing any planning whatsoever.

I’d say that the second biggest mistake, quite honestly, is a lack of communication. And by that, I mean parents telling, especially adult children, what they’re doing and why. People get expectations: If I’m an on-farm heir and I’ve worked with my folks for 50 years, I expect to get a little bit of that farm ground, maybe more than my other sibling who went and worked in Des Moines at an insurance company. And that’s probably fair, and there’s a difference between being fair and equal. We try to encourage people to be fair with their family. But if you don’t tell people what you’re doing, if you don’t tell your children what you’re doing and why, then they have a preconception as to what’s going to happen when mom and dad die, and that’s a big problem.

So I encourage people to tell their tell their children — use it as what we call a ‘teachable moment’ to say, ‘I’ve just updated my plan, one of the things we’re doing is such and such, because of these things that have happened.’

That way they don’t get so terribly mad at each other, or at the attorney who

drafted the documents.

MD: What typically happens when someone who has an estate dies unexpectedly, and leaves no planning, no will?

DD: In a case when there’s been no planning whatsoever, the law has an order in which people can be appointed as the administrator. There’s not an executor, because there’s no will. Then the property goes by what we call ‘intestate succession.’ Every state has their own rules on intestate succession, but basically, if I am married and all my children are from that marriage, everything goes to the spouse. If there are children from a prior marriage then it starts getting split up between those children and between my current spouse, and if there is no spouse at all then they go find your nearest relative, be it a parent, grandparent, brother or sister, niece or nephew. Rarely does it end up just going to the state — that fear really doesn’t happen, because we can always find some relative. And trust me, when there’s money to be had, the relatives will say, ‘Here I am, I’m happy to take the money.’

MD: What kinds of taxes are levied, both in Iowa and at the federal level, on estates?

DD: One of the things that has caused people to not be planning is the fact that, under the new tax law, we have an incredibly large exemption

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for federal estate tax purposes. Each of us can die with $11.18 million, give it to whoever we want, and there’s no federal estate tax. So if you’re married, it’s $22.4 million, which eliminates 99.9 percent of the people from even having to file. Last year there were only a couple thousand returns filed — we did do a few of those.

But very few people ever have to pay any federal estate tax.

From an Iowa death tax standpoint, Iowa has no tax at all for anything that goes to our spouse, or ‘upstream’ to parents, grandparents, or ‘downstream’ to children, grandchildren. So lineal ascendants and descendants pay no tax. Something goes to a brother or sister, niece or nephew, Iowa still has a little inheritance tax (of between seven and 12 percent).

There are a lot of people who die who’ve never been married or didn’t have any children, and give it to some close family member, nieces and nephews, but you can end up paying quite a bit of tax under those circumstances.

But, typically those people are very happy to see the bequest anyway, even if they’ve had some tax withheld.

One of the other new planning things we have under the law is what we call ‘portability.’ If I am married and if I die, I can give my exemption, my $11.2 million to my spouse, and she can hang onto that, and on her death, she has my $11.2 plus the exemption on her death. And hers would go up with inflation.

Our gift tax exemption, by the way, now is $15,000 per recipient. So you can give $15,000 to anybody you want, they don’t have to report it, and you don’t have to file any gift tax return MD: Who needs to make a will? I’m 23 and worth negative money, do I need a will?

DD: This is the question: If you have a little bit of life insurance through your work, or that you have personally, dead you’re worth more than you maybe if you’re alive. And if you got killed in a car accident, there’d be a claim — so then what happens to that?

Some people have no assets, typi-

Dan Dykstra, an attorney at Heidman Law Firm, displays an informational packet on estate planning. Dykstra said that peoples’ estates — and the peace of their family — can go haywire when they don’t plan well.

cally because they have a couple of kids or something — who’s going to be the guardian of those kids? And oftentimes people have a substantial life insurance policy, and by that I mean a couple hundred thousand bucks maybe, that gets paid out if both the husband and wife are deceased, how is that money going to be administered? Typically we’d put it in a trust for the benefit of those kids. So children dictate the need for a plan.

But estate planning isn’t just a will — it’s also doing a financial power of attorney and a medical power of attorney and those things, and it’s important to do that while we’re still competent to make those decisions.

MD: Is it possible to inherit debt? What happens when a piece of an estate has a large amount of debt attached to it?

DD: An estate becomes its own entity, and as an entity it is responsible for the debt and liabilities of the person who passed away. So it’s like a little company, a little corporation. And so, unless a third party, a spouse, a kid, or somebody, signed on that debt with the person who

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died, the person who inherits the money does not get that debt. But that debt gets paid inside the estate.

Sometimes there can be an estate where there’s not enough assets to pay the bills. And then the law sets up a pecking order of who gets paid first — funeral expenses, court costs, last illness expenses and so forth get paid first, and then the general creditors get paid last. So it gets cleaned up, almost like a little bankruptcy.

Some of the assets, though, are exempt. Your home is an exempt asset — and unless you voluntarily put a mortgage against it, that can go to a spouse.

Retirement plans are typically exempt assets and those can be transferred without paying bills.

MD: Are there circumstances where it’s advisable for an elderly person to transfer their properties to a relative?

DD: Most of the time when people start transferring assets, their fear is, they’re going to run out of money or use all their money to pay the nursing home.

Because nursing home expenses, or assisted living, are very expensive. That’s going to run from $5,000 to $8,000 to $9,000 a month — you can go through a lot of money in a hurry.

So people will sometimes try to get rid of all their assets so they can qualify for what’s known as Title 19, which under the system pays for that nursing home.

But there are a lot of rules, and one estate planning thing that we do is plan with people, what’s the best way to preserve the family assets, and still take care of the spouse that’s not in the nursing home, or alternatively if there’s just one person left, how to preserve whatever assets might be appropriate for the family.

The law prohibits you from transferring assets and applying for Title 19 within five years of that transfer. So it’s a five-year look back, which is quite a long time, because people normally think about this when they’re 85. They don’t think about it when they’re 70. So it’s sometimes very difficult to transfer those assets and then later on apply, there’s just not enough time to get through that five years — and five years of nursing home is quite a bit of money.

MD: I was under the impression that you transfer the property, and then you apply for benefits tomorrow.

DD: You could in the 1980s. When I started practicing law, we could, we could transfer today, apply tomorrow. Now, from a social responsibility standpoint — we did it because that’s what the law was, it wasn’t against the law to do that — it kind of reeks of taking advantage of the system. Because now the taxpayer’s paying for you in the nursing home, and you just gave everything to the kids.

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FALL 2018

23

MONEY winning

the lottery

Bob Boehm reports to work in a stocking cap, sweatshirt, jeans and boots, the same type of attire he’s sported for nearly three decades of grinding and delivering feed in Woodbury and Crawford counties. Boehm won a $1 million Iowa Lottery Prize in 2010, but still reported to work before heading to Des Moines to cash in his winning ticket.

MILLION-DOLLAR WINNER STAYS ON THE JOB

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Text and photographs by Tim Gallagher

‌DANBURY, Iowa — Bob Boehm, 69, told his boss, Keenan McClellan that he may retire next year.

He could have retired three or four years ago.

And, he certainly could have called it quits on April 10, 2010, the day he won $1 million in the Iowa Lottery Mega Millions game.

“I like work,” Boehm said. “I’ve been with them (now GFG Ag Services) for 28 years.”

Boehm worked inside the elevator site on a recent day in October, sweeping corn before heading out to deliver cattle feed on a farm near Anthon, Iowa. He didn’t put on any airs as a millionaire, a

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lifelong bachelor who took a lump-sum payment of $700,000 eight years ago.

Nope, he was simply Bob Boehm, heading out to yet another farm to fulfill his work duties.

“I drive the truck when we’re spraying,” he said. “I load and unload grain. I pull the anhydrous tanks in the fall.”

Boehm still resides in the same home he occupied at the time of his big win.

Rather than lavish himself or upgrade into a five-bedroom mansion with a pool, Boehm stayed put. He’d heard of other lottery winners blowing through their windfall in short order. He wouldn’t be a riches-to-rags story like that. He stayed the course.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

He even went to work at the fertilizer site in Charter Oak, Iowa, BEFORE turning in his winning ticket. It was April, after all, and he had farm clients who needed their chemicals.

A friend ultimately drove him to Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines, where he claimed his prize and returned home. He splurged a bit in buying a pickup truck and treating nieces and nephews to a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to show his family where he resided in Germany while serving in the U.S. Army. He would later go on a cruise to the Bahamas. Last year, he joined a family excursion in visiting New Orleans.

“Mardi Gras had just ended when we

got to New Orleans,” he said. “I liked the city.”

And while he still resides in the same home in Denison, Boehm has put a new roof on the home and has installed a new air-conditioning unit.

“I bought a second truck in 2015, a Canyon,” he said. “I paid $32,000 for it.”

Boehm, who splits his work time between Danbury and Charter Oak, still purchases Mega Millions, Powerball and Lotto America tickets each week, pooling funds with McClellan and Jaci Elwell, the secretary. He also purchases Lucky-forLife lottery tickets for himself. All told, he figures he spends $50 per week.

“I won $200 a couple of months ago,” he said with a smile.

Boehm also plays the slots at WinnaVegas Casino near Sloan, Iowa, on occasion. He won $1,000 one time four years ago at Sloan.

Other than that, however, he’s tried to be the same reliable Bob Boehm, workerbee.

There is a catch, however, in that he has signed a couple of autographs since winning his big prize. It came after the Sioux City Journal featured Boehm in a story after his win.

“I came out of Zion Lutheran Church

Despite winning $1 million in an Iowa Lottery game eight years ago, Bob Boehm, 69, continues to report to work, hauling feed and chemicals for GFG Ag Services in Charter Oak and Danbury, Iowa.

and two gals had a copy of your story from the Journal,” he said with a laugh.

“They asked for my autograph, so I signed the story for them.”

Another man approached and stuck out his hand, seeking to meet Boehm.

“The guy said, ‘I’ve never met a millionaire before,’” Boehm said as he shook his head and laughed.

“I told the guy, ‘I’m pretty common. I put my pants on just like you, one leg at a time.’”

Bob Boehm sweeps corn at GFG Ag Services in Danbury, Iowa, on an October morning. Boehm, 69, has done this work for 28 years and won’t retire until 2019. Boehm continued working because he enjoyed it, even after winning $1 million in an Iowa Lottery game eight years ago.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FALL 2018

25

MONEY get

out of debt

BURIED IN DEBT?

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CENTER FOR SIOUXLAND CAN HELP Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

‌SIOUX CITY — The average American household carries $137,063 of debt, according to the Federal Reserve. That’s more than twice the median household income in 2017.

While most people are able to juggle debt using credit cards to cover the cost of food, gas and other monthly expenses, eventually, their debt catches up with them. Lori Scott, a certified credit counselor at Center For Siouxland, said credit card, student loan and medical debt are the top forms of debt that Siouxland struggle with.

Scott said young people may not understand how borrowing money now will affect them down the road. She said people with good credit scores and jobs are often approved for a home loan amount that is larger than what they can afford.

“For somebody that has a really good credit and has a good job and a highpaying job, I think they can be allowed to borrow more money than you ever should,” she said. “If somebody goes and applies for a mortgage, they will typically loan you more money or approve you for more money than what you should really take out, based off your living expenses, because there are things that they don’t factor in, like insurance.”

Even individuals who have health insurance struggle to afford their medical bills. A simple doctor’s visit could get them into trouble financially if they haven’t saved for the unexpected.

“Insurance has changed so much. It used to be that we could go and pay a small co-pay,” Scott explained. “A lot of people have the high deductible plans now and so they end up with hundreds of dollars just by going for a doctor’s visit.

It’s coming up with how to budget that and pay for that.”

At Center for Siouxland, Scott can help you create a budget, figuring out how much money you need each month to live. You’ll set aside money for the obvious: food, gas, car insurance, rent and utilities, as well as the not-so-obvious.

The service is free.

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Lori Scott, a certified debt and housing counselor at Center for Siouxland, poses by boxes of shredded paper money during an interview at the Sioux City agency.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

“We help them think of those expenses that they might not think of on their own — license plates, property taxes,” Scott said. “Those are things that put people into bad situations, too, because they don’t have the money set aside.”

After clients meet with her, Scott said they generally feel relieved, because now they have a plan in place to manage their expenses and debt.

WHERE DO YOU START? So how do you even begin to pay off those credit card bills you’ve been shoving in a drawer?

Scott said she typically recommends putting the credit card debts in order from smallest to largest. Put whatever extra money you can toward paying off the smallest debt, and then move on to the next one.

“That way, you’re making some sort of headway on this. You get those little ones along the way, so it feels like you’re actually getting somewhere,” she said.

If you don’t have any money set aside in an emergency fund, Scott advises saving some cash for a flat tire, water heater failure or medical issue first. Once you’ve set aside a minimum of $500 to $1,000, then you can start working on paying off your credit card debt.

“What happens for a lot of people is they start paying on credit cards and they don’t have money in savings, so when an emergency comes up, they don’t have the money to pay for that because they don’t have any money in savings and so then they will start charging again on their credit cards,” she said. “Having that emergency money will help them feel more secure and then give them that option if emergencies come up.”

Scott doesn’t recommend borrowing from your retirement savings unless there’s no other option.

“We can usually find other options for them,” she said. “I think people don’t save for the future like they used to; and we’re already in trouble that way, so borrowing from your retirement could be an issue,” she said. “If you’re going to lose your home, obviously that’s something you may want to do. I typically say, ‘Don’t do that.’”

THE PAYDAY LOAN TRAP In the past, the only way to obtain a payday loan was by visiting a local payday loan store. Since payday loan lending has expanded online, more people are falling into the payday loan trap. It’s a cycle that can last for years, with individuals traveling from payday loan store to payday loan store. They may initially borrow $500, which must be paid back when they get their next paycheck.

Lori Scott, a certified debt and housing counselor at Center for Siouxland, talks about debt management.

“For a lot of people, that money comes out of their account and now they don’t have the money to pay for their household expenses or bills, so the next day, they’re going to take out another payday loan,” Scott said. “When we have clients that come in that have three, four, five payday loans, you can imagine the burden.”

Delinquent payday loans can be turned over to a collection agency and result in your wages being garnished.

Scott advises trying to find a solution before it goes that far.

“That really sends people into a tailspin. Once your wages are garnished, you have less money and you’re not able to pay your household expenses,” she said.

“Maybe you have a payday loan that’s $500. Next time, you go write a payday loan, try to do it for only $450. The next time, go down to $400, so you’re tapering them down. It’s a long process to get out of them.”

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

FALL 2018

27

MONEY learning

the lingo

East High School 10th graders Cass Camarigg (left) and Bailey Grover compare notes during an accounting class at the Sioux City Career Academy.

ENTREPRENEURS IN TRAINING

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High school kids learn the real-life value of financial literacy Text and photographs by Earl Horlyk

‌SIOUX CITY — Grace Hoak huddled with teammates, creating a document to recruit more airport TSA screeners.

Across the room, Trent Mills talked strategy when it came to attracting and retaining medical personnel in a highly competitive market.

Are Mills and Hoak a pair of hotshot human resources professionals at a job fair? No, both are East High School seniors participating in human resource management class at the Sioux City Career Academy.

Their task is to create a hypothetical

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training manual and shoot video for a hands-on class assignment, to be completed in less than a week.

Mills, 17, said he was more than up to the challenge.

“I want a career in business,” he said.

“Working with people and working with numbers have always been my thing.”

This is why Mills has taken three accounting classes over the past three years. It is also why he’s saving all of the money he has earned while working at Hy-Vee. “We need to know about money man-

SIOUXLAND LIFE

agement as early as possible,” he said.

“I’ll be in college and on my own soon. If I don’t learn how to take care of myself financially, I’ll be playing catch-up for the rest of my life.”

Mills credited his stepdad, who works in the financial field, for setting him straight when it comes to money matters.

Similarly, Hoak, 17, said her family gave her some financial independence when she spent time in Sioux City’s sister city of Yamanashi City, Japan, a few years ago.

“My parents gave me a debit card with the understanding that I had to personally pay back everything I spent,” she said. “You better believe I was very careful with my spending habits.”

Instructor Chris Dicus said businessminded students like Hoak and Mills are becoming increasingly common.

“High school kids aren’t usually saddled with debt but as soon as they graduate from college, they may be hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hole,” she said. “If they’re smart, the students learn about money management as early as possible.”

Luckily, many high school students are taking financial literacy classes taught by Cody Jaminet.

Utilizing the teachings of financial personality and author Dave Ramsey (“Smart Money, Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money”), he teaches students the importance of saving, managing a budget and preparing for retirement.

Wait, do high school kids really need to worry about retirement? Jaminet thinks so.

“I stress over and over again that it is never too soon to become financially literate,” he said.

By the midway point of the semester, students seem to be on the same page as Jaminet.

“I see it every time I teach this class,” he explained. “Kids may feel a bit overwhelmed at first. Then, the light bulb

East High School tenth graders Cass Camarigg and Bailey Grover receive instruction from accounting teacher Chris Dicus at the Sioux City Career Academy.

comes on and they realizes this class is hitting close to home.”

Indeed, Jaminet gets praise from parents, who thank him for helping their kids become better savers.

“Parents always want to teach their children about money matters but they may not have the time,” he said.

“Financial literacy classes give students the tool that they’ll need as adults.”

To be fair, Jaminet’s students may turn out to be more money-savvy than their parents, right?

“That’s absolutely correct,” he said.

“If there were financial literacy classes when I was younger, I would’ve made a few different choices in life.

“Who knows? Maybe my students can teach their folks a thing or two

when it comes to money,” Jaminet said with a smile.

Already putting away money for college, Trent Mills is encouraging friends to become more money-minded.

“High school is the perfect time to start planning,” he said. “You’ll be out in the real world before you know it.”

Grace Hoak is actually already a bit of a self-starter. For the past few summers, she has had her very own business.

“I call it Hoak H2O,” she explained. “I teach young children how to swim.”

Does Hoak have aspirations of becoming a swimming school tycoon?

“You never know what the future has in store for you,” she said. “You just never know.”

East High School 12th graders Hai Long (left) and Lauren Cook look on as teammate Grace Hoak reveals a training manual they’ve develop to recruit more airport TSA screeners during a Human Resource Management class taught at Sioux City’s Career Academy.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FALL 2018

29

MONEY start

saving today

SNB BANKER: ‘ANY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO START’ SAVING MONEY

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Text by Mason Dockter | Photograph by Tim Hynds

‌SIOUX CITY — Why is saving money so — not fun?

In the United States, some 24 percent of working households reported less than $1,000 in savings in 2017, according to a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). And while about 6,100 Americans turn 65 every day, and while those who retire can expect an average of 18 years of no work, only about 18 percent of employees feel very confident about having enough money to live comfortably in retirement.

Laura Pratt, branch manager at Security National Bank’s Morningside branch, says that people tend to like the immediate gratification of buying versus the delayed gratification of socking money away. Saving for tomorrow is something squirrels do — people tend to be better at spending.

“I think it’s procrastination, that people would rather live for today instead of thinking about their needs for tomorrow,” Pratt said. “And it’s just easier to not plan and set up a budget, and (not) recognize the important and value of forgoing a satisfaction now for a greater one tomorrow.”

But winter usually comes around one way or another, and the squirrels that did a good job stocking up on walnuts often live to see the spring. Likewise the people that didn’t blow all their money when the getting was good.

What should people who aren’t good at saving money do? While Pratt said that every customer’s situation is different — a young person with a smaller income will need to save a different amount than an older person approaching retirement — there are a few strategies that can work for broad swaths of people.

Pretty much everyone, for instance, should (ideally) have some kind of emergency fund.

“You need that three- to-six month

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Laura Pratt, branch manager of Security National Bank’s Morningside location. Pratt suggests people try a 20-50-30 spending ratio: 20 percent of income for savings, 50 percent for necessities (including housing, food, debts and bills) and 30 percent for discretionary spending.

savings for emergencies,” she said. “So, as difficult as it is, I think you have to prioritize — I hate to say it, but the premium cup of coffee, you know — you have to make some changes to your lifestyle so that you can put whatever small amount you can.”

Pratt suggested people split their money in a 20-50-30 fashion: 20 percent of income devoted to savings, 50 percent to necessities (including housing, food, debts and so forth) and 30 percent to discretionary spending.

If a person’s income does not allow for this ratio, Pratt said discretionary

SIOUXLAND LIFE

spending should be the first area to be cut, even if that means making “lifestyle changes.”

What if a person is 50 or 55, and has saved almost nothing, or nothing flat, for retirement? Don’t despair — but it is time for some intensive saving.

“Any day is a good day to start, so we don’t want to discourage them, or have them feel like it’s worthless to begin a plan, you may just have to be a little more aggressive,” Pratt said. People at this age who have debts may need to look into refinancing and cutting monthly expenses as well.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

FALL 2018

31

MONEY market

gains

Daniel Pecaut, Pecaut & Co.’s president and CEO, provides accessible financial advice in “Saving, Spending, Investing, Giving,” a book that provides insight into how money can be used in creating the world that you want.

MONEY AS A TOOL

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Zen and the Art of Investment Management Text and photograph by Earl Horlyk

SIOUX CITY — As a Zen priest in the Hollow Bones/Mondo Zen Order, Daniel Pecaut always has time to do qigong (gentle movement while breathing) as well as relaxing daily meditation.

After graduating from Harvard University, he has spent nearly 40 years at Pecaut & Co., the Sioux City-based

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investment advisory firm founded by his grandfather, father and uncle nearly 60 years ago.

Is there a Zen approach to investing your money? According to Pecaut, author of the book, “Saving, Spending, Investing, Giving: A Veteran Investment Adviser Reflects on Money,” the answer might

SIOUXLAND LIFE

surprise you.

“People often get too emotionally wrapped up in their money,” he explained. “Money is just a tool in the same way that a hammer is a tool. I tell people to drop all emotional baggage we have attached to money. It’s simply a tool.”

All right, if money’s simply a tool, what do we use it for? Pecaut said we can save it, spend it, invest it or give it away.

We’re guessing that most people have problems with the saving part, right?

“Saving requires a future and it is empowering,” Pecaut said. “I’d describe saving as delayed spending and giving. It buys you time to make clear, conscious choices about what the best use of those funds are for spending, giving and investing.”

In other words, it allows you to keep your options open while you compound what you’ve saved.

Eventually, you’ll need to do a bit of spending. Whether it is for buying groceries or purchasing a house, Pecaut has some solid advice.

“Spend less than you make,” he said.

“Most people spend not only what they make, but they also borrow so they can spend even more.”

For instance, a house can appreciate in value. All of the goods you have inside your house will depreciate over time.

How do you keep your spending in check? Make and, more importantly, follow a monthly plan. After all, a budget is meant to help you identify priorities.

“My advice is to spend 80 percent of what you make,” Pecaut explained. “Put aside 10 percent for giving and 10 percent for saving and investing.”

So, what happens when your water heater goes on the fritz?

“Emergencies are a part of life,” Pecaut said, “so everyone should have a plan to handle them.”

As a rule if thumb, he recommends having six months of living expenses in the bank.

“If your monthly expenses are $2,000, having $12,000 in savings is a good idea.”

Once you’re debt-free and saving every month, you can now make long-term plans.

TIMELY TOME A commonsense book written with a minimum of business jargon, Daniel Pecaut’s “Saving, Spending, Investing, Giving: A Veteran Investment Adviser Reflects on Money” can be purchased on Amazon.com or other online retail book sellers.

“We’re wired for instant gratification and doing what feels good now,” Pecaut said. “Investing means taking a portion of your savings for goals that are several years or more away.”

While a person can play the stock market, investing also means setting aside money into an IRA or a 401(k) program.

A person can easily understand the concept of spending. Investing is simply a subset of spending.

What about giving?

“Giving is less understood because it requires a larger world view,” he said.

“The act of giving develops one’s capacity for compassion and empathy.

“You need to become a social entrepreneur with a vision that is greater than yourself.”

Once a person has mastered the tool of money, he can see the potential ripple effects it can have.

Sitting inside a conference room of his downtown office, Pecaut is reminded of Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day,” which is one of his favorite poems.

“Tell me, what else should I have done? Tell me, what is it your plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

“We all have one wild and precious life,” Pecaut said. “We must all decide how we want to live our lives.”

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MONEY wrestling

student loans

s

When Shelby and Austin Pierce got married, they owed a collective $101,000 in student loan debts — they’ve managed to whittle that figure down by more than half.

PAYING IT BACK Text and photograph by Mason Dockter

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

‌SIOUX CITY — When Shelby and Austin Pierce got married in June 2014, their combined student loan debt totaled roughly $101,000.

Perhaps surprisingly, neither was a recent graduate: Austin, now 32, had graduated from Morningside College in 2008, and Shelby, 34, graduated from Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado, in 2006. They’d been paying on their loans for years by that point.

The staggering number wasn’t a surprise to the couple, however, as they had dated for several years and had

discussed their student loan situation at length before tying the knot.

“We knew it going in, it was one of my concerns about getting married in the first place was attaching her to my debt, because I had more debt,” Austin Pierce, who writes and edits as an independent contractor, said.

Just before they got married, Shelby suggested they “build a premarital counseling program.” They took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace program twice, first when they were engaged and again after they were married.

“We picked different things to force

us to talk about the important issues before we got married,” Shelby Pierce, an employee of investment advising firm Pecaut and Company, said.

Ramsey, a legendary financial guru who commands his followers to live a life of thrift and to avoid debt, made an impression on the Pierces.

“Up until then, we were like, ‘Oh, we’ll just have our student loan debt forever!’” Shelby Pierce said. “That’s when we really got serious and were like, ‘The biggest priority is getting rid of this (debt).’”

During their period of debt reckoning, they consulted sources besides Ramsey, including Napoleon Hill’s 1937 book “Think and Grow Rich,” and George S. Clason’s 1926 work, “The Richest Man in Babylon.” Both make the case against debt, further steeling the Pierces’ collective will to overcome their loans.

To tackle their debt, the couple employed Ramsey’s “snowball” debt-repayment method, where you pay the minimum balance on all your debts, while making far larger payments on the debt with the smallest balance. Once that is paid off, you roll the previous debt’s payment into the next-smallest debt, which you then proceed to pay off with more-than-minimum payments.

The process concludes once the largest (and final) debt is paid in full.

But the Pierces’ lifestyle for the past few years wasn’t all “beans and rice, rice and beans” (to borrow a phrase from Ramsey) — it was more about budgeting, making thoughtful financial decisions and the so-called “envelope” system, whereby a fixed dollar limit is dedicated to each expense, with no more doled out once that line item’s budget is depleted.

“It’s less about having complete austerity,” Austin Pierce said. “In your budget, you could have a line item for roller coasters. But you have, like, a plan and you’re working toward something.”

So have the Pierces been able to make a dent in their student loans? Yes, actually — so far they’ve whittled their balance down to roughly $49,000, which is Austin’s remaining student loan. They expect all the loans to be paid in full by March 2021.

Shelby, who maintains what seems to be a laser focus on the couple’s highly organized finances, has also mapped out other scenarios where the loans are paid off earlier.

“If we wanted to have it done by October 2019, we’d have to paying $2,241.90 (per month),” she said. Currently, they’re paying about $1,500 per month.

STUDENT LOAN FAST FACTS Shelby and Austin Pierce are far from alone in the steep amount of student loan debt they faced as newlyweds. Here are a few student loan statistics from Nerdwallet and Forbes: There are about 44.5 million student loan borrowers in the United States • Currently, U.S. borrowers owe roughly $1.5 trillion in federal student loan debt as of March 2018, in addition to $64.2 billion in private loans • Number of federal loan borrowers with loans in default: 4.7 million • There are more than 500,000 student loan borrowers who owe more than $200,000 What happens once all their loans are paid off? Jewelry shopping spree?

Move to a villa in the south of France?

Probably nothing like that. They’re in the process of paying for a home on contract, and it would be nice to build some actual personal wealth.

There’s a lot the Pierces don’t like about debt — in particular, how binding it makes the debtor feel, and how money a person earns is earmarked for someone else.

“It restricts how much freedom you have, you have to make more, it’s this thing that you constantly have to work for,” Austin Pierce said.

Looking back, would the Pierces have done it differently in college? Both said yes: In Shelby’s case, she wishes she’d applied for more scholarships and grants, and in Austin’s case, he might have given more consideration to cheaper colleges.

“I can tell you, state schools don’t seem as bad as they were made out to be,” Austin said with a laugh.

Karen Gagnon, an associate vice president for institutional research at Morningside College and the school’s director of student financial planning, said most students — about 75 percent — leave the school with some amount of debt. The amount the school reports its graduates typically owing, $34,225.20, is quite a lot less than Austin Pierce owes on his education there a decade ago.

Significantly higher student loan balances, Gagnon said, are sometimes seen in students that hopped around from college to college, or graduates with advanced degrees. That being said, neither Pierce has an advanced degree: “Too afraid, because of the debt,” Shelby Pierce joked.

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MONEY retirement

ready

ON THE HOME STRETCH What you need to know before retirement Text by Earl Horlyk 36

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‌DAKOTA DUNES — Mary Sterk’s life story reads like a movie script.

At age 19, she was a divorced mother of two, both under the age of 2.

Barely scraping by on food stamps and welfare, Sterk wanted more for herself and her kids.

Attending business classes, she became interested in investments and insurance. Working at Sioux City’s former Grandy Pratt, she chose to go out on her own when the insurance agency was sold.

Since 2004, Sterk Financial Service has grown into a successful business and Sterk herself has become a wellknown author.

Following the publication of 2008’s “Buy It! A Practical Guide to Buying a Financial Service Book of Business,” she became a sought-after expert and as a Certified Financial Planner, she continues to create strategic plans for clients of all ages and from all walks of life.

“I’ve gone from being a welfare mom to becoming a wealth manager,” Sterk said inside her Dakota Dunes office. “I think my experience allows me to be empathetic to all of my clients’ needs.”

This is especially true when she helps her clients plan for their retirement.

Talking to a client in his 20s, Sterk would recommend he contribute as much as possible in a 401(k) plan. By the time, he’s in his 30s and 40s, the client should increase his 401(k) contribution 10 percent.

When the client is in his 50s and 60s, Sterk said protecting retirement savings while letting it grow becomes increasingly important.

Sterk, the author of 2017’s “Ready to Pull the Retirement Trigger? Your Strategic Guide to Retire in Confidence,” said there are five key questions to test a person’s retirement readiness.

HOW WILL I WANT TO SPEND MY TIME? “Retirement is different than it used to be. People aren’t on their front porch in rocking chairs any longer.

Retirement can mean reinventing oneself. Do you want to travel, pursue a passion, launch a small business?

Understanding how you want to spend your time is critical in planning the financial aspect of a string retirement.”

WHAT ARE MY HEALTH RELATED RISKS DURING RETIREMENT? “Expensive health insurance, personal medical issues and high nursing home costs are big issues for retirees.

You must evaluate health insurance, Medicare and long term care insurance to see what’s right for you.”

HOW MUCH MONTHLY INCOME WILL I NEED? “There’s no magic number but your monthly income should align with the lifestyle you want to lead.”

HOW LONG WILL I NEED MY MONEY TO LAST? “While it’s impossible to accurately predict, looking at the longevity of your family can be a good place to start.”

HOW DO I TURN WHAT I HAVE INTO INCOME? “This is the hardest part of preparing for retirement. You’ve spent your entire life saving for retirement and it is a huge shift to actually begin using what you’ve saved. Certain types of investments are better suited for monthly income, while others are geared toward long-term growth.

Talk to an adviser who specializes in retirement income strategies to learn more about the best options for your portfolio.”

LET US HELP YOU PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

EGR Insurance, Inc. Insurance and Services 300 Main Street | Moville, IA

STERK

PHONE: 712-873-3455 • FAX: 712-873-3996 www.egrinsurance.com SIOUXLAND LIFE

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HEALTH boxing

away pain

COUNTERPUNCHING PARKINSON’S

f

Those with the disease use boxing to fight back Text and photographs by Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune

‌FOX VALLEY, Ill. — I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into the Fox Valley Park District’s boxing club on Oct. 6.

I was there to attend an open house sponsored by Jesse “The Law” Torres Boxing Club, but the gloved athletes who would be showing off their skills were far from typical.

The strongest opponent these boxers was facing is Parkinson’s disease, a condition that usually has a negative association with this high-impact and often brutally-tough sport.

Which is what made this assignment so intriguing. And surprising.

Sugar Grove neurosurgeon Dr. Gary Skaletsky, who conducted the open house, confessed to his own skepticism when he was asked this summer to volunteer his time as the coach and coordinator with Rock Steady Boxing — a national program based in Indianapolis that’s out to prove those with Parkinson’s show dramatic improvements by practicing non-contact boxing skills.

As he did more research, “I realized this made tremendous sense,” Saletsky added. And in the three months since he signed on with this local Rock Steady affiliation — it was started a year ago by Torres’ popular boxing club — the doctor has become one of its most ardent fans.

Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease of the brain that attacks the nerve cells which produce the chemical dopamine.

And when those cells degenerate, it causes tremors, slowness of movement, muscle stiffness and balance problems, loss of automatic movement and soft or slurred speech.

But, as Skaletsky discovered, the techniques used in boxing “counter punch” those symptoms by improving agility, speed, muscular endurance, accuracy, eye-hand coordination, footwork and overall strength, not to mention cardiovascular function that in turn allows more oxygen into their lungs which helps with voice projection.

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Dennis Morgan of Batavia, Ill., who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in June, has seen the benefits of the Rock Steady Boxing program now being offered by Jesse “The Law” Boxing Club in Aurora, Ill.

“Cells attacked by Parkinson’s do not regenerate,” said Skaletsky. “But you have billions of cells in your brain, which means a new circuit can take over those functions and compensate for those cells that were lost.”

No one in the gym refers to these participants as Parkinson’s patients, by the way. They are “fighters with a disease,” Skaletsky announced nice and loud from the get-go. “This is how we treat them here. We don’t do checkers. We don’t do shuffleboard. We don’t do nice. We scream. We yell. We activate voices. We try to kick their behinds.”

And how do these athletes respond?

“Not one person says ‘I can’t do it,’ “ Skaletsky insisted. Instead, they tell their coach to “give me something else to do.”

Five Parkinson’s fighters showed the audience just what they can do — first,

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by going through warm-up exercises that, among other benefits, help improve balance.

“You can’t be in a fight if you are on your back on the canvas and someone is standing over you,” pointed out Skaletsky. “So we make sure we have a good wide stand so no one can knock you over. We reinforce muscle memory by doing things repetitively.”

After lacing up their boxing gloves, the five members of the group demonstrated their skills on the smaller speed bags, then on a variety of hanging heavy bags. They also impressed those on the sidelines by going through a fast-paced drill that had the team running and punching their way through a succession of bags, including ones attached to other bodies.

“When you hit back, hit and hit back,

that reaction time is increasing,” said Skaletsky. While that does not necessarily mean those with Parkinson’s will be able to nail that punching bag “100 times in a row,” he noted, “all that memory is building up and it means you can reach your fork at the dinner table and cut your steak.”

And that is important because those with this disease often “don’t want to go out because they are looked at and judged,” said Skaletesky. “If you can build confidence … then that is making progress in your life.”

Dennis Morgan, a musician and graphic artist from Batavia who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s this summer, has only been training for a few months, but the family has already noticed a significant difference.

“We don’t see the tremors as much,” said wife Carol.

“He’s more energized,” noted son Matthew.

Carol Auer of Batavia, diagnosed in 2003, had been going to a Rock Steady program in Elgin, and was thrilled when she found out the closer Aurora program opened.

Active even before her diagnosis, Auer says she’s become such a passionate supporter because this “tough but fun” workout regime “has kept the disease in

Carol Auer of Batavia, Ill., who has Parkinson’s disease, practices her boxing skills at an open house at the Jesse “The Law” Torres Boxing Club, which is an affiliate with the national Rock Steady Boxing program.

check and made me stronger.”

After the gloves came off, the boxers went through some exercises designed to strengthen core muscles that included what Skaletsky described as “planks with a twist.” But perhaps the highlight of the workout was an audience-pleasing elimination contest pitting two competitors against each other to see who could grab the orange cone the quickest.

It was no surprise that Randy Cagwin, one of the hardest working members of the group, took on all-comers — with and without Parkinson’s — and came out the winner. Again.

“No one has been able to beat Randy

yet,” said Jesse Torres Board President Uni Comacho, who was obviously having as much fun as the participants.

Turns out Cagwin, a Fox Valley Park District retiree who earned a black belt in karate before his diagnosis five years ago, is a long-time friend of Kiwanis leader John Ross, who saw Rock Steady as a way to help, and approached the boxing club about becoming an affiliate.

Cagwin is in stage three of the disease but credits Rock Steady with slowing down its progression. It has, he told me, “made me stronger” and “made a big difference with balance.”

Which is why, insisted Skaletsky, “this room should be packed” with Parkinson’s boxers.

“The sooner we can get them here, the smaller the mountain they have to climb,” the doctor said.

“I want them to be proud, be vital and say to Parkinson’s, ‘you may get me down for a little bit but there are a whole bunch of rounds in this fight. And we will get you back.’”

Cagwin understands his opponent well. Which is why he refuses to be intimidated by it.

“I think of the bag as Parkinson’s,” he said as he pounded away. “And that just makes me want to hit it again and again.”

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HEALTH allergy

n

woes

Dr. Thomas Kenny, an otolaryngologist at Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants, holds a bottle of sublingual allergy drops. The at-home treatment can be an option instead of allergy shots.

OH, WHAT A RELIEF Sublingual immunotherapy offers allergy sufferers convenient relief Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

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NORTH SIOUX CITY — For some people, grasses, trees, weeds, mold, dust mites and pet dander can cause severe upper and lower respiratory symptoms.

“These same things that we’re allergic to in our nose can cause asthma, so a lot of people who have inhalant allergies, can have inhalant asthma to the same things that they’re allergic to,” explained Dr. Thomas Kenny, an otolaryngologist with Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants in Dakota Dunes.

Kenny said spring and fall are busy times at the clinic. He said trees begin to pollinate in the late winter or early spring, followed by grasses in late spring and weeds in late summer and early fall.

“We’re pretty much barraged with pollen for six months, so we see a lot of people during that time,” he said. “Wintertime, as all those pollens go away, we still have things like dust mites in our house or pet dander and mold year round that can be problematic, too.”

Kenny said it’s sometimes hard to tell whether a patient’s symptoms are due to allergies, sinusitis or both, as the symptoms are similar. Runny nose, headache, sinus pain and pressure are common complaints. He said almost all of his patients have tried various over-the-counter antihistamines before seeking medical attention for persistent stuffiness, drainage, sneezing and facial pain.

“Are you treating allergies? Maybe you have a sinus infection, because it’s hard to tell the difference sometimes,” he said. “That’s when we’ll say, ‘Let’s go ahead and test and look for allergies and possibly do a CT scan and take a history.’”

For patients who do have inhalant allergies, Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants is offering a new treatment option: sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT).

Like subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) or allergy injections, patients get small doses of allergen to boost tolerance to the allergen and reduce symptoms. But, instead of having to come to the office for weekly injections, they place drops of allergen under their tongues in the comfort of their own homes.

“Sublingual therapy has gotten a little bit more scrutiny,” said Kenny, who said insurance companies have been reluctant to cover SLIT. SLIT and SCIT both stimulate the body’s immune system to produce antibodies against allergens. According to Kenny, studies have shown that both therapies show the same rise of anti-

Dr. Thomas Kenny, an otolaryngologist at Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants, talks about sublingual allergy drops during an interview at the Dakota Dunes practice.

bodies. After three to five years of either SLIT or SCIT therapy, patients may find lasting relief from their symptoms and be able to stop taking the drops or getting the shots.

“The sublingual’s probably not robust initially, but it eventually is,” Kenny said. “If you have an antibody response, your immunity is now your friend. It’s going to help you take care of your own allergies.”

Kenny said some of his patients are completely new to immunotherapy, while others have received SCIT, but decide to switch to SLIT because of the convenience it offers.

“You can give yourself sublingual at home. You can have anaphylaxis with subcutaneous, that’s why we have to give shots and watch,” he said. “With

sublingual there’s never been a reported incidence of anaphylaxis. It’s super safe.”

Even though few insurance companies cover SLIT, Kenny said some patients may find that they actually save money on SLIT versus SCIT. He said some patients’ weekly copays for allergy shots are higher than the cost of buying a month’s supply of sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops, which are specially made for each patient and cost between $60 and $120.

“We only put in there what they are allergic to,” he said.

Patients administer five drops daily. The first vial, Kenny said, is less concentrated. The second vial, which patients get to in about a week, is fully concentrated. Side effects of SLIT include local irritation in the floor of the mouth, lymph node swelling under the chin, itchy or scratchy throat.

“If you were going to do subcutaneous immunotherapy, to get to that full concentration it could take you months, whereas with sublingual, it’s so safe, you just give it to yourself,” he said. “It’s very well tolerated.”

Kenny said patient response to SLIT has been positive. He said patients are pleased with the therapy’s effectiveness, as well as its ease of use.

“We’ve had people, especially in this area, who used to drive to Wisconsin to get it,” he said. “We may be the only one around here that does sublingual.”

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HOW TO PREPARE FINANCIALLY FOR A BABY Proper planning can help one avoid debt accumulation in relation to life changing events. One of the many preparation steps leading up to parenthood is planning for the financial changes. We’ve amassed the list below to help first time parents feel more prepared for one of life’s most financially altering events!

Pre-Baby Planning

Everyone’s ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby. But it’s also smart to prepare financially in the months leading up to the delivery.

The first step to help avoid accumulating debt that could take years to pay off, is to realize your monthly budget.

Before your baby is born, calculate how much money is coming in, how much is accounted for in reoccurring monthly expenses, and how much can be saved. With this knowledge in hand, you will be better prepared to insert the new expenses into your family budget and know how that will potentially affect other items.

Healthcare and Benefits • Know how much unpaid time you or your partner can take. Consider the cost of losing one or more income streams for X amount of weeks and plan accordingly.

• Understand your health insurance and anticipated healthcare costs. Talk to your provider about an estimated cost of delivery and hospital stay to better understand your out-of-pocket expenses for the big event. Talk through payment plans with your provider.

• It’s important to know that during any unpaid maternity or paternity leave, you may have to also pay in for health insurance costs that are normally set up to subtract automatically from your paycheck.

Buying Baby Gear • Talk to other parents about which gear you could borrow instead of purchase. Some new parents borrow or buy certain baby gear second-hand to save a handful of cash. Items could include strollers, bouncy chairs, play pens, baby bathtubs, maternity sized clothing or sleeping devices.

• Plan for additional everyday expenses within your budget. Include items such as diapers, wipes, baby bottles, extra food and daycare.

• Be mindful of the season. How old will your baby be when the weather permits outdoor activities? Does this impact your clothing or stroller purchases? Can you delay certain purchases?

Childcare and Unexpected Costs • Run the numbers above. Sometimes you may even find that is makes sense for one parent to stay at home. If you and your partner both plan to keep working, start researching your childcare options before the birth. Visiting centers or interviewing nannies for daycare can take weeks of planning so we recommend getting started early!

• Remember to keep adding to your emergency fund savings in the event some unexpected expenses arise.

If you make it through the list above, you are sure to feel more prepared for one of life’s greatest joys!

839 Gordon Dr. Sioux City, IA 51101 – 712-522-4430 42

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HEALTH meidcal

answers

‘DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION …’ answers to your medical questions

‌ . Why are some shots given in the arm 1 and others are, um, not?

Great question! The location of your shot depends on a couple of things. First, different shots have to be injected into different anatomic structures. For example: the tetanus shot is best absorbed when injected into a muscle. In adults this is easily accessed in the outer arm, while in munchkins we use the outer thigh. These are both bigger, “meatier” parts of the body where they are easily absorbed and less likely to hurt.

Other injections, like a TB test, must be injected just under the skin so we can see it. For this we generally use the front of a forearm, where the skin is much thinner and easier to access. Still yet, a lot of medicines have to be directly injected into a vein, and for this we have to find a blood vessel close enough to the skin to feel and get a needle into in order to give it. This is what people are talking about when they say they have “rolling veins” or that they’re a “hard stick.”

Most of the time we can find a vein in the back of a hand or the inside bend of your elbow, but sometimes we have to get creative and find one in a foot or the top of a baby’s head to get good access.

In absolute dire circumstances we can attempt to get to your blood stream by getting into the middle of a bone, called “interosseous” access, but we save that for last ditch efforts.

Secondly, the volume of medicine helps us decide where to give a shot.

For example some shots, like a steroid, testosterone, or fertility injection, require a bigger amount of fluid that your arm just can’t handle. For this reason we have to go . . . you guessed it . . . right in the rump! The bum is a bigger muscle that can hold more medication, and due to its bigger (and generally, “fluffier”) space, it typically doesn’t hurt as much.

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MEET THE DOC Alana Ryan is a native of Kansas City, where she was raised with her three sisters. She attended college at the University of Kansas (rock chalk!) and osteopathic medical school at Lincoln Memorial University in northeast Tennessee. She is an avid college basketball and Chiefs football fan, enjoys cooking and baking, and spends most of her free time chasing after her two dogs, Boris and Myrtle. She and her husband, Travis, moved to Sioux City from central Michigan to be closer to his family in Remsen, Iowa, where Travis teaches art and coaches basketball. Alana is currently a family medicine resident at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation, where she has a specific interest in prenatal and geriatric care.

With all of this being said I’ll take this opportunity to shamelessly beg everyone to get a flu shot. If you have questions or concerns about getting your flu shot (there are LOTS of rumors floating around about this vaccine in particular) then please ask your doc! Also keep in mind that any injection carries a risk of infection, bleeding and reaction to the medication. It’s not uncommon to get some tenderness and redness at the site of the injection. This does not mean you have an allergy. Ask your doc for more details!

2. How do you know when to go to the emergency room and when to go to urgent care?

This is a fantastic question that I hear frequently. It can be confusing and some-

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times scary when trying to decide if you need emergency treatment, and the answer sometimes changes. For instance, if you have a sudden change in health Monday through Friday during general office hours (usually 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), a good rule of thumb is to call your primary care provider’s office and ask if they have a recommendation. Often, they will be able to direct you to either their office if it’s something they can treat in an outpatient office setting, or give you better instructions on whether an urgent care can handle your concern.

Despite our best efforts to make the ER a better experience, it often is associated with expensive visits, long wait times, a shortage of healthcare employees and exposure to dangerous germs. For these reasons we docs try really hard to keep

Diarrhea Abdominal pain (this one can be tricky and sometimes requires emergency visits) Typical migraine headaches in people with established migraines Dehydration Common cold and flu-like symptoms Sprains and strains and back pain Small cuts that may require stitches Pain with urination Eye redness and itching

people out of the ER unless they truly need emergency care.

Please keep in mind that the ER is not a great place for addressing chronic issues like low back pain, high cholesterol and blood pressure and getting medications refilled. The ER staff probably doesn’t know you well and these issues are best left to your primary care team (which means you may need to plan ahead and request a refill when you get down to your last few days of medicinesespecially pain meds). For a good review of what types of symptoms are appropriate for an urgent care center versus the emergency department keep reading!

Emergency department: Chest pain or difficulty breathing Weakness/numbness on one side Slurred speech Fainting/change in mental state Serious burns Head or eye injury Concussion/confusion Broken bones and dislocated joints Seizures Severe cuts that may require stitches Facial lacerations Vaginal bleeding with pregnancy Trauma (car accident, fall from a distance greater than standing, etc.)

Urgent care: Fever Vomiting

3. Can you really pick up that many germs just by handling a doorknob or a railing? Couldn’t we become a little too sensitive about those things?

The answers here are yes and “maybe.” It is true that tons of germs can live on a single door handle. How well those germs are passed on to humans depend on how large the handle is (lever versus a traditional round knob), what it’s made out of (metal versus wood), the humidity in the air surrounding the handle, and where the handle exists (on the inside of a closet versus the outside of a public bathroom). On average, the flu virus can live on a surface for just over 24 hours. If you touch that surface and then touch your face, you increase your risk of getting the flu. You also run the risk of accidentally giving it to someone else if you touch them as well.

This is more or less the story for most major germs, although how long they live on a surface can vary. For this reason it is important to adequately disinfect surfaces that people touch on a regular basis (door handles, your computer mouse, the door to your refrigerator and your cellphone especially). If you go into a medical office or a hospital you’ll probably notice a ridiculous number of bleach wipes, soap, and hand sanitizer everywhere you go. This is to ensure that we’re not inadvertently transferring harmful germs from one person to another. This helps us prevent the spread of sickness.

The second part of this question gets a little tricky. It is true that since the invention of better cleaning practices we have seen a significant increase in the amount of allergies and asthma in our population. One thought behind this is that when we’re not exposed to as many harmful agents, like bacteria and viruses, our immune system gets “bored” and starts reacting to random things like pet dander, trees and grasses, and different foods. Yet another thought is that it’s not so much that we are living in cleaner environments as much as we’re no longer being exposed to certain “good” bacteria that keep our immune systems appropriately entertained.

For example: Does a child who lives on a farm and is constantly exposed to dirt (representing germs that humans have been exposed to for centuries and can have some benefits) have a lesser chance of having allergies and asthma than a kiddo from the city (where there is no dirt and thus the immune system is less active), even if they both have superclean homes? The answer is “maybe.”

The old quote “just rub some dirt in it” may not be that bad of advice. While we still strongly recommend that people DO clean their homes and work places to prevent the overgrowth and spread of bad, infection-causing, life-threatening germs there also may be some benefit to being exposed to natural bacteria (i.e.: dirt and the outside world) to prevent allergies and asthma symptoms. All the more indication to give your kids some good ol’ cleaning chores and then make them go play outside!

4. I went to the fair and I was told to wash my hands immediately after I touched an animal. What is the danger?

This question is closely related to the above question No. 3.

Animals can carry a wide variety of germs that are different than ones typically carried by humans. Given this, you run the risk of catching a bacterial or viral illness that may be hard to fight in a human since it’s usually found in animals.

Swine flu originally was quite common in pigs until it mutated and was able to be picked up by humans. When humans first started getting sick with this strain of flu it was really hard to treat and caused a lot of problems because our immune systems had never seen it and had no idea how to fight it (think the movie “Contagion”). The same idea goes for the animals at the fair.

In addition, the animals at the fair are typically around dust and hay that can trigger allergies in some people, as well as urine and feces that carry their own germs.

Just give your hands a good wash after your visit to get rid of these germs.

And have no fear, there’s no reason to get rid of your favorite Fluffy and Rover. As a whole, people who are generally healthy have no trouble with your average pets, since you have a functioning immune system. So bring on the puppy kisses!

WHAT KINDS OF HEALTH QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? Submit your questions and they may be used in this monthly feature. Write to Siouxland Life at 515 Pavonia St., Sioux City, Iowa 51102.

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How To Know When You’re Ready to Buy a

Home

6 Questions To Ask Yourself …

Brought to you by The Mortgage Hub Buying a home might be the largest investment you’ll ever make — so it’s important to make sure you’re really prepared.

Asking yourself these six questions will help you know if you’re ready to start the home buying process:

1. Am I Pre-Approved For A Mortgage Loan?

Searching for a new home before getting preapproved is like walking into a store without your wallet.

Why? Most real estate agents will reject offers from buyers who don’t have preapproval letters from their banks. So if you’re shopping around for a home, it’s best to have that preapproval letter in your back pocket — or you might miss out.

Keep in mind that preapproval is not the same as an actual loan commitment — but it does help speed up the loan process if you do find the home you’re looking for. And preapproval is actually quicker and easier than ever, thanks to the Mortgage Hub — an easy way to apply online for a home loan, through a local bank you know and trust. Visit MyMortgageHub.com to learn more.

2. Do I Have Enough Money For a Down Payment?

Ideally, before becoming a homeowner, you’ll want to save between 5 to 20 percent of the new home’s value for a down payment. Making a smaller down payment might seem nice at first, but it typically means you will pay higher monthly mortgage payments and have greater borrowing costs over the long run.

And don’t forget, once you find a home within your budget and agree on a purchase price, there will also be extra “closing costs” associated with closing the sale. By law, lenders are required to give you a written estimate of closing costs within three days of accepting your loan application.

3. Will I Have Enough Money Month to Month?

Create a hypothetical budget for your new home. Find the average cost of utilities in your area, factor in gas, electricity, water, cable and Internet; and find out if you will have to pay for parking or trash pickup. Consider the cost of basic maintenance costs like yard work, or replacing the air filter every three months. Also, factor in real estate taxes, mortgage insurance and possibly a homeowner’s association fee.

Ideally, you should aim to keep total mortgage payments, plus utilities, to less than 25-30 percent of your monthly income.

One last note: be sure to keep enough in savings for an emergency fund. It’s a good idea to have at least three months of living expenses to cover unexpected costs.

4. What is My Credit Score?

A high credit score indicates strong creditworthiness, so you can expect to have your credit history examined during the preapproval process. You can usually find your own credit score by checking your credit card or loan statement (many companies have begun to provide credit scores for customers on a monthly basis), talking to a non-profit credit or HUD-approved housing counselor, or buying a score directly from credit reporting companies.

You can also get and review your own credit reports at www.AnnualCreditReport.com (free of charge once every 12 months, by law). The information in your credit report is what the credit services use to calculate your credit score.

A low credit score can keep you from qualifying for a mortgage loan. If your credit score is low, you may want to delay moving and take steps to raise your score first. There are a number of steps you can take to improve your credit score, including paying your bills on time, only opening lines of credit that you need and keeping your credit card balances below half of your available credit limit.

For more tips on improving your credit score, visit aba.com/consumers.

5. How Long Will I Stay Here?

Generally, the longer you plan to live someplace, the more it makes sense to buy. Over time, you can build equity in your home. On the other hand, renters have greater flexibility to move and fewer maintenance costs. Carefully consider your current life and work situation and think about how long you want to stay in your new home.

6. Are Special Programs Available To Help Save Money?

Another helpful tip is to look into state and local home-buying programs because many states, counties and local governments offer housing discounts, down payment loans or special grants to first-time homebuyers. When you work with a local lender like The Mortgage Hub, you’ll meet with home loan experts who will make sure you’re aware of every program for which you qualify.

These tips are provided by the home loan experts with The Mortgage Hub, powered by Security National Bank. What is the Mortgage Hub? It’s an easy way to apply online for a home loan, without losing the human touch of your hometown bank. Learn more at MyMortgageHub.com.

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FALL 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

PARTING SHOT By

Bruce Miller

CHEATING ON YOUR HAIRDRESSER

NEVER PAYS

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Cheating on your spouse is easier than cheating on your hairdresser.

The news travels quickly from dryer to dryer and, before you know it, you’re getting an angry call from your regular miracle worker wondering why you haven’t been in.

“Were you disappointed with what we did last time?” she asks, coyly. “Are you growing your hair out for the holidays?”

There are enough clues that suggest the underground pipeline has been at work and, suddenly, you’re stuck. “No, I’ve been really busy,” you sheepishly say as you look at yourself in the mirror. “I was out of town last month and I just stopped at a place for a quick trim.”

Never mind you went to the hip new designer in town and you’ve had the appointment for three months. That “trim” is so radical you look 10 years younger and you’ve already signed up for three more months of cuts.

“Oh, where’d you go?” she asks, clearly tightening the noose around your razorcut neck. Realizing she knows enough about you to testify in court, you swallow hard and make a quick decision: Lie and say you went to a place out of town or tell the truth and suffer the consequences.

You split the difference: “I got a gift card that was about to expire and had to use it.” The shop doesn’t even issue

gift cards. She knows it. You know it. The place practically advertises it. But that doesn’t stop the dance.

“Oh, who’d you see?” she inquires.

Now, here’s where the situation gets even stickier. She knows they brought in a designer – from Minneapolis, no less – because she didn’t go to the seminar he was teaching. She knows he specializes in that blunt cut you happen to be rocking. And she realizes you aren’t using the products she recommended for your straw-like hair.

But, you proceed on, pretend you don’t know the name and aren’t really happy with what he did with your hair during that spur-of-the-moment cut.

“It’s fine, I guess,” you say with all the conviction of a Menendez brother. “But he doesn’t cut it like you do.”

“Did you need me to fix it up for you?” she asks, sending a cold shiver down your spine. “If he didn’t get it like you like it, I can always make it right.” A long pause ensues and then she adds the clincher: “At no charge.”

You are so cornered at this point you might as well confess to crimes in three states. “Oh, I couldn’t do that,” you say, playing along. “I’ll just let it grow out and you can deal with it next month.”

Now, here’s where you’re really screwed. You’ve committed to an

appointment, but you already have one with the new hairdresser.

Do you: 1. Cut off all communication 2. Fake an illness 3. Write a letter 4. Become a monk, who doesn’t cut his hair.

The right thing, of course, is to ‘fess up and plead for mercy.

Instead, you check parking lots for her car, hoping you don’t run into her in the potato chip aisle at the grocery store.

Distance doesn’t help.

Instead, the whiz from Minneapolis returns to the big city and you’re back where you started.

Best advice: Buy the shampoo your old hairdresser is pushing and get back in her good graces.

Cheating may be fun. But it never pays.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FALL 2018

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FALL 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE