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Should I Have Bought This?

Dave Ramsey - Dear Dave, My wife and I bought long-term care insurance 17 years ago. We're now in our eighties. We've never had to use this insurance, and we were wondering if buying it was the right thing to do. Ken Dear Ken, You bet you did the right thing! A nursing home costs $30,000 to $50,000 a year. That kind of money will crack and scramble a nest egg in no time flat. I strongly recommend buying long-term care insurance by age 60 that will cover in-home care or nursing home care if needed. It's absolutely vital! The fact that you haven't...

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Young Women Lesson 46: Money Management

LDS Living - My dear brothers and sisters, both within my view and assembled throughout the world, I seek an interest in your prayers and your faith as I respond to the assignment and privilege to speak to you. I begin by expressing commendation to all of you. In this challenging world, the youth of the Church are the very best ever. The faith, the service, and the actions of our members are praiseworthy. We are a prayerful and faith-filled people, ever striving to be decent and honest. We take care of each other. We try to show love to our neighbors. However, lest...

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Book of Mormon Lesson 46: "And There Came Many Prophets"

Ted L. Gibbons - *Author's Note:* As has happened occasionally in the past, the focus of this lesson does not exactly correspond with the lesson manual provided by the Church. There is a message in the final chapters of the book of Ether that I have often missed in my reading. But it is an message worth noticing and contemplating--a message about what happens when people consistently refuse to follow the prophets. If you are teaching, the lesson manual must be your first choice. The considerations that follow should only be used for additional insight and personal enrichment. They are not designed to take the...

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Young Men Lesson 46: Effective Home Teaching

LDS Living - Brethren of the priesthood, assembled here in the Conference Center and worldwide, I am humbled by the responsibility which is mine to address a few remarks to you. I pray for the Spirit of the Lord to attend me as I do so. I am aware that our audience this evening ranges from the most recently ordained deacon to the eldest high priest. To each, the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by John the Baptist and the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph and Oliver by Peter, James, and John are sacred and treasured events. To you...

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Gratitude First

Joseph Walker - Now, keep in mind that I'm talking about a candy necklace here -- nothing special at all. It was just a stringy loop of elastic with multi-colored candies strung around it. I had handed some of them to the ten-year-olds to whom I had been teaching Old Testament stories for the past year (what, you don't see the connection between candy necklaces and the Old Testament?), and I had an extra one. Kayla is quite special indeed. She has long dark hair. Gorgeous eyes. A beautiful smile. The sweetest voice you've ever heard. And she's six. In all the world there...

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HEARTS for the Holidays

Shannon Johnson - The Eagle Mountain West Stake agrees that service blesses the lives of every individual involved. Through a program called HEARTS for the Holidays, members of the stake reach out to those in need during the holiday season. The acronym HEARTS stands for Hope, Edification, And Relief Through Service, and sums up what the project is all about. "It's an amazing program," says stake Relief Society counselor Shauna Vorkink. "I am glad to have the opportunity to participate in it. It is a witness of our Savior's love for us, and it's a great way to help others feel that love." The...

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December 2008 Sharing Time: Remembering Jesus

Shauna Gibby - This sharing time will involve the children in an activity that teaches them more about the Savior, his life, and his love for them. *Preparation:* Review the events in Christ's life listed below. Gather the items you wish to use and place them in a bag or pillowcase: a Christmas or cut-out star, a bottle of water, a toy or cut-out fish, an elastic-type bandage, a slice of bread (in a baggie), a toy boat, a small container of mud, a doll, a wash cloth, a sacrament cup, a small cross made of wood or craft sticks, a silk or plastic...

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FHE: Gaining Experience

Shauna Gibby - *Conference Talk:* For more information on this topic read "Special Experiences," by Ronald A. Rasband, Ensign, May 2008, 11-12. *Thought:* As experiences accumulate in our lives, they add strength and support to each other. Just as the building blocks of our homes support the rest of the structure, so too do our personal life experiences become building blocks for our testimonies. (Ronald A. Rasband, "Special Experiences," _Ensign_, May 2008, 11-12.) *Song:* "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man," _Children's Songbook_, p. 281. *Scripture:* And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence...

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The Lowdown on Dow Jones

Dave Ramsey - Dear Dave, We hear all kinds of numbers relating to the economy every night on the news. To be honest, I have no idea what most of them mean. Can you tell me more about the Dow Jones Industrial Average? Ken Dear Ken, The Dow is an index of the stocks of 30 selected companies. We're talking about outfits like Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola and Nike - some of the big boys. The percentage that the stock prices of these companies rise or fall as a group, on any given day, is the Dow Jones Industrial Average for that day. Technically, this index...

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Young Women Lesson 45: Choosing a Vocation

LDS Living - Brethren, tonight I would like to talk to you as I would to my grandsons. I hope that what I have to say will apply to all young priesthood holders everywhere. As I think of this large congregation and also the many thousands more who have joined us by satellite, I am reminded that the great blessing of holding the priesthood of God is one that is reserved for the relatively few, considering the billions of people in the world. To hold the priesthood is a signal honor; yet any worthy man or boy over the age of 12 in the...