March 19, 2024

5 minutes with David Negley, manager at Applegate Tax and Accounting

AGE: 36

HOMETOWN: Winterset

FAMILY: Wife, DeAnne; children David Michael, Brennan, Natalie and Abi

JOB DESCRIPTION: CPA, tax, book keeping, payroll

MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE DONE FOR THE JOB: Sometimes we end up in marriage counseling. It's, like, people come in with financial issues, which is a big strain on marriages, and so there's that talking through of what to do with finances in a marriage.

WHAT HOBBIES DO YOU HAVE? I play the piano for church and the community. I try to write music every so often. The kids are a hobby. I do grilling and cooking and smoking and baking, anything I can eat.

FAVORITE VACATION YOU'VE EVER TAKEN: De and I spent our first anniversary in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, so that was pretty neat.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? I think it's between helping people with something they actually have a need for and just the number aspect of the job, I like working with numbers.

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL THAT ISN'T? Personal finance. Lots of it.

WOULD YOU RATHER BE GOSSIPED ABOUT OR NEVER TALKED ABOUT AT ALL? I think my ego would say gossiped about.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MANAGER AT APPLEGATE? Since November, so just over six months. ... It was Ruth Long's firm, and then she passed away, and her husband sold the firm to Ben.

IF I WASN'T A MANAGER, I'D BE A: Chef

IF YOU COULD BE ANYONE FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE? Probably my son, Brennan, because he doesn't know how easy he's got it. It would be pretty fun to be a kid again, not pay bills, play during the summer the whole time.

CAKE OR PIE? If it's wedding cake, yes. Otherwise, pie.

WHICH WEBSITE OR APP DO YOU VISIT THE MOST? Facebook

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB AND HOW MUCH DID YOU MAKE? I was a farm helper, not even a hand, didn't even rise to that. It was probably minimum wage, $5.15 an hour at the time.