If you can pay off your mortgage early, but you have a very low interest rate, should you? Or should you invest your money elsewhere? Q: I tried to get on your radio show this past weekend, but I called too close to the end. I refinanced two years ago to a 3.625 percent loan. [...]
Housing and transportation costs continue to burden the middle class, rising 44 percent since 2000 making up 60 percent of household budgets. For every $1 increase in income, housing and transportation costs rose $1.75. In total, a family with a moderate income (defined as 50 to 100 percent of area median income) spends nearly 60 [...]
If you are renting your condo, it's important to know your condo association's rules and regulations and try negotiating rental fees. Q: I read your column every Sunday. I own a condominium in Virginia and rent it out. I realize condominium associations try to limit renters to make sure they are an FHA-approved building and [...]
Typical investment management fees can range depending on the type of investment, the type of account and the type of investment manager. Q: I am 64 years old, retired, with a pension from a state government. I am considering investing a portion of my IRA funds in a managed portfolio. The proposed portfolio is 83 percent [...]
If you were left with debt after the death of a spouse, gather bills, check credit, talk to the IRS and consider contacting an attorney. Q: My home is underwater, I’m at risk of foreclosure, and I have a deceased deadbeat husband. Add to that that my dead husband liked to sign my name to [...]
If you want to pay the mortgage on a home you don't own, giving home ownership to your family, there are several ways to do that. Q: My parents are divorced and my father would like to sign his half of the house over to my brother and me. The only problem with this is [...]
A reverse mortgage could be a good idea for a homeowner looking to refinance and pay off a second mortgage, but there are some drawbacks. Q: In your recent column in the Oregonian, you attempted to help a retiree’s attempt to refinance. You gave him many ways to contort himself in order to become a [...]
Auto insurance is one of those expenses that goes up every year - unless you shop around for a deal or take advantage of bundling services. When you first took out your auto insurance policy, you probably evaluated your needs, shopped around for the best rate and checked for discounts. But have you done any [...]
Bruce Japsen, Jeff Rose, Liz Handlin and Amy Crews Cutts join me to talk about recent trends and hot topics in personal finance on the Ilyce Glink Show on October 21, 2012 at 12:00 Central Time on WSB Radio. My weekly show always contains various forms of personal finance advice but today I have invited four [...]
