Mom's Finances
by Gary Foreman
My 70-year-old mother lives alone a few miles away from two of her five daughters. She's fiercely protective of her privacy and independence. However, she cannot handle her money. We think she may have early Alzheimer's. She's always been bad with bouncing checks and having the utilities cut off for non-payment. But now she's much worse...
Why Not Lease?
by Gary Foreman
Is it better financially to buy or lease an automobile since it's a depreciating asset?Once you lease an auto you're much more likely to drive a new car every few years. And the first miles are the most expensive that you can put on a car.
Guilt Free Vacations
by Gary Foreman
I am looking for guidelines on how much money to spend on travel/vacation. My question is how much is reasonable to spend total? Are there any rules-of-thumb?
Payback Time
by Gary Foreman
I just finished reading the letter from "Tina", who was upset that she was being "harassed" by a collection agency. Could you address the other angle of this? I'm 32 and I guess I have a big chip on my shoulder about people who run up debts and are then outraged that they would have to pay it back.
Reducing Your Mortgage
by Gary Foreman
I once heard that you can cut a mortgage in half by simply making one extra payment per year. Is this true? And does this work with any loans like... car, personal and student loans? Thanks.
Dangerous Information
by Gary Foreman
Dear Dollar Stretcher, Someone told me you weren't supposed to put your social security number on your checks. Also you shouldn't have your number on your driver's license since that number is used for a lot of private things. Can you give me some input on this subject?
Band Instruments
by Gary Foreman
I just read your article about the rent to own question. Your examples are easy ones. What about the difficult ones - namely school band instruments? I read somewhere that the rule of thumb is if they are going to play the instrument for more than 2 years it's cheaper to buy. If they play it for less than 2 years it's cheaper to rent... --Mary
Enron Lessons for the Little Guy
by Gary Foreman
Much has already been written about the fall of Enron. Most has been on the political and business ramifications and deciding who to blame. I've been surprised to see that there hasn't been much that would help the average Joe protect himself from the next Enron. So let's see what lessons can be learned from the current mess.
Cheap used car
by Gary Foreman
Dear Gary, I'm a struggling, hard-working single mother who is in dire need of a car, but I can't stand the thought of making car payments for 5 years because of my bad credit. I have $3,000 saved and I'm considering going to an auto auction. If this is not a feasible way to get a car, could you please tell me the best way to get one?
Building Credit
by Gary Foreman
Dear Dollar Stretcher, I am a college student looking for a credit card. When I tell my parents this they say, "no, you don't need one". I feel that I am financially responsible and in control of my money. I am not looking to spend money I don't have but merely to build credit. I've read all about college kids in debt, etc. But what about the rest of us that are responsible and ready to start our lives? How do I even get a credit card? And is there any better way to build credit?
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