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Risks of walking away from time share
Q: I have read your articles regarding time shares but I still feel at a loss as to how unload mine. It is completely paid, with the...
Get the full story >>How to land a job in 2012
Whether it's rewriting your cover letter, reviewing the way you approach interviews or rethinking what kind of job will make you happy, here...
Get the full story >>Young workers, unite: Grab 401(k) match
Want to save more money? If you're young, you may want to start with your 401(k), especially if you were automatically enrolled.
Get the full story >>No kidding: New parents can save lots of money
The dark economy has put a damper on Americans' parental urges. Since reaching a record high of 4.3 million in 2007, U.S. births have...
Get the full story >>It pays to understand your 401(k) plan fees
Still think you don't pay anything for your 401(k) plan?
Get the full story >>Deadbeat buyers take back deposit
Q: I am selling my house and received two offers on the same day: The first offer came in first thing in the morning, and I made a...
Get the full story >>Home construction delay has buyers wanting out
Q: My wife and I signed a purchase agreement in June with anticipated delivery of November/December. In September, we were advised that...
Get the full story >>Beware of creditors' efforts on expired debt
I have been a certified court mediator for more than 10 years. I have seen more and more cases of creditors and debt collectors suing people...
Get the full story >>Converting to Roth IRA might be smart strategy
Q: On the subject of required minimum distributions, you might want to elaborate further on the taxing involved with this procedure....
Get the full story >>Second-home debt weighs on owners
Q: We own a second home within five miles of our primary residence. This second home has been used as a rental, initially to persons we were...
Get the full story >>Insurance money mistakenly deposited into couple's account
Q: We moved to Jacksonville, Fla., in 2010, but still own a home in Pensacola, Fla., that we are renting to some friends. We got a check...
Get the full story >>Health savings account offers many advantages
With more employers shifting workers to high-deductible health plans, it's time to get familiar with a rare triple-threat tax advantage that...
Get the full story >>Graduating in spring? Assemble a checklist
Finishing a senior thesis, taking one last trip with friends — this is the stuff that spring semester is made of if you're a...
Get the full story >>Persistence pays off in finding a lost pension
With his 65th birthday approaching, Richard Zimmerer started making phone calls about a pension from a job he held until his mid-40s.
Get the full story >>What home seller can do when buyer is in default
Q: We have a purchase agreement with buyers that states they will close, as a cash sale, on or before a specific date. This agreement was...
Get the full story >>Let market history guide, not rule, choices
Past performance does not predict future returns, but it tends to dictate how we make our next investment decisions.
Get the full story >>True ways to shrink credit card balance
A reader wanted to know how much money could be saved with a lower interest rate or increased monthly payments.
Get the full story >>Clicking 'like' fraught with rewards, hazards
If you're a serial liker on Facebook — you click "like" on everything you see — you're getting more and more consumer rewards.
Get the full story >>Europe got you down? Try these 5 stocks
With debt woes in Europe, these companies that sell mainly in the U.S. and in emerging nations look especially attractive.
Get the full story >>Boomers at 66
In 2012, the oldest baby boomers will turn 66, an important age for Social Security eligibility.
Get the full story >>Can a borrower be liable for unpaid debt after foreclosure?
Q: I had two properties foreclosed on this year. Although we had short-sale offers on both properties, for some reason the banks would...
Get the full story >>The long and short of it
Fund managers find themselves increasingly challenged to provide investors growth and protection in today's volatile global markets. Some...
Get the full story >>Control who gets property once beneficiaries die
Q: I own two homes. In my will and my trust, I have assigned a beneficiary for each of the properties. However, I would like for the...
Get the full story >>Bankruptcy comes back to haunt borrower
Q: My husband and I recently purchased a house and then refinanced it. We were able to get an excellent rate, but we had to answer a...
Get the full story >>Sellers have recourse when buyers back out
Q: We recently had a contract to sell our home to a cash buyer. He and his wife were allegedly inheriting a large sum of money, and their...
Get the full story >>Probate basics for a sole heir
Q: I am the sole heir of my deceased mother. My mother and I lived in a house that is in her name. I am still residing in the house, but I...
Get the full story >>How over-50 job seekers improve odds
Many job seekers have an uphill climb in this economy. And those over 50 have a specific set of job-search issues to surmount. Age...
Get the full story >>Getting to the root of tree law
Q: I live with my girlfriend at her house. I am trying to fix our backyard, and we have a neighbor behind us with a 100-year-old oak tree....
Get the full story >>A way to avoid rigid down-payment gift rules
Q: I live in Connecticut and my husband stays several nights a week in Massachusetts. We saw a duplex we would like to buy in Massachusetts....
Get the full story >>Effect of short sale on credit scores
Q: What impact will a short sale have on my credit rating? Will it be better for me to let the property go to foreclosure?
Get the full story >>A few tips on holiday tipping
Few rituals are more awkward than end-of-year tipping. How much do you give your trainer at the gym? What about your postal worker or...
Get the full story >>Proving adverse possession is not easy
Q: In a recent column there was a property owner who wanted to dispose of a plot of land that had been turned into a garden by the condo...
Get the full story >>Taking spouse's name off house title
Q: My husband passed away recently. I need to know what to do and where to go to have his name taken off the title to our house. It's...
Get the full story >>Sidestepping penalty for early mortgage payoff
Q: I was at the closing table for my condo purchase only to discover that there was a penalty for early payoff. I called the bank...
Get the full story >>When the mortgage market goes private
In a rare instance of like-mindedness across the political spectrum, most everyone agrees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the infamous...
Get the full story >>Strategies for gifting home to relative
Q: I am an estate planning and tax attorney in Chicago and read your solicitation for additional suggestions regarding your reader who asked...
Get the full story >>To Fido, I bequeath
Sheila, Daniel and Wilbur play with homemade dog toys, frolic in the Atlantic Ocean and meet up with their furry friends during "Yappy Hour"...
Get the full story >>Is lender being upfront about fee?
Q. On July 30, I had settlement on the purchase of my first home. It was an FHA mortgage and the mortgage insurance premium (MIP) was...
Get the full story >>2 simple rules for selling a time share
Q: I read your response to the person trying to unload his time share. I wish to inform you that contrary to popular belief, there is a...
Get the full story >>Cold, hard fact: North offers more to retirees
A hefty tax burden, relatively high housing prices and long, brutal winters: Welcome to Minneapolis, the best city for seniors?
Get the full story >>When a mortgage puts buyer at a disadvantage
For homebuyers who need to finance their purchase using a mortgage, a cash buyer can be their worst enemy.
Get the full story >>How to drive the hardest car bargain
Most new-car shoppers know that if they pay invoice price for a vehicle, they're getting a bargain. But does that mean the dealer makes no...
Get the full story >>Surviving layoffs may mean new job responsibilities
Congratulations--you dodged layoffs, at least this time around. So why is the boss at your elbow wanting to talk? Because the job you've...
Get the full story >>Prices are low! Mortgages cheap! But you can't get one
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Yep, mortgage interest rates are low, but there's a catch: It doesn't matter how cheap rates are if you can't get a...
Get the full story >>Is HUD-1 form required in cash sale?
Q: Do we have to do a HUD-1 form on a cash sale? The home is paid off and I am selling for cash. There is no lender involved.
Get the full story >>Tenants refuse to pay new owners of foreclosure property
Q. We purchased a foreclosure property. The tenants have not paid rent for the past 18 months while the bank was the owner. The tenants...
Get the full story >>GAIL MARKJARVIS
Gail MarkJarvis is a financial columnist at the Chicago Tribune. E-mail her at gmarksjarvis@tribune.com.
Get the full story >>THE JOURNEY
Janet Kidd Stewart if Your Money columnis. Have a retirement question? Write to yourmoney@tribune.com, or via mail at Your Money,...
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