Financing A Small Business Is Risky
Dear Dave,
What’s the best way to finance a business I want to buy?
Anonymous

Keeping College Costs In Check!
Dear Dave,
We live in Boston, and we’ve got three kids who are almost ready for college. My wife and I make about $114,000 a year combined, and that includes a $34,000 a year pension I receive. Should we use the pension money to pay for their tuition, or should we let them take out student loans?
Geoff

Unmarried Couples Combine Finances?
Dear Dave,
Do you advise unmarried, long-term couples to combine finances to follow your plan, or should they move forward financially on an individual basis?
Ashley

Family Issues
Dear Dave,
What’s the best way to respond to a sibling who continually makes poor choices with money and often asks to borrow money? I don’t want to be heartless, but they’re out of control asking for money anytime they want. I’m currently on Baby Step 2 of your plan, and I’m six months away from being debt-free. Do you have any suggestions?
Jen

By Jeremy Woods
During the last few articles we have learned ways to monitor and control our expenditures. Now that you have a working knowledge of your current finances its time to make the decisions that will impact your future finances.
I am sure that almost all of us want to buy or build a house and that most of us have a time frame in mind for when we would like this to happen. This is a major financial goal and I know planning for such an event seems …

It’s No Get Rich Quick Scheme
Dear Dave,
I’m about to complete Baby Step 3. I’ve been very intense about following your plan, but I was wondering if there’s ever any kind of frustration or letdown after you’ve come this far.
Rasheed

Buy a house while in student loan debt?
Dear Dave,
I’m 31, single, and I have two college degrees. I have no money to speak of, having just come through a rough patch of unemployment, but I recently landed a job that will pay me $20,000 to start. There’s the added possibility of an increase to $40,000 in the first year. I’m thinking about buying a house, but I’ve also got $50,000 in student loan debt. The good news is that I have no other debt. …

You Are The Secret Ingredient
Dear Dave,
I have an idea for a small business I think is needed in my area. How do you feel about me keeping my current, high-paying job, and hiring a full-time manager to handle the day-to-day operations while I oversee things and handle accounting? If it doesn’t break even or better, I’ll just close it down. I look at it as being like buying or selling real estate while keeping a full-time job.
Ken

In last month’s article “Manage Your Money, Don’t Let Your Money Manage You” we discussed the need for each of us to have a strong understanding of our expenditures and discussed some of the tools one can use to track our expenses. Many, if not most, readers undoubtedly determined that their expenses are in excess of their income. For those of you who find yourself faced with this reality you will need cut your expenses and live within your means in order to grow financially.

The Gold Bubble
Dear Dave,
I agree that historically gold is an extremely volatile investment. But wouldn’t it be a good idea to take advantage of this gold bubble and its popularity due to the market’s current hysteria?
Kevin