Dear Dave,

My wife and I have $25,000 in credit card debt, $2,500 in medical bills and $89,000 each in student loan debt from when we each got our masters’ degrees. We make about $100,000 combined. Our son is 6 years old, and we have $18,000 in a 529 plan for him. Should we use that money to pay off debt instead?

Sean

Dear Sean,

I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You’ll get destroyed with penalties, because if you take money out of a 529 for anything other than college, you’ll be taxed at your current tax rate and hit with a 20 percent penalty. The other thing is you’ll have this weird feeling that you took money away from your kid.

Dear Dave,

My mom is 71 and debt-free. She’s investing $600 a month in a universal life insurance policy worth $250,000 because she wants to leave something behind when she dies. What could she invest this money in, other than the life insurance policy, in order to leave an estate?

Steve

Dear Steve,

This is a good question. You don’t use life insurance to leave an estate. It’s a bad idea. You leave an estate by saving and investing. The only people who will tell you to use a life insurance policy to leave an estate are life insurance salesmen.

Unless she’s ill, I wouldn’t keep the policy. Instead, I’d do some long-term investing. It won’t take long to get to $250,000 with $7,200 a year. It’s the kind of thing that sounds like it’ll take forever, but you’ve got to remember you’ve got growth and interest in the equation. I wouldn’t put money into a life insurance policy at age 71, unless there’s someone being left behind who really needs the money — and it doesn’t sound like there is in this case.

Dear Dave,

I have job offers from two tech companies. One is in San Antonio and pays $55,000 a year, while the other is in Silicon Valley making $100,000 a year. My friends are advising me to move to California, but I feel like I’d have more money in my budget if I moved to San Antonio. What do you think?

Aaron

Dear Aaron,

The good news about Silicon Valley is you’d be around a ton of really smart people in your industry. I mean, it’s the epicenter of the tech world, right? You’ll learn a ton and have lots of opportunities, so there’s definitely an upside.

The problem is that the Silicon Valley area is one of the most expensive places to live in the entire country. The real estate prices and cost of living are ridiculous! Still, if it weren’t for the cost of living argument, it would be a no-brainer for me. Then, it wouldn’t really be so much about the income and prices as it would be about the career opportunity.

Dear Dave,

I’m 24-years old, and just got married two months ago. We make $80,000 a year, and have our emergency fund in place with no debt. Plus, we’ve saved up for a 15 percent down payment on a house. I know you suggest 20 percent, but is 15 percent okay?

Tony

Dear Tony,

Dear Dave,

My mom passed away recently, and she left behind three timeshares. I inherited them, plus I’m the executor of the estate. They’re all paid for, except for the yearly maintenance fees, which total about $1,500. I don’t think I want them, but I’m not sure what to do. Do you have any advice?

Joe

Dear Joe,

Dear Dave,

Would it be okay to go on a tenth anniversary honeymoon while we’re working on our debt snowball?

Karen

Dear Karen,

I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not against the law or anything like that. I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I wouldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t suggest taking the trip then rolling it into your debt snowball either. I know this probably sounds mean, but I’m just not a big romantic when it comes to people who are deeply in debt.

Dear Dave,

My husband died several years ago. He always worked very hard, and we did very well financially. I am now 48 and have $3.8 million in assets. I’ve found a wonderful man who is very stable and loving with a good job, and we’re considering getting married. Do you think I need a prenuptial agreement?

Heather

Dear Heather,

For years I told people never to do prenuptial agreements. I always said if you love

Dear Dave,

I know you recommend that no more than 25 percent of your take-home pay should go toward rent or a mortgage payment. Should taxes and insurance be figured into this amount?

Kayla

Dear Kayla,

Yes, they should. Mortgage companies will qualify you for twice as much house as you can realistically afford. They’ll try to put you on a 30-year, adjustable-rate

Dear Dave,

My wife and I have a friend we met through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. She has a 1-year-old child, and she recently asked us for some money. We don’t really approve of how she’s choosing to spend her money—she’s spending a lot of it on alcohol and cigarettes—but she does need financial help. What should we do?

Mike

Dear Mike,

I have a very simple rule for situations like this. If someone is bold enough to ask

Dear Dave,

I noticed that your Baby Steps list puts saving for retirement before saving for your kid’s college fund. Sending your kids to college would come first on the timeline, so what is your reasoning behind this?

Jen

Dear Jen,

I advise this approach because everyone is going to retire someday, unless, of

Dear Dave,

I’m 20 years old, and I’m trying to get out of debt. However, I’m concerned about what might happen when I’m older and don’t have a credit score. My girlfriend says I won’t be able to get a job or rent an apartment without a good one. Is this true?

Ian

Dear Ian,

No, it’s not true. I’m sure your girlfriend is a sweet person, but she has no clue what she’s talking about in this situation.