Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

I'm 42, and I haven't started saving for retirement. I'm self-employed and not making a lot of money right now, plus I have about $8,000 in debt. It feels like I'm living paycheck to paycheck, and I just can't seem to save or get anything paid off. Can you help?

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave,

Dear Dave: I'd like to move to Las Vegas when I retire in about 10 years. I've saved up quite a bit of money and could pay cash for a property now. Should I go ahead and buy, and maybe rent it out for a while, or wait until I actually retire?

Dear Dave: I called a creditor recently to settle an old debt. They offered a settlement but said it was their policy not to put settlement offers in writing. Should I accept the deal?

Dear Dave: I'm 26, single, and I've been working your Total Money Makeover plan to pay off my debt. Right now, I have just $25,000 left to pay off, including my car. Recently, I was offered a chance to move to Singapore for the next six months as part of my job. I won't have any real expenses while I'm there, but I'm worried about the effect it might have on me getting out of debt. How can I make all of this balance out?

Dear Dave: I own a small company, and lots of times I feel like I'm devoting too much time to the business and not spending enough time with my family day to day. How do you find a balance between home and work?

Dear Dave: I recently graduated from college, and I think I'd like to get into the real estate business as an agent. I don't have much real world experience, so what can I do to learn and become a great real estate agent?

Dear Dave: I'm one of five sisters, and our parents' 50th wedding anniversary is just around the corner. My two oldest sisters made plans for a party without consulting the rest of us. Now, they want everyone to chip in $1,000 to help pay for things. I'm trying hard to get out of debt, and I just don't have that kind of money right now. How can I be fair about this?

Dear Dave: My wife and I just relocated for my new job. Right now we're renting an apartment, and we should make about $15,000 on the sale of our old house. Should we use the money from the sale of our house to pay off all our debt, or go ahead and use it as a down payment on a new home now?

Dear Dave: I'm 24 years old and just got married two months ago. We make $80,000 a year, have our emergency fund and 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 OK?

Dear Dave: I listen to you often and enjoy your radio show, but why don't you ever ask women to go to work? When a family is broke, and the woman is at home raising one child who is already in the fifth grade, why can't the wife get a "second job?"

Dear Dave: I'm 58, my kids are all out on their own, and I rent a great little apartment. It's a perfect setup for me because I travel quite a bit. However, I've had several people tell me I should really look into buying a house. I've saved about $450,000, I make $90,000 a year, and my rent is $1,100 a month. So, I guess I'm looking for validation. Is it OK for me to continue being a renter?

Dear Dave: I'm single, and I make about $70,000 a year. I've been able to set aside a nice bit of money in savings, and I'm paying off my student loans and car payment. One student loan is $4,000, the other is $30,000, and my car note is $21,000. Since I'm on the right track now, should I save up some for my dad's retirement? He's getting older, and he's horrible with money.

Dear Dave: We have $21,000 in credit card debt and ongoing medical expenses for our special-needs child. My husband works very hard but only makes about $25,000 a year, and we're living in a 30-year-old trailer. My dad is willing to help us pay off some of the debt and get us moved into a house if we'll get financial counseling. Is there a better way out of this situation?

Dear Dave: I have three stepchildren, the oldest of which is married and has a little baby. The only time we hear from him is when they want money. We don't mind helping out once in a while, but his wife just seems lazy. She stays at home all the time and doesn't help bring in anything. What can we do to fix this?

Dear Dave: My husband likes to borrow money on fix-up projects around the house. He says he knows how to manage money, and will pay the loans back quickly. The other day, he came to me for money to make the payment on the latest loan he took out. Then, he started fussing at me when I didn't have the money to make the payment. It's not the first time this sort of thing has happened. How can I make it stop?

Dear Dave: I'm fairly responsible with finances, but my girlfriend is in a terrible financial situation with a lot of credit card debt, an expensive car payment and a big, fancy apartment. Plus, she just quit her job because she didn't like it anymore. Now, she's thinking about filing bankruptcy and thinks us moving in together will help solve her problems. If she can't handle her finances on her own, what's going to happen if we get together? Can you help?

Dear Dave: Can you explain how you view the difference between warranties and other types of insurance?

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 why do you suggest this?

Dear Dave: We currently pay to have our lawn mowed each week. This expense is figured into our monthly budget, but we're not quite out of debt yet. My wife says this is a luxury at this point and I should cut the grass myself until we're out of debt. What do you think?

Dear Dave: I'm a recent college graduate, and I'm determined to follow your plan and get out of debt. My biggest problem is when it comes to dating. Things aren't cheap today, so aside from not dating, how do you handle this area of your life when you're trying to get your finances in order?

Dear Dave: You're always talking about accumulating piles of cash. I've gone to church for several years, and the Bible says not to lay up treasures on earth. Doesn't that mean that we shouldn't accumulate wealth or be greedy?

Dear Dave: My wife is divorcing me, and we just had our first baby boy. I feel it's my responsibility to take care of her until the divorce is final and to keep her in a safe vehicle. She's driving a 1982 Honda Civic, and it's so small any kind of wreck could be a disaster. I'm thinking about buying her a new car. What do you think?

Dear Dave: We had just started your plan and saved $1,000 for our baby emergency fund when our laptop computer died. We do all of our finances online, including budgeting and banking. Should we dip into the emergency fund to replace the computer?

Dear Dave: My husband is a landscaper who works for the state. He has his technical license and wants to start a business doing private work as well. What advice would you give to someone just starting out in this field?

Dear Dave: Do you have any suggestions for closing a credit card account? I just paid off my last debt, and I want to close the account once and for all.

Dear Dave: I don't hide debt from my spouse, but I do hide money from her. I've been squirreling away money for emergencies without her knowledge. She's not terrible with money, but she always finds something to spend it on. We were never able to save anything before I started doing this. After hearing you talk about "financial infidelity," I began to worry about her reaction when she finds out I've been doing this. What's your advice?

Dear Dave: My wife and I bought a franchise and are opening our own business next month. We've got $35,000 saved up, but my wife feels like the business is going to consume us for the next two or three years. She wants us to use about $3,000 of our savings and take a cruise before we open for business. What do you think?

Dear Dave: We've got $1,000 in our starter emergency fund, and we've paid off the last of our debt. We're renting, but now my wife really wants to buy a house. On top of this, she wants to go the route of 100 percent financing and argues that a mortgage payment wouldn't cost any more than we're paying in rent. She's extremely upset because I'm against the idea. How can I explain to her that this is a bad plan?

Dear Dave: We recently saw a copy of our credit report, and one debt we had was listed as "charged off as bad debt.” What does this mean?

Dear Dave: How do you feel about giving an allowance to kids who are younger than 10 years old?

Dear Dave: I have my own medical practice, but I'm in a lot of debt and the practice just doesn't seem to be working out. I took out a large loan in the beginning, and I can't seem to stay current on the payments no matter how hard I work. Do you think I should file bankruptcy?

Dear Dave: My brother and I recently received an inheritance after our mom died. He's never been very good with money, so I was proud of him when he used his portion to pay off his debts. But then he went out and financed a $23,000 van he can't afford. I'm afraid he's falling right back into the same old money problems, but I don't know how to talk to him about it.

Dear Dave: I borrowed money from my parents and paid it back over time, but now the relationship has become very difficult and strained. How can I fix this?

Dear Dave: Why do you recommend paying off your debts from smallest to largest when doing the debt snowball?

Dear Dave: Our company is about to have its first-ever employee meeting. Do you have any suggestions on how to conduct something like this?

Dear Dave: How do you feel about people refinancing their homes? Is it smart to refinance a house in order to have a lower mortgage payment?

Dear Dave: My husband and I are completely debt-free. He makes about $100,000 a year with great benefits, plus we have $80,000 in savings. The problem is he hates his job. He wants to try something else, but he's not sure where his passion lies. When is it OK to pull the plug?

Dear Dave: Should I take $20,000 out of my thrift savings account to use as a down payment on an investment property? My payment would be $1,200 a month, and I could lease it for $1,500 a month. It will also give me a better return than if I left it in my savings account, even with all the penalties. What do you think?

Dear Dave: I'm 24, and I'm finishing up college. I've been driving an old, used car for a while now, and I'm thinking about getting a new one. I've managed to save up about $30,000 from my jobs, but every time I go to a car dealer they want me to finance a new car instead of paying cash for one. What do you think I should do?

Dear Dave: My girlfriend and I have been dating for about three years, and we're talking about getting married. I have some money saved up and would like to buy her a nice engagement ring. Do you have any guidelines on how much to spend on something like this?

Dear Dave: I'm a new landlord, and I have a question. In the event of a lawsuit, what is the best way to protect my personal assets?

Dear Dave: We have two kids, ages 8 and 11. When they get some money, we have them take out 10 percent for tithes or giving and 10 percent for saving. It's difficult with the younger one sometimes because all he wants to do is spend money. And really, what's the point if he gets $10 and is putting away just a dollar? How do you convince a child this age that it's good to save?

Dear Dave: The company I work for just told me I have to get a personal credit card for business travel. What's your advice on how to respond?

Dear Dave: What things do you advise buying used vs buying brand new?

Dear Dave: My fiancé and I are looking to buy a house a couple of months after we're married. We've saved about $50,000 toward the down payment, and the payments on the house we like would only be $202 a month on a 15-year mortgage. Does this sound like a good idea?