My wife and I have dealt with this for going on 11 years, and the best advise I can give a blended family is - never, never count on child support.  My wife's ex-husband has a very up-and-down work history.  Sometimes child support is there, sometimes it's not.  I understand and fully agree that child support is the pa...more

You are correct Sydney10 - I am facing a layoff for the first time in my life, and while I'm sure I'll pick up new work, I can sleep at night knowing we've got 5-6 months living expenses in relatively liquid funds.   If it were not for this, I'd be in the same boat as the company that is laying me off - they are cash...more

Smeado, I get what you're saying, and I'm glad someone said this.  If you are, say, 5 years into your loan, and you reset to 30 years, you are really not "saving" yourself nearly as much as you think.  5 years into your new mortgage you will owe MORE on your house than you would under the old mortgage, even if you new ...more

Um, I have to seriously disagree with North Dakota's status as the "best run" state or even a "well run" state.  North Dakota is currently riding the uphill side of oil & gas development, which is a boom-and-bust industry.  As a resident of Alaska, I've seen BOTH sides of this.  North Dakota has no long-term plan for i...more

Right on the money - all of these articles look at it like they're trying to sell you a car, focused entirely on the monthly payment rather than the total cash benefit you will receive, and ignoring completely time value of money.  Based on my current data, and ignoring interest, it would take me over 10 years to recou...more

He's not crying about it - he's saying kids and their impact on your life are unpredictable, and they are.  I know, I have four.  How many do you have?  Oh, let me guess - zero.  And I can honestly say this:  regarding kids, until you've had them, you have absolutely NO IDEA what you're talking about.

This answer will be different for everyone.  I am fortunate, I make a good living, and am in a higher tax bracket, so my marginal federal income tax rate is 28%.  I get a good current tax break on my contributions.  Also, deductions for 401k contributions are above the AGI line on your federal income tax return - deduc...more

If you weren't having your state's child support services enforce garnishment for you whenthe boys turned 18, then yes, textbetty is right and you'll have to get him in court.  Once you get the arrearages on the record with child support services though, they'll follow him and garnish him until he's dead.  Garnishment ...more

Wow, Jewel-Osco... there were Osco Drugs stores in Montana when I grew up, but I thought that brand disappeared 20+ years ago.  I sound like an old fart......