Ask WalletPop

A friend e-mailed me with a question about a home equity loan her family is considering. They're going through a credit union, and weighing whether to get a loan at a 15-year term, with 6.75% or Prime minus 50 bps, or a 30-year term with 7.00% or Prime minus 25 bps. "But we'll probably be selling...

Lots of us look at December as not a time of cheer and goodwill toward men, but as a season of dread and resignation. The reason: Just when we're getting a handle on our personal finances, the holidays come along and busts the budget into a million jagged pieces.Holiday dinners. Decorations....