By KATHLEEN PENDER, San Francisco Chronicle

Once again, people receiving federal unemployment benefits will start losing them unless Congress can agree on some way to extend them past the end of this month.

With tax season getting under way, today I'll answer reader questions about property taxes, the new Medicare surcharge starting in 2013 and how to get those old-fashioned paper tax forms.

Q. Tony G. asks, "Has anything been published regarding the process to order forms for both IRS and (state) Franchise Tax? If not, where can I find the information?"

Federal civilian workers, on average, get 16 percent more in wages and benefits than their private-sector counterparts, according to a study released Monday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Payday lending is one of the few growth areas in financial services, but it's likely to come under pressure now that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has set its sights on the industry.

Mitt Romney disclosed this week that his effective tax rate is around 15 percent, leading many bloggers and pundits to say that's lower than the tax rate paid by middle-class Americans.

Such comments show how misunderstood the American tax system is.

Mitt Romney disclosed this week that his effective tax rate is around 15 percent, leading many bloggers and pundits to say that's lower than the tax rate paid by middle-class Americans.

Such comments show how misunderstood the American tax system is.

Wells Fargo recently notified checking and savings account customers that effective Feb. 15, its mandatory arbitration agreement -- already one of the toughest in banking -- will become even more ironclad.

Chase, on the other hand, is giving deposit-account customers a chance to opt out of mandatory arbitration, but only if they act quickly.

Your 401(k) plan deserves special attention this year.

The maximum contribution is $17,000 after being stuck at $16,500 since 2009. If you want to increase your contribution to the new limit, contact your human resources department or plan administrator.

Every new year ushers in uncertainty, but 2012 seems murkier than most. Will the Bush-era tax cuts finally expire? Will Republicans retake the White House? Will the eurozone collapse? Will the world come to an end?

January is a good time to make money resolutions, but with so much unclear, how does one proceed?

Just about everyone in Congress and the Obama administration say they would like to wind down the government's near-monopoly of the mortgage market, but it's hard to see that happening as both parties increasingly use Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a fiscal policy tool.

Two examples: