personal finance

It's the dreaded countdown: Tax Day is a week from Wednesday.
If your kitchen table is still cluttered with W-2s or maybe you're only just thinking about dragging out the paperwork, it's time to face it.

Dear Debt Adviser,
My mother, who has always lived for the here and now, is asking my sister and me to pay for her lifestyle since she quit her job two years ago. While my husband and I are trying to save every penny in case we lose our jobs, my mother has gone on vacations, racked up all her 12 credit cards, etc. Now, she is telling us that she needs our help financially.

The Treasury Department says its latest invention, the Public-Private Investment Program, or PPIP, will relieve banks of their toxic assets and get them lending again -- breaking up the logjam that has ground the economy to a halt. Not all experts are sure the plan will work, and some say it's a rotten deal for taxpayers.

Hold steady with what you've got. And make new investments if they're high-quality, forward-looking and defensive at the same time.
That's the word from some older investors, particularly those for whom the Great Depression still resonates. They are taking what might be a surprisingly optimistic view of what's ahead.

Older people's ability to deal with the complexities of investments and finance can be affected by even the beginning phases of dementia, according to research published in January in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Dear Debt Adviser,
My fiancee and I just got our credit reports and are planning on buying a house. To her surprise, her ex still had not taken her name off an account with a $9,000 balance and is using (another) card that is in her name only. They have been divorced for nine years! Help! -- Ted
Dear Ted,

The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 10 basis points, to 5.19 percent, according to the Bankrate.com national survey of large lenders. A basis point is one-hundredth of 1 percentage point. The mortgages in this week's survey had an average total of 0.42 discount and origination points. One year ago, the mortgage index was 5.91 percent; four weeks ago, it was 5.45 percent.

With the April 15 tax deadline fast approaching, here are answers to some tax questions from readers.
Q: Is there anything in the stimulus act that will affect my 2008 tax return?
A: Very little. Almost everything in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed in February, affects tax years 2009 and beyond.

Married? Working two jobs? The new federal tax credit, born out of the stimulus package and coming your way any week now, might be more trouble than it's worth.

Dear Debt Adviser,
I have over $40,000 in credit-card debt. I have a steady job and have not missed a payment, but I am unable to keep up with payments. I have a wife and two kids to support and a mortgage. Should I call my credit-card company to, maybe, settle my debt?
-- Tim
Dear Tim,