personal finance

A great deal of press coverage has included news of bank fee increases and charges. Less discussed has been the role of banks in the debt collection process. This week, I had three letters from readers with slightly different questions regarding bank levies. So I decided to answer all three. Here we go for my bank-levy trifecta.

Finally -- I open the Sunday newspaper and see something positive regarding job seekers, rather than the usual negative news about unemployment and loss of jobs. I was so excited!

Buying a new house brings up different issues than buying a pre-owned home. You have access to more information on building materials and systems than a subsequent buyer. But unknowns lurk: What will the completed neighborhood look like? Will it include all the features promised in the brochure?

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?"

Dear Debt Adviser: Your article, "Old debts won't hurt new loan," had a lot of valuable information I forwarded to my daughter. Twelve years ago, she was one of those 18-year-olds who was offered numerous credit cards, even though she was only a student. Her story is the familiar one of too much credit and no way to pay it all back.

Dear Debt Adviser: I have two credit cards each at 13.99 percent, totaling $9,100 of debt. I also own my truck outright. It is valued at $11,000. I make $400 in total payments to my credit cards per month. My idea is to sell my truck, pay off the credit cards and buy a used vehicle for around $15,000. This would be lower than what I currently pay to my credit cards.

Here are seven money tips to learn and live by.

1. Get to know your money personality.

Some bills are fixed -- the monthly rent or mortgage payments, for instance. Others fluctuate with the season -- think the electric bill in winter and the water bill in summer.

Dear Debt Adviser: How do I find out the timeline on my debt? I know after six or seven years the debt is taken off. I would like to know if there is a way to see if it is gone. -- Mark

Dear Mark: Now you see it, now you don't! It takes more than a magician to make debt disappear. It takes time. Here's how you know if a debt has vanished:

The average time it takes to rebound from unemployment varies according to a job seeker's location and demographic. In general, though, most people are unable to secure a good job as quickly as they would like. In today's competitive job market, it's not unusual for job seekers to spend several weeks, months or even a year or more looking for work.