Wealth, Poverty and Politics

Dear Dave,

My husband has two trucks, one of which is a work truck at his construction site. It’s in really bad shape, and he wants to take $16,000 out of savings to buy another one. We only have $17,000 in the account. What should we do?

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

Your husband wants to drain your savings to buy a $16,000 vehicle and roll it up to a construction site? I think this guy has been watching too many macho-man truck commercials.

Dear Dave,

My wife and I have been married for 12 years. Last month we found out she has terminal cancer and only six months to live. We’ve been fortunate enough to become fairly wealthy during our lives together, and she wants to buy me a boat. We always went fishing together, and her last wish is for me to have the boat I’ve always wanted. Even with this prognosis, I’ll be okay financially when she’s gone. Still, I can’t stand the thought of this. It’s just too painful. Do you have any advice?

Andrew

Dear Andrew,

Dear Dave,

My husband and I are trying to follow your plan. We’ve paid off all of our credit cards, but he still doesn’t want to close the accounts and cut up the cards. Instead, he wants to keep them in a drawer and use them as an emergency fund. He grew up really poor, and I think he’s afraid of being poor again. We both know that’s not what you recommend, so what can I do to convince him to follow your advice?

Lynn

Dear Lynn,

Dear Dave,

How do you feel about using layaway programs?

Jay

Dear Jay,

I’m not a huge fan of layaway plans, because they’re not really the solution to a problem. What’s wrong with just saving up and buying stuff when you have the cash? I mean, Christmas comes at the same time every year, you know? It’s not like it snuck up on you.

Keep Holiday Food Safe with These Four Safety Steps

​WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2016 – Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukah all fall within three days of each other this year. As friends and families gather together this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service has four food safety tips to ensure a healthy and safe holiday.

BBB Top Ten Scams of 2016:

Tax Scam is Still #1 Despite Raid in India

Credit card scams drop off the top ten, while online purchase scams and phishing scams are new to the list

A Less "Taxing" New Year:
Ten Things You Can Do by December 31st to Cut Your 2016 Tax Bill
Excerpted from J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2017, here are some
simple steps you can take right now to decrease your 2016 tax bill.
(Hurry: These must be done before the ball drops in Times Square.)

By Barbara Weltman

The Other Culprit in the Epi-Pen Price Gouging Scandal? The FDA.
By Sandip Shah

Ordinary Americans, reporters, and even a congressional panel heaped scorn on pharmaceutical company Mylan after it raised the price of its epinephrine injector set from $100 to more than $600.