This week, as I reached into the mailbag, I pulled out two questions, neither of them with easy answers. I was tempted to set them aside and try again, but I decided to tackle both, knowing that my letter-writers are not the only ones facing these kinds of financial situations. Dear Mary: If my parents…

Dear Mary: I’m looking for a place to earn the best rate of interest on my contingency fund, which is (drumroll, please) about $18,000 and growing. Recently, I came across a “rewards checking account.” It looks like a checking account that pays about 6 percent, when savings accounts in the same bank are at less…

Some time ago, I got a message from Elaine G., who had recently joined a mom’s group. With all of her newly minted friendships, she and her child are getting invitations to lots of toddler birthday parties. Her dilemma took me back to when our boys were small. Birthday parties for all their friends were…

As I write, a big, beautiful, brindle English bulldog is underfoot, sleeping soundly as bulldogs do. While I cannot claim ownership, Newcastle (“Newkie” to his family) visits often. He’s my granddog, and he’s as precious as they come. So, while I don’t technically have any pets, you can be sure that I am always on…

Dear Mary: You recently said using home equity to consolidate credit card debt is a bad idea. What’s wrong with getting a lower interest rate and combining balances? —Jenna Dear Jenna: When dealing with risk, it’s always a good idea to ask yourself what is the worst that could happen? What is the risk? If…

You know all the hand sanitizer you keep in your car, purse, and drawers at home, work, and school? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that we not use it in place of soap and water but only as an adjunct when soap and water are not handy. A very surprised reader wants…

Over the past three decades, I’ve logged more than 1.5 million air miles traveling for book tours, speaking events, and television and radio shows. It’s been and continues to be great fun, and I have mostly loved every moment. As you might imagine, many funny things have happened to me on my travels. But none…

As I rifle through my virtual mailbag where readers send their best ideas for how to save time and money, some invariably arrive without the sender’s name. Not all are worthy of passing along, but now and then, one of these orphans is just too good to cast aside. Today I have a collection of…