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	<title>Ask Liz Weston</title>
	<link>http://asklizweston.com</link>
	<description>Personal Finance Columnist</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:02:25 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Laid off? Know your mortgage options</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: My son recently learned that he likely will lose his job April 1. He is a fireman and there is a chance the layoff might be temporary, depending on city budget negotiations.
If he loses his job he will not have the income to keep his house, where he is upside-down. He owes $300,000 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/03/09/laid-off-know-your-mortgage-options/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Spread out credit card debt for best scores</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: You&#8217;ve written that it&#8217;s generally better to have small balances on several credit cards than a big balance on one card. Would you please elaborate on this?
When it comes to revolving credit, it was my understanding that the credit score is looking at the total utilization for all revolving debt. For example, I [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/03/09/spread-out-credit-card-debt-for-best-scores/</link>
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		<title>Where to get an 8% annual return</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: You suggest that wealth can be accumulated by regular savings and earning an average rate of return of 8%. Where can a safe 8% return be found?
 Answer: The same place leprechauns hide their gold.
There is no truly &#8220;safe&#8221; investment. Investments that have no risk of principal loss, such as federally-insured bank accounts, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/03/09/where-to-get-an-8-annual-return/</link>
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		<title>Forgiven home debt may not be taxed as income</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: I lost my job 18 months ago. I am 61 and have back pain that keeps me from standing more than 15 minutes or sitting more than two hours before I have to lie down, which limits my job prospects. I arranged a short sale of my home a year ago to avoid [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/03/01/forgiven-home-debt-may-not-be-taxed-as-income/</link>
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		<title>Should you care if closing an account hurts your credit? Maybe not.</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: As a result of the implementation of the new credit card legislation, my card issuer for the first time is going to charge me an annual fee of $60, effective April 1. I am strongly considering canceling my credit card because I rarely use it. I have two other cards that I use [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/03/01/should-you-care-if-closing-an-account-hurts-your-credit-maybe-not/</link>
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		<title>Same bureau, different scores. What&#8217;s up with that?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: I got my credit reports and scores from a website that said my credit score for one bureau was 699. Then I went to MyFico.com, which said my score for that bureau was 601. Which is right?
Answer: The MyFico score is likely to be closer to the score an actual lender would use.
Many [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/03/01/same-bureau-different-scores-whats-up-with-that/</link>
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		<title>Under 21? Building credit just got tougher</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: I am 20 and trying to build my credit. I rented an apartment for a year, and I bought a car last year but needed a cosigner to get the loan. It seems like none of this is factoring into my credit score, because I can&#8217;t get a credit card! I applied for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/02/22/under-21-building-credit-just-got-tougher/</link>
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		<title>How federal gift tax laws work</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: I would like to give my three children monetary gifts they can use for college or a car. I understand that I can give them up to $13,000 as a nontaxable gift. Is that correct? How would I file the tax return, and would I be allowed to pay the tax on their [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/02/22/how-federal-gift-tax-laws-work/</link>
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		<title>Where to get a truly free credit report</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Liz: What is the best source for a free credit report with no strings attached (that is, you&#8217;re not required to sign up for credit monitoring or other offers)?
Answer: The one and only site to get your free, federally mandated look at your credit reports is AnnualCreditReport.com. There are plenty of look-alike sites that [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/02/22/where-to-get-a-truly-free-credit-report/</link>
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		<title>10 ways to get paid to save</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A rising personal savings rate indicates we&#8217;re doing better at putting money aside, but we have a long way to go. A survey released today jointly by the Consumer Federation of American, the Financial Services Roundtable and the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows many American families not only lack savings&#8211;they lack a savings account.
Taking data [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://asklizweston.com/2010/02/18/10-ways-to-get-paid-to-save/</link>
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