Dear Liz

Dear Liz: I am working on paying my bad debt from the past to rebuild my scores. I have one credit card that I pay in full every month, but no installment loan. I recently was given the opportunity to take a car loan with monthly payments I could easily afford. Here is my confusion: Taking on more debt while trying to eliminate past debt is usually not advisable. But I also know creditors like to see both revolving and installment credit. Am I OK to take the car loan to improve my mix of credit, or should I just use that extra money to pay off my past debt?

Dear Liz: Our 24-year-old son lives with us. He failed out of college, has been fired from two restaurant jobs and is working part time at a grocery warehouse. He has neglected to pay his credit card for several months. He also waits until his cellphone carrier threatens to turn off his phone before he pays half of that bill. We are concerned that his poor payment history may start to reflect on our good credit histories. We are retired and may want to build a new house. His bills are sent to our address, and creditors call our home phone number looking for him. Answer: His debts shouldn't affect your credit reports and scores unless you cosigned loans or other credit accounts or added him as a joint user to your credit cards.

Dear Liz: I am a 49-year-old single father with two boys, 17 and 12. I had my own business for five years, which I finally gave up last year. I have credit card debt of about $68,000. My credit score is still good and all payments are current. I do not own a house, and I do not own much personal property either. I found a job a few months ago, and with that, I can still make payments every month. But I just figured out that it will take me about 40 months to pay them all off. I am considering filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Dear Liz: I'm working off credit card debt. I have two cards down to a zero balance. Which will improve my FICO credit scores the most: leaving the cards open but not using them or using them minimally and paying the bills off in full each month? Answer: Congratulations on your progress paying off your debt. Erasing your debt on those two cards is doubtless already helping your scores. You can continue to improve your numbers by using the cards lightly but regularly, paying the balances in full each month.

Dear Liz: A couple of years ago my fiance lost two investment properties due to the housing bust. One house was lost to foreclosure, and the other was sold in a short sale. He has delayed our wedding because of his fear of tax ramifications that would, in his mind, affect my clean record and good credit score. Is he right or is he just delaying our wedding for a bogus reason? Answer: Let's be generous and just assume your beloved is a bit misinformed. Foreclosures and short sales of investment properties can indeed result in tax bills if the proceeds of the sale aren't enough to cover the mortgage and the resulting deficiency is reported to the IRS. This "forgiven" debt typically would be treated as taxable income to the debtor, unless he or she was insolvent.

Dear Liz: It looks like my mother is going to win a lawsuit that could bring her more than $2 million. Can you advise us what steps to take once she receives her money? She wants me to play a major part in her finances as she is not a native English speaker, but I do not know much about finance, either. I can probably look for a financial advisor, but how do I know we are not going to bump into another Bernie Madoff? Answer: Your mom needs at least three advisors to handle such a big windfall: a financial planner, an accountant and an estate-planning attorney.

Dear Liz: We're having trouble with a gym that won't stop charging our credit card. My husband has contacted them multiple times about canceling our membership, but the charges just keep coming. The contract we signed is really confusing, but it clearly states the gym can take 10 payments from our card. They have now taken 13 payments from our card. I just don't know what to do to stop them. Answer: Some gyms make their money by providing workout facilities. Others make their money by signing people up for contracts, then continuing to charge credit cards or bank accounts even after those people cancel.

Dear Liz: I'm working off credit card debt. I have two cards down to a zero balance. Which will improve my FICO credit scores the most: leaving the cards open but not using them or using them minimally and paying the bills off in full each month? Answer: Congratulations on your progress paying off your debt. Erasing your debt on those two cards is doubtless already helping your scores. You can continue to improve your numbers by using the cards lightly but regularly, paying the balances in full each month.

Dear Liz: My husband racked up more than $17,000 in credit card debt and negotiated a settlement for $4,000 last year. We received a 1099-C form for $13,000 of forgiven debt, which we have to claim as income. That puts our modified adjusted gross income over the threshold of being able to claim tuition and college expense deductions for our three kids and myself. We now owe more than $11,000 in taxes and we don't have the cash to pay. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Answer: You may think owing an $11,000 tax bill because you saved $13,000 on a credit bill is bad enough.

Dear Liz: As part of our mortgage refinance, my wife and I were provided copies of our credit reports and scores by the credit union making our loan. Our scores are great, ranging from 777 to 819, but I was surprised to see in the negative remarks section a note that I had "too many inquiries." Reviewing the list I saw one business I recognized (a new brokerage account), one of our credit card issuers and four inquiries from CBC Innovis. What is CBC Innovis and how can I tell them to butt out of my credit history?

Dear Liz: I'm desperate and need your input. My brother is in his 50s and makes only $10 an hour. His paycheck is gone after two days from eating out and bar hopping. He's in collections with doctors, colleges, credit cards and more, and has been for 20 years. He's draining my mother both financially and emotionally. The rest of my family says to let him go and make him realize the consequences. I keep helping him out with gas money and trying to help him budget, but he really doesn't care.

Dear Liz: We're having trouble with a gym that won't stop charging our credit card. My husband has contacted them multiple times about canceling our membership, but the charges just keep coming. The contract we signed is really confusing, but it clearly states the gym can take 10 payments from our card. They have now taken 13 payments from our card. I just don't know what to do to stop them. Answer: Some gyms make their money by providing workout facilities. Others make their money by signing people up for contracts, then continuing to charge credit cards or bank accounts even after those people cancel.

Dear Liz: I am working on paying my bad debt from the past to rebuild my scores. I have one credit card that I pay in full every month, but no installment loan. I recently was given the opportunity to take a car loan with monthly payments I could easily afford. Here is my confusion: Taking on more debt while trying to eliminate past debt is usually not advisable. But I also know creditors like to see both revolving and installment credit. Am I OK to take the car loan to improve my mix of credit, or should I just use that extra money to pay off my past debt?

Dear Liz: I'm 28 and trying to get better with money. I'm enrolled in a debt management plan through a consumer credit counseling service and have paid $21,000 in credit card debt down to $8,000. The debt was left over from my divorce three years ago — my ex is nowhere to be found, so it's all on me to pay it off, which should be done by early 2013. The biggest chunk of my paycheck goes to this debt and rent. Otherwise I don't spend much. I use coupons for groceries and anything else I need.

Dear Liz: I have always carried more debt on credit cards than I should have. However, I have always been responsible in making payments. Before the economic crisis, my credit scores were around 780 and I had all the access to credit I needed. But my lenders have slashed my credit lines and closed accounts. Suddenly I find myself using 90% of my available credit, not because I'm spending more but because my credit lines have been reduced. Last I checked, my scores were around 690, and I haven't had a late payment in more than seven years.

Dear Liz: A couple of years ago my fiance lost two investment properties due to the housing bust. One house was lost to foreclosure, and the other was sold in a short sale. He has delayed our wedding because of his fear of tax ramifications that would, in his mind, affect my clean record and good credit score. Is he right or is he just delaying our wedding for a bogus reason? Answer: Let's be generous and just assume your beloved is a bit misinformed. Foreclosures and short sales of investment properties can indeed result in tax bills if the proceeds of the sale aren't enough to cover the mortgage and the resulting deficiency is reported to the IRS. This "forgiven" debt typically would be treated as taxable income to the debtor, unless he or she was insolvent.

Dear Liz: I just inherited about $70,000 in IRAs and checking accounts. I would like to eventually invest it in my next home (upgrade to a bigger home) but want to wait a little until I feel more certain about my job. What is the best thing to do with this money in the interim? Certificates of deposit? Money market? Answer: If you expect to use the money within a few years, you'll want to keep it safe and accessible. These days, that usually means in an FDIC-insured savings account, since yields on money market funds are pretty miserable.

Dear Liz: I have always carried more debt on credit cards than I should have. However, I have always been responsible in making payments. Before the economic crisis, my credit scores were around 780 and I had all the access to credit I needed. But my lenders have slashed my credit lines and closed accounts. Suddenly I find myself using 90% of my available credit, not because I'm spending more but because my credit lines have been reduced. Last I checked, my scores were around 690, and I haven't had a late payment in more than seven years.

Dear Liz: My grandfather gave me his car just before he passed away. I drove it for a few years and now am ready to sell it. My question: What to do with the money? The car is worth about $10,000. Should I put the money toward my $13,000 credit card debt or should I put the money in savings, as I currently don't have any? Answer: Use your grandfather's generous gift to both help you retire most of your debt and get a start on an emergency fund. After you sell the car, take $500 to $1,000 of the proceeds for your emergency fund.

Dear Liz: It looks like my mother is going to win a lawsuit that could bring her more than $2 million. Can you advise us what steps to take once she receives her money? She wants me to play a major part in her finances as she is not a native English speaker, but I do not know much about finance, either. I can probably look for a financial advisor, but how do I know we are not going to bump into another Bernie Madoff? Answer: Your mom needs at least three advisors to handle such a big windfall: a financial planner, an accountant and an estate-planning attorney.