Derek in Peoria and his wife have a home warranty. Their water heater needs repair or replacement, and they are going through the warranty to replace it. They are receiving conflicting information, and it will cost $500 to replace it altogether. What do they do? Dave recommends asking the warranty company to cover it without argument.

Dustin in Shreveport is 22 and fresh out of college. He has no debt, and he just bought a condo. He is considering marriage to his girlfriend. He’s up to Baby Step 5, so what does he do now with no kids? Dave suggests beginning to build a wedding fund or extra on the house since no kids are in the picture.

Joe in Dallas is trying to do a short sale on his house, and the bank won’t accept it. He’s now one month behind on the mortgage. The bank won’t speak with his representatives. Dave thinks the bank suspects Joe has money, and that’s why they won’t accept the short sale.

Carl emails Dave to ask if you skip vacations when you’re getting debt free, and once you’re out of debt, what percentage of your income should you spend? Dave tells him you don’t take vacations while in debt, and he doesn’t recommend a particular percentage.

Cassie in Oregon is 52 and widowed. When her husband passed away, he left her in a great situation. She has a condo in Oregon and a condo in Alaska. Her son wants to buy the condo in Alaska, and she wants to build a house. She needs to sell the Oregon and Alaska condos before she can. Dave thinks it’s time for a talk with her son.

Carrie in Iowa and her husband are working on a loan modification with a second mortgage company, and the company wants all of their asset information. Her name is on all of their assets, and she isn’t listed on the loan. Dave says she needs to tell them the assets belong to her and not her husband, and they can’t use them.

Dave reads some comments from listeners.

Louise in Salt Lake City is calling on behalf of her mom. Her mom received a letter from CitiBank regarding a debt settlement. Her mom is going to accept the settlement, but when Louise asked for a letter saying that it’s settled, CitiBank wanted electronic access to her mom’s account. Dave advises against giving them access.

Dave discusses an article about the lawsuit filed against LifeLock.

Jill in Dallas received a large chunk of money from leaving a company, and she has the money to pay off her house. Her husband wants to pay it off, but Jill likes having the money there for security since their income has dropped. Dave thinks they need to go ahead and pay the house off.

Karen in Springfield is working on her budget with her husband, and he’s paid every two weeks. She’s a waitress and having trouble because of her income fluctuations. Dave helps her figure out how to budget for an irregular income.

Jessie in Dallas is moving his father in with him due to some medical conditions, and he wants to know how to take care of his father’s assets. Dave tells Jessie he needs a power of attorney and a will, and then he needs to have a discussion with his brothers and sisters.

Mac in Dallas and his wife have a student loan that was paid off, and now the loan company is saying they still owe $1. They sent it in, and then it was $.78 because the loan company said his check bounced. The student loan company straightened it out, and now they have a bill for more than $300. Dave says Mac is going to have to wear them out.

Jeremy asks where he needs to be financially in order to get married. Dave walks him up the Baby Steps and advises him to take a look at what a married budget would look like.

Kim in Orlando works part-time, and her husband is self-employed. Is it wise to sell their home? If they sell it, they would be completely debt-free. Dave thinks they need to try to keep the house and get their income up.

Chris in Fresno has been married for two years, and his wife is a CPA. Neither of them are good at finances, and they never have any money left over. They argue about money a lot, and Chris is looking to get her on board with the Baby Steps. Dave says it’s time for a heart-to-heart.

Matt in Minnesota profited on the sale of a home by about $120,000. He still owes $325,000 in debt. There’s $100,000 in credit cards, $100,000 in business suppliers, and another $100,000 to former business partners. Dave suggests offering them all $.30 on the dollar for their debts to become debt-free.

Tim in San Antonio bought a foreclosure a year and a half ago, and now he could make a profit and pay cash for a home. However, it’s within two years and he’s worried about capital gains. Dave says he should talk to a CPA first, but he thinks paying cash for a home is a great idea.

A Twitter listener asks how long it takes for closed accounts to drop from your credit report. Dave says it usually takes seven years.

Eric in Tampa is calling because his wife received a summons for a Target credit card. He wants to know if he can go to court and take care of it there. Dave recommends speaking to the attorney listed on the summons to try to settle the debt.

Dave joins Bulls and Bears for a simulcast.

Trent in Dallas and his wife are in their dream home, but they’re right at the edge of what they should be paying. They’re thinking about selling it and would have $130,000 in equity. Dave thinks they just need to cut their lifestyle.

Dave reads some comments from listeners.

Eric in Philadelphia purchased some rental properties at 100% financing a few years ago, and the rent covers the mortgages but not repairs and maintenance. He has an opportunity to sell, but it will be at a significant loss. Dave suggests waiting to see if the market turns and comes back up.

Mary in Salem is up to 30% interest on her credit card. She doesn’t want to pay them since her other cards are at 0%, and this one won’t discuss lowering the interest with her. Dave says he would just let it sit.