Nancy in California has $170,000 from an insurance settlement. Everyone she has asked told her to not invest the money because of the economy, and she wants Dave to tell her what to do with it. She has some bills to clean up, and paying on that is the first step Dave wants her to take to get things straightened out.

Andrew asks which of the Baby Steps involves buying term life insurance. Dave explains why it comes before any step is taken.

Shelby in Florida asks Dave his thoughts on pet insurance for people who have pets that they think of as children.

Listener on Twitter asks if a collector can call an employer when chasing you about your debt.

Francis in Nevada has a husband who was laid off. She needs to move back to Texas take care of her parents, so she’ll quit her job. Lawyers are telling her that she can’t file for bankruptcy for another two years. She thinks she has no choice but to walk away from her mortgage, but Dave has a bright idea and a warning.

Derrick in Kansas is a small-town pastor who tells his parishioners how to live without debt. They are all ranchers and farmers and such, and they make their living off of leveraging. How does he erase their thinking?

Larry in Missouri got divorced and his income was cut down. He is falling behind on his payments. He makes $55,000 a year and has $78,000 in back taxes, along with $230,000 in student loans and other debt. Dave has some big, lifestyle-cutting recommendations for getting out of this, and it starts with the taxes.

Mary Sue in Texas has filed bankruptcy and, because of her disability, got her student loans written off. Now she is being threatened with probation on those loans because of her income, and she needs Dave’s help in figuring out what to do.

Renee in Tennessee and her husband have paid everything off this month. They make $65,000 a year and she wants to spend $300 on new clothes. He wants to finish the emergency fund. How does Dave settle the debate?

Listener asks if Dave is all right with layaway.

Listener has his daughter’s on Dave’s plan. Now that they have some money, how can he keep them from blowing it all on fast food? Dave explains how his system really works.

Tracy in Texas is recently separated. He has $37,000 in credit card debt and a $5,400 personal loan that his wife says she won’t pay. He barely makes enough to eat. Dave can’t believe the numbers Tracy gives him on his truck and says it’s the key to breaking this wide open.

James in Texas and his wife closed their small business this year and now have $130,000 in debt from it. A lawyer is advising him to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. He makes $120,000 a year. Dave tells him what is reasonable in his situation, and what is not.

Listener wants to know if you should get life insurance on your children at a young age.

Amy in Georgia has a father in the last stages of Alzheimer’s disease. They have $100,000 in savings and $100,000 in equity and are burning through that by $3,000 a month. Should they take what is left and pay cash for a condo?

Dave talks for a few minutes about focusing, staying the course and honing your skills to success.

Joel in Texas ran up credit card debt and is about to go back into the Marines. He owes on two cars and wonders if he should let them go into repossession? Dave stops him right there, since letting them go would have far-reaching consequences in Joel’s case.

Jason in South Carolina and his wife own a mobile home and have no other debt. They have $20,000 in savings now and make $50,000 a year. Is he better off to look for a house while the market is down or stay where they are and build up cash for a home later on?

Listener is 10 years away from retirement and wonders if he should change how his investment money is distributed between mutual funds.

TJ in Alabama was gifted a 2005 truck from his dad, and he will make $55,000 a year at his new job in January. He and his fiancé have student loan debt and he wonders if he should sell the truck to pay off the debt. Dave wants him to think about that, but not now. He needs to focus on something else now.

Dave joins Your World With Neil Cavuto to talk about the futility of relying on the government to help you with anything, and also to answer a question about how a recent college graduate should handle student loans.

Kelly in Washington has a husband who is a doctor. They are completely debt-free and have been saving for six months to remodel their 100-year-old house. They keep getting hit with expenses, and their budget keeps growing larger. They have gone through savings and don’t know what to do.

The secret of success is constancy of purpose. — Benjamin Disraeli.

James 1:8 — A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Kelly in Washington has a husband who is a doctor. They are completely debt-free and have been saving for six months to remodel their 100-year-old house. They keep getting hit with expenses, have gone through savings and don’t know what to do. Dave gives her some tips, and wants her to learn something from this.

Becky doesn’t know how to handle budgeting for Christmas for her five kids and eight nieces and nephews.