Friday, August 14, 2009
In this show. . .
Study: Not all students are deep in debt
Students entering or graduating from college are facing decisions on how to pay for tuition. Many will turn to student loans. Tess Vigeland talks with College Board Policy Analyst Patricia Steele, about her study on how much money college students are borrowing.
Refinancing program misses its mark
Foreclosures continue despite the Obama administration's efforts to help homeowners refinance. The Home Affordable Refinancing Plan (HARP) is supposed to reach those in the red, but navigating the program can get complicated. Bob Moon reports.
Volunteer drs. help uninsured in L.A.
The non-profit Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps usually provides health care for third world nations. But now its helping people without insurance in the U.S. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports from The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
Foreclosure has huge impact on seniors
You might assume that the majority of people in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure are young or inexperienced. But a recent study by the AARP shows that nearly a third of all people facing foreclosure are 50 or older. Krissy Clark reports.
Government housing initiatives fall flat
There are a number of government programs that aim to help homeowners struggling with high monthly mortgage payments. But are they actually helping? Tess Vigeland talks with Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics about the problems facing these programs and some possible solutions.
Getting Personal
Tess Vigeland and Chris Farrell talk to listeners about how to invest an inheritance, how to get the most of a lost loved one's financial legacy and what happens if a bike rider is hit by an uninsured driver.
Do credit counselors actually work?
If you're in debt you might hear advice to go to a credit counselor. But MSN Money columnist Liz Pulliam Weston has been looking into the success rates of those debt-management plans and has found that all too often they don't work.
Credit counseling can't help everyone
For another point of view on the merits of credit counseling, we asked Gail Cunningham of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling to respond to Liz Pulliam Weston's assertions. She insists counselors are there to help, but don't work magic.
Letters: Your opinions of the show
Tess Vigeland and producer Eve Troeh tell discuss listeners' comments about our coverage of mothers in the workplace, the Bank in L.A. program, and the term 'plain vanilla'.
