European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 1 2007 stars and stripes Page 27 your Money vets some return from War ready for self employment vets from Page 26 Luna got help from the service corps of retired executives a division of the Small business administration that also oversees the veterans business develop ment office along with score other groups helping veterans include the veterans business out reach Center the California department of veterans affairs and the International fran Chise association As part of that franchise associations vet fran program participating companies offer financial incentives to veterans to be come franchisees last year it enabled 612 veterans to acquire Small business franchises up from 385 a year ago Terry Hill spokesman for the franchise association in Washington by said Compa Nies find a receptive audience among Veter ans who appear to adapt Well to the Struc tured format of franchises these Are people who have been trained in one of the biggest systems in the world the us military Hill said companies Are also realizing veterans have a Strong work ethic and they Are very Mission oriented these Are All things that Mirror franchise ownership Hill said he sees momentum building for veterans interested in starting their own Busi Nesses it is very empowering for a lot of Veter Aas Hill said dear Liz i am retiring i can sell my House and pay Cash for a retirement Home in the area where i want to live does this make sense i cant see any Benefit in taking out a mortgage and pay ing interest answer there Are financial pundits who believe that you should never pay off a mortgage Early or tie up too much Cash in a Home the idea is that you would be Able to make More in the Stock Market or with other investments than you would pay in interest on a Loprate taxed ductile mortgage if s definitely True that most working people have better things to do with their Money than pay off a cheap Home loan they should be maximizing their contributions to retire ment accounts and paying off High rate consumer debt such As credit cards be fore they even think of making extra pay ments on a mortgage but Many folks want the peace of mind of a paid off Home by the time they hit retirement and theres typically nothing wrong with that if youve got your other financial bases covered youll want to make sure though that you dont leave yourself House poor with All your Money tied up in real estate and not enough in other investments a Money talk Liz Pulliam Weston review with a fee Only financial planner before you retire can help you determine whether your plan makes sense dear Liz my daughters name is on one of my credit cards and on my Check ing account in the event of my death is she responsible for the debt on that card answer that depends on whether Shes listed on the cred it card As a joint account Holder or an authorized user if Shes an authorized user she wont be held personally responsible for any debt on the card the Bill would be paid out of your estate if Shes consid ered a joint account Holder though she would be responsible personally for paying the Bill you should Contact the credit card company to find out How Shes listed if if s As a joint account Holder you typically cant have her name removed if you didst want her to be responsible for the debt you would need to close the account and Transfer the balance to an other card held in your name Only dear Liz in a recent column you an swered someone who had More Money than he or she knew what to do with your advice to pay off any consumer debt and increase retirement savings if logical that said i found myself wondering about a rather different and perhaps Radi Cal approach give some of that extra dough away How about suggesting that the Reader increase donations to his or her Church local school District or charities or per haps he or she could set up a scholarship even More Radical Stop working so much and commit a Little time to the Unity through volunteering  it be interesting if the few among us who Are swimming in extra Cash returned some to the society that gave them the Opportunity to earn it answer you we rent the Only Reader to notice the glaring omission in my advice but you were one of the most Elo quent although making sure we take care of ourselves financially is important so too is taking care of others through charitable donations and you dont have to be swimming in Money to give some away people who want to give to Charity do so regardless of How meager or generous their in comes Are As another Reader put it Char Itable donations can be and Are an indispensable part of Many financial plans Liz Pulliam Weston is the author of the books your credit score and Deal with your debt both published Fay Prentice Hall questions for possible inclusion in her column May be sent to 3940 Laurel Canyon blvd no 238 studio City Ca 91604 or via the Contact Liz form at we Vav Liwe Stonom distributed by no More red inc Ltd chg chg 52wk chg 1279593 1068332 Dow Jones industrials 1235435 r56g 87 521142 413472 Dow Jones transportation 481070 50463 38097 Dow Jones utilities 50018 319 63 945362 770811 nose composite 926182 1726 19 217989 180065 amex Index 217490 253142 201278 Nash a composite 242164 146157 121929 142086 167 12 87089 71053 84847 83001 66858 Russell 2000 80071 1482876 1224990 do Wilshire 5000 1440927 396 03 most Active is or More name vol 00 last chg Psi log Motorola Geniec forum Soi Ctm Pfizer pm cup Exxon by time Varn Kraft 466409 378343 335719 320285 3028so 2s4173 278808 235653 230334 228563 1044 1767 3536 789 315 2526 1385 7545 1972 3165 04 19 06 15 79 13 most Active is or More name Yokoo last chg Spur 1156090 ishr2knya 520114 up engy 210732 Crystal log 176225 Prus Haqq n 126502 spa Sci 118041 Djina diam Semi her Sutil up Matis 97427 91251 71870 57452 14200 7951 6028 370 5371 3563 12359 3339 3970 3805 84 17 41 most Active is 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Scudder cd s Fidelity advisor t Fidelity advisor t Putnam funds a i hefty Dws Scudder c s into Fidelity advisor i Oversea i lord Abbett a Devota Dws Scudder i s Putnam funds a gig a military rates euro costs april Dollar buys april British Pound april japanese yen april South korean won april commercial rates Bahrain British pound519676 Canada China Denmark Egypt Hong Kong Hungary Israel Japan Kuwait Norway Philippines Poland saudi Arabia Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand i Turkey new military Exchange rates Are those available to customers at military Bank ing facilities in the country of issuance for Japan South Korea Germany the Netherlands and the United kingdom for no local currency Exchange rates in purchasing British pounds in Germa Check with your local military Bank ing facility commercial rates Are inter Bank rates provided for reference when buying currency All figures Are foreign currencies to one Dollar except for the British Pound which is represented in dollars Pound and the euro which is dollars Teuro new York merc dose Gold s66300 Silver prime rate825 discount rate625 Federal funds Market rate 5375 3month bill504 30year bond484 sources the associated press Bank of America i by Marshall Loeb Market watch new York lending friends Money whether its or usually does not work in fact Shakespeare penned the problems of such Loans in the merchant of Venice yet As with Shakespeare plays the practice of borrowing and lending Money among friends Hast gone away yet the bards of quoted neither a Borrower nor a Lender be is the same advice countless experts offer when it comes to the subject but what if its too late you already spotted your pal the Cash to cover lunch or a Small loan for car repairs getting it Back int always easy especially if time passes and your Friend Hast said a word Money Maga Zine offers these suggestions for making sure you get paid h dont wait to ask for it Back obviously youre not going to re quest repayment after a few hours but dont wait longer than a few Days you want to do it when its still fresh in both your minds youll actually avoid awkwardness that Way h dont apologize or make it a big Deal ask for your Money in a straightforward manner and dont act As though youre sorry to be asking you Are dealing with a Friend after All you can even try humor to lighten the tone h Send an email asking in person or Over the phone can make both parties a Little in easy so Send a Short email As a reminder that Way if you dont get the Money Back quickly or if theres confusion Over when you asked for it you have a written backup As Well m give your Friend some options to pay you Back Tell her you can pick up the Money or you can even set up a Paypal account if youre inclined but if youve reminded your Friend a number of times and still Haven been paid it May be a sign that your buddy just Doest have the Money consider ask ing for Small payments on a monthly basis or ask him or her to pick up the Check when you eat out together next discover Why so Many people Are saying financial planning  suit