European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 8 2007 stars and stripes Page 29 your Money let savings limit your stress dear Liz my question is regarding the emergency fund that we should All have if the emergency fund should cover three to six months Worth of expenses  we also need to save More for True Emer Money talk agencies if i am Laid off and use my emergency fund for living expenses a True emergency such As a Furnace breaking or a car Accident could still ruin me financially i think of this every Day and even though i have More than in various savings accounts i still feel like i am close to financial ruin i dont feel that i have enough even though my monthly expenses Are about and i make a year answer you May need More help than i can give you have a Point that no one can pre dict the extent of the emergencies he or she might face that s Why ifs a Good idea to have Access to credit in addition to some savings having an open but unused Home equity line of credit and a lot of space on your credit cards can help you Cope if unexpected events Drain your emerged a fund you also need adequate insurance Liz Pulliam Western particularly liability insurance which covers the damage you do to others if you have liability insurance equal to one or two times your net Worth for example you probably wont be ruined by a car Accident the insurer would pick up the Bill and the most you would face would be higher insurance premiums but sometimes Money fears Arent rational and that appears to be the Case Here you have already saved far More than most us families to sustain you for an entire year yet you say you obsess every Day about your financial Hume ability there seems to be a pretty big disconnect Between the reality of your Situa Tion and How youre perceiving it in other words this May be an Issue you need to hash out with a qualified therapist when fears run this deep Money alone int the problem or the answer dear Liz your commonsense approach is calming and right on target you say to live within your Means pay off your debt plan for the future i am trying to do these things but am concerned about the Cost of College for my kids they wont be going to College for 16 More years but i want to make sure they have enough to pay for school even if that Means not saving As much for my retirement have you written about this before answer several times and the advice never changes you have to make sure youre saving adequately for your own retirement before you Start put Ting aside Money for College funds your kids can always get Loans work part time or attend less expensive schools to get their education no ones going to lend you Money for retire ment and you May not be Able to work As Long As you think about 40 percent of retirees leave work earlier than they planned according to the employee Benefit research Institute often because of layoffs illness disability or the need to care for a family Mem Ber we love our kids and want to give them a Good Start in the world but yours wont thank you much for their expensive educations if a Good chunk of their incomes have to be used to sup port you i your final years Liz Pul Harn Weston is the author of the books your credit score and Deal with your debt both published by 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  distributed by no More red inc child Friendly work trip has play time child Friendly from Page 28 policies on bringing family on business trips vary from company to company said Caleb Tiller spokes Man for the National business travel association based in Alexandria a some companies encourage helping find accommodations for the family As a Way to keep employees Happy and productive others might allow it but require employees to sign waivers releasing the company from liability in Case anyone is injured during the trip Tiller said Many smaller companies May not have policies but however welcoming and open a company May seem about family matters if s always a Good idea to let the Boss know your plans ahead of time said Peter Post director of the Emily Post Institute and author of Eti Quette advantage i business if you do it surreptitiously and the Boss hears about it now All of a sudden you have to explain not Only Why you did it but also Why you didst Tell them he said setting boundaries Between family and work on Busi Ness trips is critical Post said for Kurt Barrett bringing his daughter to san Diego was easy since his wife could watch her while he attended work functions the conference even provided tick ets to sea world and organized family Friendly events such As picnics and volleyball games the trip went so smoothly the Barretts intend to bring their daughter along on kurts business hips As often As possible and his wife Deanna Barrett a 29yearold Home maker Doest mind tagging along for the trips either the next major conference is going to be in the Baha Mas she said i told him he needs to talk to the company about that one a welder works thursday atop a High Perch in Tigard Ore the Economy added 180000 new jobs last month however people looking for work in construction had a hard time a casualty of the housing slump joblessness hits 5year Low the associated press Washington if you were looking for a Job As a teacher last month you were i Luck same goes for health workers retail clerks and building contractors All told the Economy added 180000 new jobs dropping unemployment to a 44 percent rate that matched a five year Low the mostly positive snapshot of the nations employment climate released by the labor depart ment on Friday showed that companies ramped up hiring and paid workers More that s Good news for employees and Job seek ers and bodes Well for the nation Al Economy too which is suffer ing a sluggish spell and a painful housing slump however people Are having a difficult time finding work at fac tories where jobs in March were Cut for the ninth straight month makers of autos furniture cloth ing and textiles All eliminated jobs last month another soft spot residential construction Exchange rates military rates euro costs april Dollar buys april British Pound april japanese yen april South korean won april commercial rates Bahrain British pound419658 Canada Dollar China Denmark Egypt Pound 5696 Hong Kong Hungary Israel Japan 02891 61014 4803 287 i7504 15144 93197 12221 3232 13695 Kuwait Dinar Norway Krone Philippines Poland saudi Arabia Riya Singapore Dollar South Korea won Switzerland Thailand 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  and the euro which is dollars euro precious metals new York merc dose Gold silver313694 interest rates prime rate835 discount rate625 Federal funds Market rate520 3month 30year Bond sources the associated press Bank of America Lints and sensibility m Money tip of the Day Home buyers to avoid by Marshall Loeb Market watch new you Selling your Home then you should mow what or whom youre dealing with advises Michael Cor Bett the author of find it fix it flip it and the new ready set sold guide to Selling a Home most buyers fall into one of three categories he says youll find buyers searching for a dream Home buyers looking for a great Home at fair Price and buy ers scouring for the next bargain the dream Home searchers will probably pay full Price if they find the place they want the great Home shoppers Arent going to offer full Price but will be especially willing to negotiate the bargain Hunters they thrive on finding the Best Price and May be looking for a fixer upper if your House is priced correctly and is in Good shape you Proba Bly wont encounter the bargain Hunter but you will find three types of buyers among dream Home and great Home shoppers who Arent going to serve your Bottom line these Are the buyers you want to avoid warns Corbett the  buyer if your Home is setting a Selling Price High Mark for com parable Homes a mortgage com Pany might find it challenging to appraise your House for buyers with Little or no Money Down writes Corbett youll have to put your House Back on the mar Ket again when your buyers Mort Gage request Falls through the bully buyer you win be inundated with a list of things that Are wrong with House All while presenting an offer the inspection process will be a night Mare if you detect a bully move on this bully approach is a pre Lude to endless negotiations and his or her trying to obtain conces Sions by nitpicking n the sight unseen buyer you May get an offer from some one who has seen Only photos of your House but that can signal a trick up the sleeve no one is going to buy a House without see ing it this buyer just wants to tie up your House to take it off the Market and decide later discover Why so Many people Are saying command of hn4ncmi  St pc