European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June s to r s and stripes Page 29 your Money n d dear Liz two years ago i consolidated my student which totalled with a Well known education loan Compa i am making monthly payments but dont see much of a change in the Princi pal i i began making extra pay ments hoping that the Money would go first toward paying Down the it feels like a Leaky bucket where no matter How much you pour it never fills i was wondering if you have any suggestions that would help me see some reduction in what i answer you should Check with your Lender to make sure your extra payments Are being applied to paying Down the Prin according to student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz of other its entirely possible your extra Money is just being used to prepay your future monthly obligations and not reducing your principal balance at even if your extra payments Are properly it can take awhile to see Progress when youre paying off such a huge most of your regular payments in the Early years go toward just As they would if you were paying a Mort unless youre making substantial additional you wont see dramatic reductions in the principal you but you May not need to be in any Spe Cial hurry to get this loan paid off in most its More important to save adequately for your have a de cent emergency fund and get started on a future Home Down payment than to pay off tax deductible is what you dear Liz in a recent a writer about to graduate College asked about the Utility of her specific degree and whether she had just wasted her in your re you admonish the writer for waiting until graduation to ask the in my your answer ignored the True purpose of a College education is to learn How to most facts Learned As an undergraduate in College Are rarely essential to a Success Ful College can help the Pursuit of a career by teaching problem solving techniques and communication and providing the experience of taking Long and difficult projects to a successful answer if College were free or if every degree commanded the same paycheck in the students  need to Money talk Liz Pulliam Weston worry As much about whether their partic ular course of study will pay too Many Young people Are saddling themselves with Mort gag size debts to pay for degrees that wont substantially increase their earning learning How to learn is but so is knowing How to do a analysis to avoid ruin Ous debt or other financial Catas too its a skill Learned too dear Liz you recently suggested that a Reader Send a registered letter to the collectors who were hounding her for debts owed by the previous owners of her i guess you have never gotten Calls like i have a very common name and periodically get these when you Call Back the unethical they answer the phone by reciting the phone under no Circum stances will they give you the name of their company or an address and they often will hang up if you answer youre quite right some col lectors go to great lengths to violate fair debt collection practices Laws and to hide their sometimes you can uncover who calling simply by entering the phone number into an internet search engine like other the most you can do is make a complaint to the fed eral Trade commission and pass on the phone number you were question i have Over in my the place were i work is a medi a size private company that experienc ing financial if the company runs out of or goes will my still be Safe answer your account should be Safe in bankruptcy defined contribution retirement plans such As 401 Are treated As an employees and thus Gener ally immune to creditors what happens before bankruptcy is what you need to worry sometimes struggling companies delay making 401 k contributions to improve their Cash or even steal the Money out when such fraud it can be hard to get the Money if you suspect Contact the local office of the department of Liz Pulliam Weston is the author of the books your credit score and Deal with your both published by Prentice questions for possible inclusion in her column May be sent to 3940 Laurel Canyon studio Ca or via the Contact Liz form at distributed by no More red fridays Market 1 52week net Ltd 52wk High Low name last chg Dow Jones industrials Dow Jones transportation Dow Jones utilities nose composite amex Index Nash a composite Russell 2000 do Wilshire 5000 1 ii most Active or name last Active or More name last Active or More name last chg and 417900 Motorola 345395 forum 318212 Nat Semi 294676 29 Geneles 289432 Pfizer 284822 Tex list 257154 timeworn 255476 we Stem 252281 pm cup 240899 1581269 ishr2knya 792197 Prus Haqq n 291800 202243 Semi her 196116 Oji Adiam 181363 spa Sci 180294 Sutil 143356 end rent 137210 oils vat 102255 1641283 Sun Micro 630584 Microsoft 598387 Intel 591650 Cisco 461997 Apple inc 430603 qua com 361407 Oracle 345548 Al matl 221979 co cast s 215420 key defense Valliant Armor computer general general Harris Allied signal l3 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with your local military Bank ing commercial rates Are inter Bank rates provided for reference when buying All figures Are foreign currencies to one except for the British which is represented in and the which is Dol precious metals new York my Radom Gold Silver interest rates prime discount Federal funds Market rate 3month 30year sources the associated Bank of America and sensibility jul Friy Money tip of the Day tips for new car buyers Market watch new York thinking about purchasing a new car dont Settle for just checking the Blue Book value and comparing sticker prices Here Are five simple Steps to becoming a Sawyer buyer predetermine your monthly if you want to own a Home some your car pay ment should be no More than 8 percent of your Gross monthly in Why because most Mort Gage lenders Are reluctant to lend to people who spend More than 36 percent of their Gross monthly income on fully 28 percent is expected to be put toward housing leaving you with a margin of 8 if youre shouldering other such As student the amount going toward your car payment should be further re Factor in other recurring while its important to find a car with Good Gas mile fuel is just one of the monthly expenses associated with own ing a you should also Bud get in regular Roadside assistance coverage of choose Shorter loan they Range from 36 months to an astonishing 96 stretching out your payments As Long As possible cuts your expenses in the Short but costs you More As time goes not Only does your principal accrue More but the value of your car begins to leaving you owing More than the vehicle is Check theft lower your chances of having your car stolen by researching which makes and models Are most Likely to get shop when visiting different remember the Best sticker Price Doest Neces sary equate with the Best keep in mind that advertised prices generally run to above dealer make sure to look for the lowest inter est rate before signing on the Dot Ted discover Why so Many people Are the