Gail MarksJarvis

Q: You recently warned a parent not to let his son open a Roth IRA because it could keep him from getting financial aid for college. We opened an UTMA account for our niece some time ago, and wonder if that would reduce the amount of financial aid she...

Saving for educational expenses in an economic downturn is a daunting task. It's scary enough to face a price tag of $80,000 to $200,000 for four years of college under any circumstances, but with the economy growing weaker and people losing jobs, it's...

This is what you call "contagion." With revelations throughout the past week that the housing recession is intensifying and infecting stock and bond investments, as well as lending practices, investors have focused on what could go wrong. "Recession...

Q: My wife and I are thinking about opening a Roth IRA [individual retirement account] for our 16-year-old son. I've paid attention, as you have suggested that small savings early in life can turn into million-dollar nest eggs. Is there any reason why...

The Federal Reserve gave the economy another teaspoonful of tonic last week, and investors gulped it down. The hope is that it will cure what could ail the economy and keep the doctor away. But it's too early to expect a clean bill of health. The...

Keep the wolf away from the door. As people struggle to make rising mortgage payments, and the number of homes entering foreclosure breaks records, homeowners are plagued by the vision that they will be thrown out of their homes. The threat could become...

Q: I understand that there is a new law that will let people pay their mortgage by using their 401(k) savings. Is that a good idea? -- S. T. Minneapolis A: U.S. Senator Norman Coleman, of Minnesota, has sponsored a bill that could give some struggling...

Q: I want to give shares of stock to a Catholic school. The stock is trading at about $100, but I bought it a long time ago for about $15. Is my deduction the present price or the purchase price of the stock? -- M.M., Joppa, Md. A: This question...

If you are afraid of the stock market you might not like where your money is headed in the company 401(k) plan. But don't fight it. A good dose of stocks, blended together with some bonds in mutual funds, will be good for you--especially if you are years...

Q: I will be attending college in the fall, and like many other graduating seniors, I am worried about managing my finances. I plan to attend the School of Visual Arts and, like many art conservatories, it is very expensive. I have no job experience or...

You may be losing your balance. Even worse, you could be in for a nasty fall. Remember 2000, when many investors fell flat on their faces as the funds they loved in the late '90s tripped them up during one of the meanest bear markets of all time? You...

If you or your child will be attending college in the fall, you probably have suffered through the bewildering frenzy of college and financial aid applications. But you still might need to go through one more confounding phase: how to make sense of the...