When I was a young, bright-eyed graduate student intent on reporting from a news bureau in Europe or Asia or The Middle East, I signed up for the program as a mentee, and was paired with a foreign correspondent who worked and lived in Italy.
Dear Mike,
My father turns 70 this year. He's lived a fantastic, globe-trotting life as a journalist, but his freelancing gigs dried up about a decade ago and now he's living off Social Security and some meager savings with old medical bills to pay. He's very private about finances, so I'm not exactly sure what his situation is, but I am pretty sure he is right on the line of being able to support himself. He lives alone, and is friendly, but somewhat distant from our extended family. (I am his only child.)
I found your piece on NYC rents, and the exorbitant amounts we spend on them really interesting. It's an issue I fret about, too. What's a good rule of thumb? Should we spend 1/4 of our income? One-third? — David
Is it better for me to pay the balance before it collects interest to save me money (is that even the way it works? I mean, I can do that, right?), or is that money spent on interest a valuable investment in raising my credit score faster?
