http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross RSS Feed for Harry Gross en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091120_Harry_Gross__Son_can_t_get_late_dad_s_SS.html Dear Harry: My father died in 1981. I am his only child. Until he died, he collected Social Security. This lasted about four years. My mother died before him so she never got a dime of his SS. I'm 51, and I'm too young to collect on my own SS, but it sure http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091119_Harry_Gross__How_to_lower_interest_rate.html Dear Harry: I need your advice on how to approach my credit-card issuers about lowering my interest rates. I have five cards with balances totaling $30,000. I have never been late, and I almost always pay more than the minimum required. I own my home free http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091118_Harry_Gross__Good_records_always_a_plus.html Dear Harry: About 20 years ago, I participated in my former employer's stock-purchase plan by means of payroll deductions. I was able to accumulate 40 shares. I hoped to hold on to them and use them as a supplement to my retirement pensions. The value of http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091117_Harry_Gross__The_vagaries_of_insurance.html Dear Harry: In one of your recent columns, you indicated that a person's neighborhood could be a factor in determining the rate on auto insurance. Do you really think that this is fair? How do our legislators let this inequitable method of determining premiums continue to exist? http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091116_Harry_Gross__His_credit_rating_went_from_terrible_to_nonexistent.html Dear Harry: My mother died in 2002. She left her home to me. With my brothers' consent, the house is now in my name. Mother was not able to pay her real-estate taxes for a few years before she died. I wanted to get a loan to pay the taxes and do some repa http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091113_Harry_Gross__If_it_sounds_like_a_scam__it_is.html Dear Harry: I am enclosing a letter and a check from North American Sweepstakes. The letter declares that I am a winner of "swipe and win sweepstakes." I never entered any sweepstakes, ever. The check looks like it's genuine for $3,985. I'm a sk http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091112_Harry_Gross__Not_mixing_business_with_politics.html Dear Harry: Your voice has been one of common sense and reasoned opinions. I would love to see you get more involved in the national debates going on in Washington, particularly the one on health care. I have always thought that insurance was an economic http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091111_Harry_Gross__Plan_to_wed_Talk_about__.html Dear Harry: I never discussed money matters with my boyfriend before I got married four years ago. I moved into a house that he owned, and did not find out until recently that he had financial trouble. He has been paying his mortgage every month to a coll http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091110_Harry_Gross__An_alert_about__free_seminars_.html Dear Harry: Back in April, my wife and I attended a meeting of a "travel club." Afterward, we received a card for a three-day, two-night trip to anywhere in the United States. In order to "validate" the trip, we had to send a $100 mone http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/harry_gross/20091109_Harry_Gross__What_s_the_rule_on_stock-loss_deduction_.html Dear Harry: A while ago, my father took a big hit on the sale of one of his stocks. He had been taking a deduction for that loss on his jointly filed 1040 at the rate of $3,000 a year ever since. He died recently. IRS told me that I can continue to take