Author: Peter Dunn, Special to USA TODAY

The choice really comes down to the known or unknown.

Losing a job in your 50s is a devastating moment, especially if the job is connected to a long career ripe with upward mobility.

I’m halfway through a 20-year term policy for $300,000. It costs me $3,600/year. Would it be a poor choice to drop the policy?

I have credit card debt of $5,300 but $6,000 of student loan money in an account. Do I pay down the debt? Or do I leave the money in the account.

I want to help you find your breaks – when you experience an unordinary influx of money or the disappearance of a monthly obligation.

When you’re evaluating a financial adviser, focus on whether their solution actually jibes with your life, risk toleranceand comfort level.

Think you need a perfect 850 credit score? You’ve been bamboozled. Tricked. Hoodwinked. We all have.

At the start of each year, I declare goals that can be quantified. And by New Year’s Eve, I’ve either delivered or not. Here’s how I succeed.

Are you too tolerant of your suboptimal financial decisions? And how do you mask your bad habits?

Spending money on something you don’t need is a poor choice. But the fast-paced nature of life makes home cooking more unrealistic than you think.