Jennifer's Compass

Time to buy? Some are advised to keep renting

(NECN) - Mortgage rates are at all time lows, and so are home prices. While it may seem like a good time to buy a home, some people may be better advised to keep renting.

Graduate job action plan

(NECN) - On this segment of In Focus, the job outlook for the class of 2009. Employers in the Northeast expect to hire 38 percent fewer graduates than last year. So what can grads do to better their odds of landing a job?

Answers to your financial questions

(NECN) - Once a month, on the last Thursday, I bring the Ask Jennifer segment to Good Morning live. The questions we got for this month were tough ones.

Trudi in Cambridge I was laid-off 4 months ago. Should I continue investing $100 monthly into my Roth IRA? Are there other money tips I should know about while I'm unemployed?

Adam in Latrobe, PA ,i>Will the housing stimulus help my family? We bought our house in Dec. 2004 and then refinanced in Dec. 2006. We thought the refinance would help us a lot. Our initial mortgage was $900/month, 6.5% Fixed rate 30 year loan. The refinance ended-up being a split mortgage. The main loan is interest only 5.5% adjustable. The second loan is over 9%. The only thing that got our payments down was not having to pay PMI. I'm not sure what we should do? Any help would be appreciated.

Dennis in Boston For a while I avoided looking at my investment account balances. I've checked the last few months though, and the balance goes down each month. Where is the end? Can I believe what my advisor says about staying in the market for the long term?

Click below for the answers

In Focus: Pensions under pressure

(NECN) - New rules that take affect April 1st may force pension plans to limit some benefits including the popular lump sum payout that many retirees look forward to. So how can you protect your future?

Click below for some tips for handling your pension plan.

How to avoid surprising credit card fees

(NECN) - Credit card companies are looking for revenue, and in some cases that means consumers are dealing with surprise fees, overdraft charges and even outright fraud.

Click below for details on some of these trends, and how to make sure you don’t fall victim.

Tips: Cut costs and build cash

(NECN) - The recession and the credit crunch have cut down the size of credit limits, and equity lines are being slashed. That's a big problem for people who count on those lines to get from paycheck to paycheck.

Tips: Is it time to refinance?

(NECN) - Interest rates are low, so that has a lot of people thinking about refinancing. But, is now the right time and are you eligible?

CNBC On The Money: Dollar Dilemmas

This past week on On The Money, we answered questions from viewers about online investing and variable annuities.

Job retraining: How to land on your feet

(NECN) - The recession has claimed more than four million jobs. Even when the economy recovers, there's no guarantee the jobs will return, so some workers may have to consider a career change.

Will Obama's housing stimulus help you?

The new housing stimulus plan is designed to bring help to homeowners in trouble. So who is eligible for help, and what should you do if you're not?

That was the first of the viewer questions we answered tonight.

Jack in Canton: Will Obama's new housing stimulus help us? We bought our house 3 years ago with an adjustable rate mortgage. The rate is going to adjust in June, but we can't refinance because the house is worth less than we owe. We haven't missed a payment yet, but when the rate adjusts things are going to be tight. What can we do?

Nicole in Newburyport: We're building up our savings for maternity leave. Where would be the best account to keep this? I mentioned our money market to my husband but he was worried about rate changes to money market accounts. Are we better off putting in our local credit union account?

Lisa in Cambridge: I heard a story on the radio describing my bank as a zombie bank. Should we move our accounts to a bank they didn't mention?

Debbie in Chelmsford: My mortgage broker is giving me a couple of options to refinance; pay PMI until we reach 20% ownership again, roll the PMI in to the rate (increasing it from 4.75% to 5%), or pay 15k off the loan to brings us to 20% equity. The third option is the best over the long haul. But, given the economy, we're a nervous about pulling 15k out of savings. What are your thoughts?

Click below for the segment and the answers.