A reader asks…

Can anyone suggest a good book on personal finance? I have looked through the half.com $1 selections and the library, but it seems many of the books on this topic are filled with 100′s of pages of common sense (i.e. give up your latte’s, put 10% of earnings in a high yeild savings). I would like something that covers the basics for retirement planning, and personal investment, etc. Any suggestions?

A reader asks…

I wanted to do credit card debt consolidation but I am skeptical if this is a good idea with the economy. I am very far behind on my credit card bills and the only reason I can’t afford them now is because the min payment has gone through the roof. The all together debt that I have is less than 2,000.

A reader asks…

I have all sorts of debt. 3 closed checking accounts and one closed savings account, a closed credit card account, and four bounced checks. Does anyone know of a solid debt consolidation firm that can help me? Most won’t handle overdrawn bank accounts, and I can’t find one for the life of me. The total debt is somewhere around $7,000. The sad thing is that I am a college student who got in trouble with gambling, and now I’m trying to come clean. Please advise! Thanks in advance!