talk back.

Navigation: Main page

Author: Keating, Pamela J.Chen, ByronNewman, SaraFinch, TrishRoss, MarianneBush, TheresaMeyer, Erin

"Men, Women and Money" [April] was an eye-opener. Many couples need a very stern lecture, and they need it now! Everyone in a family should understand the basics of finances. It's not a gender thing. It involves common sense, the proper use of a calculator and the ability to plan. Husbands and wives need to get a clue, jump-start that gray matter and begin planning.

Your article on marriage and money had a lot of valuable advice from which both sexes can benefit. But the way you presented the material had a stereotypical bent to it. Why did you separate the advice for him from the advice for her? There are plenty of households where the women know technical terms such as P/E ratio better than the men do and others where the men know the grocery list better than the women do.

As a college student, I am nowhere near retirement, but your article "Why It Pays to Put More Stock in Retirement" [March] alerted me to the importance of making good investing decisions. I now realize that planning is vital to ensuring a financially sound retirement.

I have been reading MONEY for the past year, and it's my favorite magazine of all time. Your article "Snow Job" [March], about title companies unfairly overbilling buyers of real estate and giving illegal kickbacks to builders and realtors, was quite timely. Shortly after reading the story, I got a letter from an attorney stating that I am named in a class-action lawsuit against a title company that apparently overcharged us! Thank you.

As the mother of a 12-month-old, I just cannot imagine the emotions that Jackie Boatwright must have felt when she found out that her son was injured at a day-care center--and then that the place wasn't insured ["Fight Back," March]. I'd like to see laws requiring that these facilities carry liability insurance.

Not all of us who choose hybrids over diesels do so for the attention, as your March "Moneymatics" graphic implied. Eco-friendly technology means cleaner air. I don't think anyone really wants to go back to '70s-era emissions. Breathable air and smogless views are worth the extra $7,000 that hybrids cost.

I just read your article about the Mercers ["All in the Family," March], and I wanted to drop you a quick note to say way to go. I am so impressed that MONEY would take the initiative to publish a story about a loving same-sex family and the problems that unmarried couples can face. I loved that the article was made applicable to all unmarried couples--both same- and opposite-sex--and presented such practical and useful advice. Thank you. Contributing to the positive portrayal of same-sex families can only be a good step toward creating a more open, accepting society that encourages love in whatever form it may take. And what a cute kid!

• You can write to MONEY at money_letters@moneymail.com.

PHOTO (COLOR)

~~~~~~~~

By Pamela J. Keating, Park Ridge, Ill.; Byron Chen, Sacramento, Calif.; Sara Newman, San Diego; Trish Finch, Royal Oak, Mich.; Marianne Ross, Hillsborough, Calif.; Theresa Bush, Kirkland, Wash. and Erin Meyer, West Palm Beach, Fla.