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Neither would I. I'm in with the pay the house off contingent. My feeling is if your house is paid off and something happens and you lose your job, you never have to worry about your mortgage being late or something happening that would mean you lose the house. I want that security for myself.

To refi just for the sake of having $$ in the bank is self defeating. You won't earn interest on it to make up for the interest that you're paying and the deduction you get on your taxes also won't off set the interest that you're paying. It's a lose/lose proposition. If you can refi the same amount that you still owe down to a lower interest rate and possibly down to a shorter term, that would be something that would make sense. My sis just took 10 years off of her mortgage with a lower interest rate and her payment only went up by $8 a month.

Now, if you're going to refi and take some $$ out to do home improvements that will increase that value of the house, that's another thing. Again, though, you have to consider the long term effect and how are you going to handle those additional payments for the next 5 to 10 to 15 years of the loan term.

I've heard of them, actually on this board, I think. I checked them out at the time but didn't do any more than that. Maybe it's time to get one and do a pre-emptive cleansing the moment I feel symptoms coming on again.

money you are allowed to make before your benefits are affected. If you retire at 65, you are allowed to make a certain amount of money a year before affecting your SS benefits. However, you will have to pay taxes on any and all extra money you make. I know that at age 70 you are allowed to make as much as you want (or are able to) and there is no penalty to your SS benefits. You do, however, have to pay taxes, Medicare taxes and SS taxes on any and all money you earn.

Just call the SS Administration and they will be very happy to help you and tell you what amount of money you are allowed to make in the year you start receiving SS benefits.

The Meaning of R.S.V.P.

Let's Clear Up the Confusion

I hope that this week's tip will benefit hosts and guests alike, because there seems to be a lot of confusion about the meaning of the above term.

Lack of RSVP's - A Growing Problem

I hear more and more often, and have found in my personal experience, that hosts often do not receive firm indications whether guests plan to attend their parties, even if R.S.V.P. is clearly printed on the invitation. This could mean either one of two things. First it could mean that rudeness is a growing trend in our society. Or, as I would prefer to believe, people no longer understand what the term means. Assuming the best, and that the decline in R.S.V.P.'s can be attributed to ignorance and not rudeness, I will clarify this for the record.

What RSVP Means

The term R.S.V.P. comes from the French expression "r�pondez s'il vous pla�t", meaning "please respond". If R.S.V.P. is written on an invitation it means the invited guest must tell the host whether or not they plan to attend the party. It does not mean to respond only if you're coming, and it does not mean respond only if you're not coming (the expression "regrets only" is reserved for that instance). It means the host needs a definite head count for the planned event, and needs it by the date specified on the invitation.

Why It's Inconsiderate to Not RSVP

An incomplete list of respondents can cause numerous problems for a host including difficulty in planning food quantities, issues relating to minimum guarantees with catering halls, uncertainty over the number of party favors and difficulties in planning appropriate seating, among other things.

So the next time you see R.S.V.P. on an invitation you receive, please call your host and respond promptly.

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