It's a dream assignment, to be sure. Work with a half dozen "Life coaches" and report back on the findings in the pages of a major magazine. It didn't take long for me to identify areas I needed "coaching" in, and procure the necessary people.

But one area vexed me greatly. I had written in my proposal that I would look for a "personal finance" coach, because, as a freelance writer, I am perpetually a dollar short. But unlike the ease with which I found a home organization coach, a life coach, a cooking coach and a wardrobe coach, I kept coming up empty on the personal finance front. Why?

Not a lot of personal finance coaches work with broke people.

With money being listed as one of the top three reasons that couples fight, it's no doubt that it is a tricky and touchy subject to deal with. The issues can be even harder to deal with if the situation incorporates complex legal rules. In order to better prepare yourself for the obstacles in or after your marriage related to money take Money magazine's "Your marital money rights" quiz.

Check out some of the questions below.

1. Can I cut my spouse out of my will?
2. Can my divorced spouse get my social security?
3. Can men get alimony? - Check out more on Manimony at WalletPop!
4. Will my husband's pension provide for me too?
5. My spouse has large credit card debt in her name. Am I responsible for it?
6. I found my spouse's secret savings account! Do I get half?

You'll have to head over to Money magazine to find out the answers to these questions, a few of which may surprise you. Even if a particular question doesn't fit your current place in life, the knowledge is worth having, if only to remind you to look further into a situation when it happens to you or a friend.

Do you have any marriage and money questions? Leave them in the comments and we'll try to get an answer for you.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's First Family of Personal Finance, answer your money questions every Friday.

Dear Ken and Daria,

We have $45,000 in credit card debt and my husband just lost his job. What do we do?

Lori

Ken and Daria Dolan have the tools and advice you need to get out – and stay out – of debt. Learn more at Dolans.com.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's First Family of Personal Finance, answer your money questions every Friday.

Dear Ken and Daria,

My husband and I have $7,000 in credit card debt. Should we take out a home equity loan?

Lyndajoy

Ken and Daria Dolan offer advice on all of your debt concerns at their Credit Resource Center.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

Since I wrote the column on paying off credit cards using the snowball effect, I've received numerous questions asking whether it's better to pay off the cards with the lowest balance first or pay off the cards with the highest interest rate first. Personally, I think it's best to pay off the highest rate cards first, no matter what the balance is on the cards. I know others believe it's best to pay off the cards with the lowest balances and then work up to the ones with the highest balances no matter what the interest rate, getting rid of payments to build up that snowball as quickly as possible.

Actually the best way to get started using the snowball effect is to transfer all your high interest rate credit card balances to cards with the lower interest rates, if that is an option for you. For example, suppose you have $5000 on a credit card that charges19.99% interest and you have $2,000 on a credit card that charges 9.99% interest. If you can reverse that and transfer $3,000 to the 9.99% interest card, do that before you start working on your payoff. Many cards even allow you 0% interest on the first six months after transfer, which helps even more.

But even if you can't transfer those balances, you're still better off paying off that higher interest credit card first. If you have $5,000 on a card charging 19.99% interest you are probably paying about $84 in interest per month and the minimum payment is probably about $100. The $2,000 card at 9.99% interest probably has an interest charge of about $17 per month and a minimum payment of about $20 per month. Since most cards calculate interest based on daily compounding, interest payments could be higher than those I've calculated. But we'll use to keep things simple.

For years, my wife and I have treated our tax refund as a savings account, using it to fund travel or house projects. (Yes, I know how dumb I am to allow the IRS to rake off more than my fare share of income and hold it for months, but for undisciplined savers like me, 0% interest on some money is better than 5% interest on no money.)
Most Americans, have treated their rebate similarly. This year, however, the trend seems to be shifting away from splurging with tax refunds. More and more of us are using the money to pay down debt. According to the AP, 35 % of us are using of refunds this way, up 7% over last year. If you have a moment, why not add your intentions to the AOL poll?

This is, of course, of concern to the government in light of the upcoming one-time rebate coming next month. If we use this money to pay down debt or to build savings, it may not boost the economy as much as if we take it to Target or spend it on a Princess cruise.

Nonetheless, I can't in good conscience suggest our readers ignore credit card debt just to stimulate the economy. Paying down that 20+% interest is going to help your economy, and isn't the the central tenet of capitalism that acting in our own self-interest also benefits the larger community?

Still, I might allocate a small portion to a nice dinner and a movie. Just to do my part as a good citizen.

Are college students adults or not? Because the last time I checked, it seemed they were adults and capable of making their own decisions. In fact, they're capable of signing up for the military and capable of voting, so I'm thinking that the decision to sign up for a credit card might be within the realm of possibility for them.

But falling in line with our now-very-popular American way of blaming everyone else for our problems... credit card companies are taking heat for *gasp* offering credit cards to adults! How dare they!

A Milwaukee unit of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group is telling consumers that credit card companies are to blame for the debt of college students. And while I admit that the credit cards are the vehicle for racking up this debt, the blame must be placed squarely on the college students and their spending choices. How many college students do you know who got a new credit card and ran out and maxed it out almost immediately? But on the flip side, how many do you know who just held onto that credit card in case of emergency or for an occasional purchase? (Hint: There are lots more of the latter.)

Ken and Daria Dolan are widely known as America's First Family of Personal Finance.

Do you hear that sound? Listen closely... it's the sound of American consumers tightening their belts.

The endless barrage of troubling economic news and a badly bruised stock market have finally gotten everyone's attention. (Anyone still want to argue that we aren't in a recession?)

To protect your family and your finances during these very uncertain times, it is critical that you batten down the hatches and prepare to ride this out. One critical way to do that is by tackling your credit card debt.

Now let's be clear about something before we start... you DON'T need a lot of money to make an immediate dent in your debt. Armed with these three simple steps and even $10 extra a month, you can take a big bite out of your credit card debt. So let's get started.

While a recession creates many economic woes, those who are in the market for a loan (mortgage or otherwise) can often find value during these times. Here are a few suggestions for taking advantage of opportunities and hedging your bets.

Rates are low. In an effort to calm recession fears and boost the economy, interest rates have been lowered again. That's good news for borrowers, who can find better bargains than in the recent past.

Refinance your house. With lower rates, you may have an opportunity to refinance your house and save some money. If you currently have an adjustable rate mortgage that resets in the next year or two, you might consider refinancing early to lock in a good rate. Waiting another year or two to see where rates end up might not be the smartest move if you qualify for a competitive rate now.

Use home equity to help. If you were planning on borrowing money to attend school, start a business, or to fund some other long-term worthwhile venture, you may consider tapping into your home equity. While it might be harder to get an ordinary personal loan, it is probably a little easier to dip into home equity. Please do so responsibly though, as you don't want to lose your house because of a failed business venture.

This is a great concept written about by a blogger who is working to pay down debt and free her family from financial imprisonment. She calls her blog "I've Paid For This Twice Already," in honor of those credit card purchases that rack up interest month after month, resulting in many people paying twice as much for the things they buy.

The "debt snowball" concept is promoted by Dave Ramsey, a proponent of being debt-free. That means no credit cards, no auto loans or leases, and no loans other than a modest home mortgage.

The snowball method requires you to list all your debts, either in order from lowest to highest total, or from lowest interest rate to highest interest rate. You decide how much money each month you will pay toward your debt. All accounts are paid the minimum payment, and any extra money that is to be paid on debt goes toward the debt you want to pay off first. (The one you want to pay off first will either be the one with the lowest balance or the one with the highest interest rate, depending upon the methodology you prefer.)

Suppose you decide you will pay $1,000 toward debt each month. You make all minimum payments, and have $300 left over. The extra $300 is then applied to the debt you want to pay off first.

Each month you continue this process of paying all minimums, but applying your extra debt paydown money to the single debt you want to pay off first. After you eliminate that one, you use all extra debt paydown money toward the next debt you've targeted.