Dear Mikey: I just turned 25 years old and I got myself in a situation where I had to file bankruptcy a week before my birthday. This is not at all where I expected myself to be when I turned 25. I thought I would have my career launched already (just got laid off), have my bachelor’s degree by now (still have 21 more credits to go), be married by now (girlfriend and I just broke up a month ago), having kids (not even close), and a house (can barely afford the rent in my apartment).

It’s unfortunate, but true: The elderly population may be the most vulnerable group in our society. In fact, in an effort to call attention to the problems of physical, emotional and financial abuse of the elderly, the United Nations has designated June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. If you have older parents, or even grandparents, can you do to anything to help prevent them from being victimized, especially with regard to their finances?

When it comes to money, women have their own style. The wealth-building strategies that resonate with women and lead them along the path to greater financial freedom are not the same as those for men. We assimilate money information differently — not only because of cultural attitudes and beliefs about women and money, but because of how our brains take in, process, and use information. How much of your brain power is being applied to decreasing your financial vulnerability and increasing your financial know-how and well-being?

Another Mother’s Day has come and gone and the Internet is littered with women griping about how disappointed they are with their families’ celebration of their Amazing Motherhood. The eternal conflict still rages: Is the holiday a Hallmark Holiday, and thus a despised marketing ploy or the deserved reward after devoting some or all of one’s life to her children?

Dear Debt Adviser: I own my home and have no mortgage or note. I have no debts except a student loan of about $11,000, and I can pay that off right now. I’ve always wanted to be debt-free, and I could write a check tomorrow and do that.

Forget fears of sequestration. And never mind the hike in payroll taxes that shrunk paychecks.

After years in the doldrums, the housing market appears back on track. Home sales and prices are up, and mortgage rates remain near historic lows, reinvigorating the appeal of homeownership.

Having once again received the trifecta of AAA ratings from the three major bond rating agencies, the Maricopa Community Colleges are readying to sell $151 million in General Obligation Bonds to finance a variety of construction projects throughout Maricopa County.

Arizona’s economic recovery is flattening out statewide, with job growth outside the Phoenix metro area for this year and next predicted to be anemic.

Dillie Nerios is a Florida food stamp recruiter. Her job is to sign up 150 seniors monthly in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Arizona's economic recovery is flattening out statewide, with job growth outside the Phoenix metro area for this year and next predicted to be anemic.

There are so many reasons for the Legislature to approve Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid that it is hard for me to believe that any elected official would put ideology before the good of their constituents and the state of Arizona.

New Valley Church in Ahwatukee is offering Financial Peace University, a well-known program, for those wanting direction in how to save, spend and get out of debt.

You’re probably accustomed to measuring the progress of your investments, and the overall condition of the investment world, by checking on indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500. And since these types of benchmarks focus almost exclusively on American companies, you might get the idea that the best investments are located right here in the United States. But that impression would be false — because there is, literally, a world of investment opportunities beyond the U.S. borders.

Arizonans who have to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy court soon will be able to hang on to more of what they own.

Ahwatukee Foothills residents called for increased transparency and increased accountability Thursday night as city of Phoenix staff presented the 2013-14 budget.

Saying the move would make no sense, Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday refused to insert an anti-abortion provision into her plan to expand the state's Medicaid program.

According to the Government Accountability Office, the federal government operates 50 different programs for the homeless. There are 23 programs in housing, 26 for food and nutrition, 130 for at-risk youth. They also operate an astounding 342 programs for economic development, which government is notoriously bad at anyway.

The Phoenix Symphony Association has named Jaime Daddona Brennan and Tim K. Schultz to its board of directors.

Arizona is fortunate to have three fine universities in our state. All these institutions are to be commended for different aspects of academia; the one thing we can say for all of them is that a degree from any of them is highly esteemed. Yes, they can be expensive, but they offer an excellent education.

Not everyone gets one, but it’s always a welcome sight — a tax refund. If you receive a refund this year, how can you best put it to work?

A new legislative proposal on publication requirements for legal notices could pit large papers against small ones and dailies against weeklies -- all at a potential higher cost to taxpayers.

Phoenix voters approved changes to the city’s pension system during a special election on Tuesday.

Sorry, but Nancy Pelosi is wrong. We do have a spending problem and the heart of the matter is our inability to control medical costs. Spending on health care now consumes an astonishing 18 percent of our total economic output. Rising Medicare and Medicaid costs are the main drivers of our national debt crisis. Yet health care costs continue to shoot up relentlessly.

Twenty years ago, accountant Sharon Lechter decided to devote her career to financial education and literacy after her oldest son graduated from high school and soon fell into credit card debt.