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My mortgage is down to $27,000, which I can pay off after topping off my cash reserve (1 year of expenses). Is there any reason not to do this? My interest rate is 4 3/8 percent. I'm getting about 1 percent in my money market account. I have no other debt, and my 401(k) and IRA are maxed out. Ken, Portland, OR

My husband and I are late-in-life parents (he is 59 and I am 49) and we have a 1-year-old -- the absolute JOY of our lives. She is the only child for both of us and I am wondering about what you would suggest as the most cost-effective way to save for her future? Kathleen, Fergus Falls, MN

I have a wonderful little 4-year old niece for whom I have been setting aside money. Currently, it is just going into a savings account as I have perhaps been letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. It seems like the 529 plans out there vary in performance and fees quite a bit. I'm having trouble finding any good resources to compare them. I want something that is not going to be overly vulnerable to the whims of the stock market while also not hitting me with high fees. Any suggestions? Jason, Grand Forks, ND

We'd like to move into a new home, but we aren't confident that we could sell our existing home without taking a large beating on our down payment. I know there's a dollar/cost average play here (i.e., the house we'd buy would be depressed as well), but I just don't like that. So lately I've been considering purchasing a second home and renting our current one as a way to get past the current housing slump. Question is: If I reduce my 401(k) contributions to save for the down payment and eventually fund the new mortgage, (say, down to 6 percent or so to meet the match minimum), is that a good idea, an OK idea, a bad idea or a really bad idea? Thanks! Dean, Atlanta, GA

I will be 66 in June but want to continue working for 3 or 4 more years. (I am a college professor.) I am in the position of being able to take my social security check and put the full amount each month in a pre-tax IRA so I would not have to pay taxes on it. Am I better off doing this or should I delay taking it until I am 69 or 70 and get a larger amount each month? Thanks, Hal, Cullowhee, NC

''m curious about safe ways to establish credit. I have ambitions to run my own cafe and coffee roastery one day. Having a good credit history is going to be key. But, I hate the idea of spending money that I don't have and keeping track of interest rates. Are there any cards or plans I should look into, with this in mind? Charlie, Philadelphia, PA

Tess Vigeland is joined by Chris Farrell, Marketplace Money's economics editor, to answer listener questions.

I bought a condo in Bozeman, Mont., 7 years ago using a 5/1 ARM. When the 5-year period ended, I let it roll over into a 1-year ARM because the rate went down from 4.5 to 3.25. Then, last year, I did the same -- only from 3.25 to 3 percent. Come March, the 1-year period will expire again and I wonder if I should let this happen again, since rates will probably be low. Or should I bite the bullet, pay approximately $2,500 in closing costs to lock in a low rate for 15 or 30 years, but make higher payments? (My payments are ridiculously low.) Cindy, West Yellowstone, MT

I've got a bunch of student loans, all at relatively low rates (3.5 percent and lower). I have just under $35,000 at this point. I've been auto-transferring money into my savings accounts -- for "emergency funds" as well as future goals such as a down payment, wedding, etc. I have around $48,000 total in savings (between those funds). That money is sitting in savings at less than 1 percent. Mathematically, it makes more sense to pay down the debt. But I'm not comfortable with decreasing my savings that much. How to I choose? Stephanie, Medford, MA

My husband and I have made pretty bad and spontaneous financial decisions that have brought us a lot of debt. Our plan for 2012 is to get out of debt and start saving more, since we depleted our savings in the past 2 years. I would like to know how to start getting rid of this debt in the smartest way and how to save significantly at the same time. Carla, Boston, MA