What the experts say

Help for data hogs

Apps that monitor how much data you’re using on an Apple or Android device will pay for themselves “many times over” if you’re the sort likely to blow through a month’s data allotment in a few short days, said Bob Tedeschi in The New York Times. DataMan Pro ($2) and Data Usage ($1) for iPhone and iPad, as well as apps for Android like 3G Watchdog Pro ($3) and NetCounter (free), offer “extremely valuable information and alerts.” DataMan notified me after eight minutes of video that I’d already used 139 percent of my average daily allowance. 3G Watchdog informed me that after watching 12 minutes of YouTube, checking Facebook, and reading 30 minutes’ worth of news articles on my Droid Razr, I was on track to “exhaust my data plan four days before the end of my monthly billing cycle.”

Getting more Social Security

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Planning for Social Security “is a bit like doing your own taxes,” said Ellen E. Schultz in The Wall Street Journal. You might do just fine on your own, but if “your situation is complex,” professional help might be necessary. “Mistakes are all too easy to make”: A woman entitled to a widow’s pension, for example, could lose her claim if she remarries at age 59, but not at 60. Advice-seekers can check out the website of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors for recommendations on planners who provide Social Security guidance for a fee. There are also free and low-cost tools online. MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com, developed by Boston University economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff, costs $40 and helps “pinpoint the best time to file.” The AARP website offers a free benefits calculator.

Faster short sales

A set of new federal rules “could keep many homes from falling into foreclosure,” said Les Christie in CNNMoney.com. As of June 1, the Federal Housing Finance Agency will require lenders to review and respond to troubled homeowners’ requests for a short sale—or a sale for less than the outstanding mortgage debt—within 30 days and make a final decision within 60 days. Banks have been criticized for taking so long to approve such deals that residents’ finances deteriorate to the point where homes are simply repossessed. Short sales are considered a better alternative to foreclosures; homeowners get less of a stain on their credit, and lenders avoid costly fees.