Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, May 26, 1993, Page 7 Buy lottery tickets TIhe following are taken from my upcoming book Bill's Guide ta the Financial Future. Question: I have ne money, ne savings, ne job and ne prospects. Yet I would like to take advantage of the coming recevery and make, say, a million dollars. How do I do it? Answer: Recovery? You'd have more fun wallpaper- ing a bathroom with wallpaper that isn't pre-pasted. My best advice: buy as many lottery tickets as you can afford. Ites your best hope. Question: Five years ago my house was worth about a quarter million dollars. The bank gave me a mortgage of one hundred and fifty thousand. Now I'm told that it's only worth one thirty. Would I be better off giving it back te, the bank? Answer: You don't say who tells you what your house is now worth. 1 can safely bet it's net your bank. If se, they would try te get their money eut of the mertgage -- now. Don't sweat it; bang on se you have a roof over your head. Meanwhile, the bank is praying that you continue te pay, and that the real estate market wil recover within your lifetime. The odds aren't perfect on that, either. Question: This isn't really a financial question, but l'Il throw it at you anyway. When I bought my heuse it was almost a year old; we've had it for six years. Our front window has leaked almost from day ene. Now I'm told that until our house was five years old we could've had the windows replaced under HIJDAC, whoever that is. What'd we de now? Answer: Good question. Whodat, HIJDAC? You have missed the boat on -this ene. My advice is for you to pay the neighbourhood kids te play street heckey, basebaîl, whatever on your front lawn. Use your front window for a backstop. First, of course, make sure you have your insurance paid Up. Question: I work for what is jokingly called the "breader public service!'. Since I arn five foot feur and weigh one hundred kilos I arn the butt of an awful lot editorial comments. What I want to know is this: will my size be of benefit? Answer: Obviously, you will be able to withstand a lot more downsizing than most of your fellow workers. When your negative salary increase cornes through, take it te the supermarket and buy fewer chips, cookies and other snacks. And stay away frorn your daughter's Easter Bunnies tucked away in the free- zer. Question: We are a young couple just starting eut. We both have stable jobs, good career prospects but ne money. We would love desperately te ewn our own herne but can neyer hope te raise the dewn payment. However, several houses in our neighbourhood are empty -- repossessed by the banks. Why can't we take over one of these bouses? If the bank would give us title, we weuld pay the mortgage. We'd be happy, the banks weuid be happy, everybody'd win. What's the problem? Answer: Great solution. Make owners out of renters, keep the real estate market alive. But banks are gritting their teeth trying net te let the auditors knew how bad things really are. They can't cut deals like you describe because builders wvouJd have a fit. But yeu neyer know. Get te know your bank manager. Maybe you can make a deal with him, take a turkey off his books. Ites worth a try. And if she takes you up on it, let me know. That's a sign our ira h A BURNS' P1ESBYTERIAN CIURCH, ASIiBURN, 1912 This frame church was buiît in 1857 and was destroyed by tire on Feb. 12, 1967. The picture was taken a year after a basement was put under the old church. A new church was built on the site of the old one in 1967/68. Whitby Archiv photo 10 YEARS AGO from the Wednesday, May 25, 1983 edition of the WH1TBY FREE PRESS " The Henry Street High School track team won 18 medals at a COSSA track meet in Peterborough. " Gas p7.ices for home heating will rise by 2.9 per cent in Whitby this year. " The 0H00 'Chili Cook-olI' will be held at Iroquois Park May 27 to 29. " Safeway is selling strawberries at 69 cents a pint. 35 YEAIIS AGO ftrm the Thursday, May 22, 1958 edition of the WH1TBY WEEKLY NEWS " Construction of the future Kathleen Rowe and Palmerston Avenue public schools received school board approval. " Port Whitby Sea Cadets want use of the recently-closed Watson Street firehal " William Davidson is the third winner of the Peter Perry Award as Whitby's outstanding citizen. " Town council wants legal advice to control the number of gas stations being constructed in Whitby. 80 YEARS AGO fromn the Thursday, May 22, 1913 edi tion of the WIIITBY GAZETTE AND CIIRONICLE " The 34th Battalion Band will lead the annual church parade of the Sons of England to Al Saints' Anglican Church on May 25. " A public meeting was held yesterdny to organize a horse show association for Whitby. " The Dufferin Street School was cIosed on May 15 for the funeral of John Allingham Watson, an old Port Whitby pioneer. " Whitby residents are pestering the Town council for sidewalks, but it won't grant the necessary funds.