Dear Helaine: Almost two years ago I moved into my parents' house to save money. Thanks to that decision, I've been able to pay off my student loans, and now my only debt is a car loan. I pay $530 a month, and the balance is $8,800. It comes due at the end of 2019.

I've been saving $2,000 a month and have $22,000 saved. I'm hoping to use this money in the future for a down payment on a condo. Do I use some of this to pay off my car loan in one lump sum and put the additional $500 into savings every month, or do I continue to add to my savings? I know I won't be able to look at condos till I have at least $35,000 saved up. -- Hoping for a Home of My Own

Dear Hoping: Oh, how I wish all reader questions were as easy as yours. It sounds like all is going well with you right now. You seem to like living with your parents. You are on track to pay down your car by the end of the year. You'll have the money you need to begin looking at a home set aside by the fall, if you remain on your current savings schedule.

I wouldn't mess with a situation that's working for you. In fact, I would suggest beginning to look at homes now. This way, when you have all the money together, you'll possess a good sense of the market in your region and have a better sense of what you do and don't want in a home, including what you are willing to compromise on to find a condo in your budget.

Will it be a distance from your mom and dad or work? Is it on a lower or higher floor than you would like? Will you want new construction, or will you take on something that needs some renovation? The only way you can begin to answer these questions is to spend time learning about what is available in your area and at what price point. Happy home hunting!

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Dear Helaine: I recently received a $10,000 Christmas bonus. I own a home in a city I no longer live in that I rent out to reliable tenants, earning a modest profit. Besides my mortgage, my only other debts are $4,500 remaining on a student loan and $13,000 I still owe my parents for helping me out when I was laid off several years ago. (I'm paying them $350 a month.)

My work is solid, so I am wondering if it makes sense to buy another home in my current city. Between the bonus and accumulated savings, I could put down 5 percent, just like I did with the home I already own. I'm paying $1,200 in rent, and I estimate that if I bought a two-bedroom condo, my expenses would come to $1,800 a month all in, and I could rent out the second bedroom on Airbnb to offset costs.

The only snag is that I might need to purchase a car soon. I currently use a friend's vehicle since he travels 90 percent of the time for work and leaves the car with me. But there is a possibility he will relocate and take the car with him. If that happens, I could lease a vehicle, buy a cheap motorcycle or use the bonus money on a car. So how would you spend the bonus? -- Bonus Bucks

Dear Bonus Bucks: I think you are risking biting off way more than you can chew financially. It's quite possible you are going to need to purchase a car within the next year. I'd suggest putting the bonus money aside in a savings account, so you have it if you need it. If it turns out you can continue to maintain your car-sharing arrangement, you might want to consider accelerating the rate you are paying your extremely generous parents back for their financial help when you needed it.

As for homeownership, I'm going to make a different suggestion. It sounds like you are treading water on the property you are now renting out. I'd suggest putting it on the market, and using the proceeds and other accumulated savings to buy the two-bedroom condo you desire in the city you live in now. This will allow you to put down more than 5 percent -- something I would strongly recommend. The higher your mortgage payment and other monthly charges, such as private mortgage insurance, the less financial latitude you'll have if you encounter financial headwinds. You don't really want to need to turn to Mom and Dad yet again if you lose another job, do you?

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Dear Helaine: When I was a teenager, my grandmother gave me about $20,000 in privately traded stock in a company founded by my great-grandfather. The value has grown considerably. What was initially a $125 annual dividend paid $14,000 last year.

My wife and I are diligent savers. Our house is paid off, and we currently have a mix of retirement savings and short-term assets valued at a little under $1 million. My shares from the family company make up the majority of that number.

Every year the family company sets aside a certain sum of money to buy back shares at a discount from the book value. Other family members have sold back some of their stock over the years, but I never have. Given that the stock has been valued higher every year, this has been a good investment decision. But with some key relatives in company management looking to retire, I feel like I should probably start selling shares and moving the money elsewhere.

But I am fighting a feeling of disloyalty at the thought of selling the shares. I never worked for the company, and neither did my parents. Also there's the thought that since I never did anything to earn this stock, it should be something that gets passed along to my kids instead of keeping it for myself.

I'm also concerned about capital gains. It's easier to collect a nice dividend check every year than to think about forking over a bunch of money in taxes. Thoughts? -- Fortunate but Perplexed

Dear Fortunate: It must feel like that stock is a close relation. It's not just your own piece of a long-term family-owned business; it's like a fairy godmother, raining down financial benefits on you while you do nothing for it in return. Little wonder you would like to hold the stock close!

But wise money management isn't about sentiment and continuing to count on good fortune. It's about cold, hard facts and logic. So ask yourself this question: If this stock was that of any other company, would you ever have allowed it to become such a disproportionate part of your portfolio? The answer is almost certainly not. It's too risky. If something goes wrong, it will inflict severe -- and perhaps irreparable -- damage on your finances and on any future inheritance you might leave your children.

You need to diversify your holdings. Holding on to the stock because you fear a large capital gains bill could be the definition of being penny wise and pound foolish. I'd recommend taking advantage of the family buyback plan so you can bring your financial life into alignment. But you don't need to recalibrate in one fell swoop. You can parcel out the sales over a period of years, gradually weaning yourself off the family business.

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)