As Congress tries to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, lawmakers are considering a cap on the mortgage interest deduction.

Tweaks to homeowner deduction — seen as cornerstone of American Dream — could be part of 'cliff' deal.

My husband and I have extra money each month, a healthy emergency savings account, and we save for retirement through our work plans. (I should point out we are in our 20s.) We recently bought a home and now have a mortgage of $130,000 at 4 percent interest. We also have approximately $80,000 in student loan debt for our graduate degrees at 6.8 percent interest. With our extra spending money each month, should we tackle the student loan debt first? Pay down the mortgage? Both? Or some other option? Carolyn, Duluth, MN

The Federal Reserve plans to invest $600 billion buying U.S. and corporate debt — learn why Republicans worry that the Fed may be a wee-bit too…