Dear Queenie,

Before my mother died she told us about a bank account she had for my son for his college education. When she died we found out she had left no will, but my brother and I agreed that the money was to be kept for my son's education (my brother doesn't have any children).

But when the economy went bad we both had money problems and we both borrowed money from the account. We agreed we would pay the money back as soon as we could.

Now it's time for my son to go away to school, but when I asked my brother for the money he said there wasn't anything to speak of left in the account.

Queenie, how can I get the money back from my brother so my son can go away to college?—Broke

Dear Broke,

The economy is starting to improve, but many people are having a hard time getting out of financial trouble, so maybe you should give your brother more time to repay what he borrowed.

And while we're on the subject of repayment, have you paid back what you borrowed? If not, you really do not have much to say to your brother.

On the other hand, if you did repay what you had borrowed and your brother borrowed that money too, without your knowledge or consent, you may have grounds for legal action against him.

Bear in mind, though, that taking such action may create an irreparable rift between you and your brother, and may not be effective if he simply does not have the money to make repayment.