Pay Dirt Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Getty Images Plus. Our advice columnists have heard it all over the years—so we’re diving into the Pay Dirt archives to share classic letters with our readers.  Submit your own questions about money here . (It’s anonymous!)  Dear Pay Dirt, My sister had a brief marriage in her early 20s. There was no bad blood between her and her ex; they just married way too young. My family has kept in touch with her ex since we genuinely liked him. He is a good guy. He went through a serious rough patch after a bad car accident—lost his job and his house, and had to declare bankruptcy. The rental market is insane and he couldn’t find an apartment. My house has a garage apartment that my wife and I didn’t want the hassle of fixing up and finding a tenant for. We came to an agreement that he would move in and pay the additional bills, but trade rent for rehabbing the place since he works construction. We wrote up the lease and he moved in.…