Just Ask Georgia: Week of 5/6/2026

GEORGIA, I have a question,

A year ago, a good friend of mine fell on hard times. To help out, I loaned them $1,000.

A year later, it is still owed, and the $1000 has begun to lose value. Would it be wrong of me to charge them interest? The difference would only be about $25, so I think it's a reasonable ask. When I ran it by my husband to see what he thought, he said I was being petty. What do you think?

PLUS INTEREST

Dear INTEREST,

You said this was a good friend whom you helped in hard times. To me, that means they owe you what they borrowed, and nothing more, because, likely, they can’t af...