The Clark Howard Podcast

Being stuck in an apartment lease when you need to move quickly is a long time problem. Very few leases have any kind of out. Now, a company called Landing, designed around the lifestyles of young adults, rents through membership agreements. You rent an apartment within their system, and are allowed to move to any other property in the Landing system on 3 days’ notice – no penalty. This allows the nomad in you to wander. You pay $200 a year for this advantage. If you choose to move outside Landing, you need to give 30 days’ notice – still no penalty. Landing operates in several states now with plans to be in most major cities by year’s end. Wouldn’t this work well for retirees as well as a way to travel and experience new places? Landing provides ultimate flexibility. Units come furnished so moving is easy.

MGM resorts has been hit by a massive data breach affecting roughly 11 million people. Criminals got email, phone numbers and physical addresses – ‘phone book information’. Marriot suffered a large breach a year and a half ago. Potentially half a billion people around the world are exposed through hotel chain hacks. Consider having a specialized email address. Don’t compromise your main personal email at the heart of your life and data. Have a separate email address for commercial activity.

The core to saving on meds is to be proactive. Before a provider writes a script, you can check costs and offer an alternative. Have a pricelist from your pharmacy, check your prescription drug plan. You can use a discount program like GoodRx and spend less by not going through insurance. See our guide comparing 5 major prescription drug programs: SingleCare, GoodRx, Blink Health, RxSaver and WellRx. Among the 15 common meds tested, RxSaver was consistently the cheapest, but that doesn’t mean it will always be. GoodRx came in next. We discovered that using 2 of these is likely to get you the best price. Clark checks his insurance coverage and then otherwise. It’s surprising how often meds are cheaper outside insurance using a discount program. There’s great advantage to checking up front before a med is prescribed. Medical professionals don’t know costs. It’s up to us to manage what we pay.

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The investment industry is going through consolidation that will lead to fewer players. Weakened mutual fund companies, stock brokerages and investment houses are merging. A small number of huge players will emerge. All this has come about because of the enormous strength of the big 3 discounters. Vanguard, Fidelity and Schwab have essentially demolished the competition. Traditionally, investors paid massive fees to bank investment arms or full commission stock brokers. Some still do but the movement is to lower costs. Full commission outfit Morgan Stanley is buying discounter E*Trade, ostensibly to sell E*Trade customers on their products. It’s important to know what you’re buying with any organization you invest with. Understand what you’re getting and what you’re paying.

The FTC warns the phony check scam is roaring back, now successfully targeting young adults – those in their 20s and 30s who have never been check writers. They’re less likely to suspect a check is bogus, especially if it clears. In addition to elder loved ones, make sure the young adults in your life know that if they get a UFO check with instructions to deposit, keep part of the money and do something else with the rest, they’re about to get scammed big time. The check that cleared will usually bounce in 4 to 6 weeks, and they’re liable for all that money.   

Right now there are various disasters associated with trading in a car. Simple rule: DON’T trade in a car that is not paid off. Around 30 – 40% of people are dumping cars they’re upside down in. Danger zone. There are dishonest car dealers that know they can’t get a loan to cover an upside down trade, so they’ll encourage the customer to buy a new car with a fresh loan, and just default on the vehicle they wanted to trade in, and turn it in to the lender. In the auto industry, this is called ‘kicking the trade’. These dealers are NOT telling people that allowing a repossession will ruin their credit for 7 years. The lender sells the vehicle at auction, and in most states you’re liable for the difference between what it sold for and your balance plus expenses. You no longer have the vehicle, your credit is ruined and you’re responsible for all the money the lender lost. This eats up your future. If you hate your car and owe on it, tough it out, keep driving it and pay off that loan. Get out of the cycle of owing more on vehicles than what they’re worth. Long loans leave you upside down, and paying way too much interest.

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The coronavirus is spreading but know fatality rates are very low. It is creating enormous impact on economies around the world. The U.S. travel industry is hard hit. Airline and cruise line stocks are down and Expedia is laying off 3,000 people. Expect more lay off announcements as part of a response to economic slowdown. It’s unlikely we’ll follow much of the rest of the world into a recession cycle this year, because it’s an election year. But the tremendous job engine we’ve seen in the last 9 years will slow, pause or reverse. This is our signal to do what we can to prepare by getting our finances in order. Rethink impulse purchases. Build up a reserve of cash. Consider how you’d handle fewer work hours or a lay off. We may go into a growth recession, wherein technically the economy is still growing but the job market is weak. This is a yellow caution light moment in the economy. Interest rates are an economic tell more than stocks, and expectations are for lower interest rates moving forward. Look at what you’re spending and what you owe. Think through what you can do to get your finances in order to prepare.

Wells Fargo committed criminal acts against its own customers for a full generation, with cheating scandals that go back to 1998 according to Federal prosecutors. In the court filing they only admitted to unlawfully misusing customers’ sensitive, personal information. They paid a $3B fine and avoided criminal conviction, prosecution deferred. If Wells Fargo doesn’t engage in anymore such activity over the next 36 months they will not face criminal prosecution. WF engaged in massive ID theft, cheated their auto loan and mortgage customers and cheated their checking and investing customers over a generation and no one is going to prison. If you rob a bank, you get 20 years. But if a bank robs you, the executive leaves with $millions in their private jets for the country club – no jail.

Around 5 regional supermarket chains have filed for bankruptcy over the last month. Many will disappear. Americans have changed our profile on how we buy foods, now more price focused. Supermarkets at all price points are pushing private labels more than ever. Most feared is Aldi – which is around 93% private label. An industry survey reveals Aldi is the cheapest place to shop, with a 40% price advantage over traditional mainstream supermarkets. Competitors are cutting hours to lower their costs. New England based Market Basket follows, WinCo is 3. Lidl is 4 in pricing followed by Trader Joe’s, a corporate sibling to Aldi. Amazon is also trying to complete. They’ve just opened their first of what they hope to be a chain of cashier free stores. They reportedly intend to sell this technology platform to other retailers to eliminate check-out lines, a convenience for shoppers and cost saver for retailers.

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The IRS has announced they’re going to send out revenue agents to homes and business of people who owe or who have failed to file. Crooks see this as a huge opportunity to impersonate agents and fake demands for money. The IRS is targeting business owners and those who make over $100K a year. But the crooks will go after anyone. The IRS claims their agents will be highly trained and will not require the purchase of any type of prepaid card – which is a scam tipoff. The IRS is short staffed. If someone shows up at your door, the odds are it’s a scamster. A real agent would at most ask for a check made out to the U.S. Treasury. Legit visit or scam, do not be intimidated. Knocking on people’s doors is wrong, mean and stupid. Meanwhile, Tax ID thieves are circumventing the IRS fraud indicators by going for more refunds with lower amounts, going now for hundreds vs. thousands per refund. If you can’t file, you may be a victim of tax ID fraud, and will need to go through a separate, manual IRS procedure to process your return. 

Real ID started 15 years ago with the final deadline repeatedly delayed. After the deadline, you cannot fly without Real ID. Compliant licenses display some form of star logo. Only around 30% of Americans have a compliant license. The Dept. of Homeland Security has a new procedure allowing application online. Individual states will have to design systems to allow this. Flying will require Real ID DL, or a passport, military ID – some form of verified ID. In person DL renewal requires special documentation now. Know what you’ll need before you go or apply online.

In the wake of spreading illness and loss of life, coronavirus is having a devastating effect of economic activity in concentrated areas of Asia, moving into Europe and Iran. There is potential for continuing spread of this virus. Economic effects are increasingly global. Markets that have been highly valued in the U.S. could see a breather from these inflated values. If coronavirus becomes a risk to health and life in the U.S and Canada, markets will be affected. Keep funding your retirement funds. With dollar cost averaging, a stock market decline in 2020 means you’re buying more shares and should make more money over time as those shares recover. If you’ve got money in savings including online banks, those rates are likely headed lower. For money you won’t need soon, lock your money in a one year CD to preserve a better interest rate with an online bank or credit union, never a traditional bank. Mortgage rates are also in decline, making now a good time to refinance.

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Harvard University researchers began a health study in 1980. Time Magazines reports subject lifestyle factors were tracked for 40 years. Healthy lifestyle factors include no smoking, no excessive alcohol, regular exercise, healthy weight and a low-fat, plant-based diet. Findings indicate those who practiced 4 out of these 5 healthy lifestyle choices enjoyed more disease-free years - After age 50, 10 more years for women, 8 more for men. Women's lifespans increased by 14 years, men's by 12. So both quality and quantity of life are enhanced with healthy lifestyles. Diabetes, heart disease and cancer were the areas of risk examined. CA HMO Kaiser Permanente has been testing Samsung heart monitoring watches. Among the 4,000 distributed so far, KP finds that after a year of monitoring, the readmission rate for program members is much improved over non users. Those without monitors were 5 to 8 times more likely to have a recurrence of heart trouble. This monitoring program is set to expand.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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California has passed a law requiring gig employers to classify most workers as employees vs. independents. A Gallup survey reveals this may be a mistake. Over 90% of tax filers have W2 income. One in 4 workers has a side gig in addition, in order to earn more money. Half work extra simply because they want to. More tax filers than ever are working side hustles in addition to regular income. There are cases where large companies lay people off to hire independent workers to avoid paying benefits. But for the most part, we're doing side jobs for the money and by choice, so it's likely best to keep government regulation out of side job classification. Perhaps in trying to do the right thing, California did the wrong thing in this case. Workers are driving the trend in supplemental self-employment. According to the NYT story: "Some politicians and places, like California have sought to curb self-employment, on the theory that employers have created the gig economy in an effort to evade their tax and regulatory obligations. The reality is more complicated."

It's gotten difficult for dealers to sell vehicles and they're desperate. So fraud on loan applications has become a big problem that could land you - the buyer - in jail. Dealership finance departments are more tempted to put down false incomes, that the buyer unwittingly signs. The WSJ reports nearly 1 in 4 auto loan apps have inflated income numbers to facilitate approval. Remember, you're on the hook if later you can't pay and they say you lied about your income. If you're working a deal, read the paperwork and don't sign your name to a lie on income, because you could end up as a defendant. 

Long time listeners know Clark despises extended warranties. These are peddled mostly on electronics and appliances, but can extend to products like running shoes! Clark has new math on TV warranties, heavily pushed by retailers. UPA and Northwestern University research found that people assume things will break often, so at least 1 in 5 consumers will buy into the "protect your investment" warranty pitch, paying 1/4th the cost of the item extra on average. Over a 6 year period, these researchers tracked 45,000 TV purchases. The fail rate was roughly 5 out of 100. So people are spending 25% more for a 5% fail rate. NOPE. Electronics are far more reliable than we realize. The failure rate on appliances is higher, while the warranty purchase rate is lower. We're not as excited about appliances. Either way, forgo warranties. You're better off paying for repair or replacement than for warranties. These purchases are not investments. They're consumption. 

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Bankrate did a survey on outcomes from lending to family or friends, cosigning for them or giving them your credit card. 4 out of 10 lenders to family and friends report they didn't get paid back. Someone comes to the bank of family or friend because they can't get the money elsewhere, so that borrower is ultra-high risk. There are times we'll give out of obligation or love. Clark's 2 part rule for lending to family or friends: One time only IF you can afford it. And, look at it as a gift, not a loan.

Clark's been tilting at windmills lately consulting with the hospital industry about billing problems. The industry filed suit against the government ruling to disclose prices up front. Kaiser Health News (KHN) reports on a case of hospital billing that illustrates the problem. The big problem in American healthcare is rapidly escalating hospital prices, and the industry fights so hard against price disclosure in advance. This must be fixed to get costs under control. We need to force hospitals to do the right thing.

The American Cancer Society reports there's a decline in cancer death rates over one generation and over the past couple of years for specific cancers. In one generation, deaths from lung cancer, which is the deadliest form, declined precipitously. The main reason is a decline in smoking, down to 13%, clearly cause and effect. In addition, there's been great improvement in survivability of lung cancer due to early detection. Smokers are encouraged to be checked out as lung cancer is symptomless in initial stages. Colon cancer deaths are way down due to colonoscopy early detection. The fatality rate is 50% higher in men because men are less likely to see doctors. The survival rates are much higher for women due to early detection. Survival rates are much improved with both breast and prostate cancer. USA Today reports melanoma survival rates are much improved. This good news all starts with each of us getting appropriate checkups and screenings. If you can't remember the last time you saw a medical professional, maybe that's something you need to change. 

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Reverse mortgages have been a caller topic for Clark for 2 decades. When people are house rich and cash poor, reverse mortgage -wherein the mortgage company sends you a check every month while you still live in the home, appears to be a solution. Routinely Clark goes through a checklist to determine the severity of the financial situation, and warns of the high fees involved. USA Today investigated the industry, finding many bad players looking to steal people’s homes via foreclosures. This opened a floodgate of people confirming this was their experience. The reverse mortgage market has been dirty forever. Ads with trusted spokespersons lure people into this. There are situations where a reverse mortgage does make sense. But any legit lender has you go through independent third party financial counseling for evaluation to see if reverse mortgage really is appropriate. Have a knowledgeable family member or lawyer review any documents before signing up for a reverse mortgage because of thievery is so prevalent. Shame upon them. They know this is wrong and do not care. 

Special Warning: Ads in print and online for CDs with high interest rates are appearing. But they’re not really CDs and the rates of 4.5 to 5.5% aren’t that high historically. These are NOT CDs, NOT FDIC insured. Your money is at risk. This is a version of a promissory note and many people over the years have been burned by this. Some of these offerings are from crooks, others from fly by night outfits. In either case you can end up losing ALL the money.

Clark went into the travel agency business at age 25, sold out his chain of agencies at 31 and essentially retired. Circumstances brought him into broadcasting. The industry has changed greatly since he sold his agency in 1987. Travel is much more popular today, and we can book ourselves. But most of us travel infrequently and become bogged down in details when trying to plan travel. See our updated guide to make planning easier, the Clark Howard way. Barring work travel, Clark’s key rule is that everything is driven by finding a deal. By so doing, he has been to every continent except Antarctica. For those with wanderlust – there are so many deals! Follow the bargains, have to guts to go to new places and see the world. Follow deals so great you’ve got to buy them. That’s the Clark Howard way!

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Carl Richards, "Sketch Guy" columnist for the NYTimes, breaks down financial advice to simple sketches and is able to address motivation and how we work against ourselves. Clark is unapologetically dull and believes creating financial security should be dull as well, achieved slow and steady like a turtle. Many are always looking for the big score, the hot tip. So Clark's favorite Sketch Guy message: "The path to long term change is slow, simple and boring". Your investing should be boring so that you can have an exciting life. If your goal is to become a millionaire, if you start in your early 20s, it can be done by retirement. That goal is a heavier lift the longer you wait to start. But you start when you start investing what you can. The earlier you start and the more money you add over time, the more financial security you create for your life. Start early in a Roth or your retirement plan at work.

Many bought smart TVs on sale over the holidays. Many of these TVs are vulnerable to hackers getting into your home system. Dig out the owners manual and implement a secure password - replacing the default password. You may have brought a potential trojan horse into your home. Secondly, cover up the camera. You do NOT want a hacker able to spy on you. 

What to do after a car accident to ensure your safety and best consider insurance options. Check out Clark's online guide here.

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Optometrists are independent. Even as they’re renting space in a Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart or Target – the remain independent. This results in different prices within a retail chain. But as a general rule, the cost of getting a full eye exam and prescription averages around $70. If you go to an optometrist in a traditional office or an ophthalmologist, the price goes up. With a prescription plan through work, a once a year eye exam may be covered with just a copay for most practices.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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Teachers, non-profit workers and some hospital workers are shuttled into inferior 403b retirement plans. 401ks have gotten more affordable with steadily lower costs for employees, lead by Vanguard and Fidelity. Teachers on the other hand get cheated repeatedly. 403b plans are often sold by insurance company sales reps, selling ultra high cost plans often wrapped in annuities. A WSJ investigation has uncovered just how dirty this system is, rife with horrendous kickbacks paid for by the 403b workers without disclosure. Worse still, an analysis reveals the same contributions over time in a typical 401k adding up to $250K in retirement savings, would only yield $155K in a comparable 403b, ravaged by expenses. A private sector 401K with $500K is equivalent to a 403b of $310K - all contributions being equal, typical expenses on both. A 401k One million vs $620K in a 403b having made the same contributions - all because of rip off fees in 403bs. While members of the House and Senate indulge in partisan fits, they could be stopping the rip off of teachers by insurance companies.

Allegedly, $722 million has been stolen in a cryptocurrency Ponzi known as BitClub Network, which for 6 years solicited funds from would-be investors to go into cryptocurrency mining pools. There were big money incentives to recruit others into the network. 5 men are charged with running a scheme "built off the backs of idiots" - to use their words, NBC reports. Recall the cryptocurrency mania of recent years. That money evaporated as it became hot with con artists. Be careful jumping on bandwagons.  

New federal data shows the change in the nature of work is so extreme, you ignore it at your peril. College is not a normal path in every family. The latest data shows nearly half of all factory workers have a college degree. As recently as a generation ago, factory and manufacturing jobs did not require higher education, but the nature of manufacturing has changed. The manufacturing industry has roared back in the U.S. But employment in this sector is minimal as advanced robotics and computer tech is increasingly engaged. The human jobs in factories now require highly skilled workers with advanced tech educations. Well-paying jobs require thoughtful, strategic levels of education - not necessarily college. The idea that education ends isn't compatible with the pace of technological change. We need to be prepared for the nature of work to steadily morph. To sit still is to fall behind. Stay in an education and training cycle through your working lifetime to maintain career mobility. State technical colleges should design curriculum in concert with what employers are looking for, anticipating where jobs are and where they're going, and offering affordable training for those jobs.   

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Wall Street analysts predicted the demise of Costco Wholesale not that long ago, believing it had no chance against Amazon. But Costco and Sam’s Club are doing well. In fact Costco is booming. People willingly pay membership fees. The Krazy Coupon Lady reports that consistently across items, Costco and Sam’s Club are 10 to 15% cheaper than Amazon. Many use both warehouse clubs and Amazon. Though Costco offers savings, they also offer temptation to buy more. Clark’s answer: Not cart. Hands only shopping limits the purchase and preserves the savings.

Outstanding credit card debt has gone up roughly 50% in the last 8 years in the U.S. A Wallethub survey reports more than a third of card users have maxed out their credit cards. Another third are afraid of doing so. This is NOT good for your long term financial health. The average card carries an interest rate of 16 – 18%. Buying on credit when you can pay the bill in full monthly is great. But maxing out your credit card costs you big in interest and demolishes your credit score. Seriously think this through before you pull out a credit card and charge it.

Clark reported on his experience going from a professional home burglar alarm to a self-install system. Clark chose Ring and took 3 hours to install it. Monitoring works out to $8 a month when paid annually. Feedback centered on privacy issues with Ring, owned by Amazon. Back to the drawing board. Independent alternatives are getting good reviews. Google’s Nest and Simplisafe charge around $300 a year for monitoring. Kangaroo - Kangaroo Home Security | Simple and affordable alarms and sensors rotates specials and like Ring, costs around $100 a year for monitoring. Kangaroo’s equipment is comparable, but independent from giant ecosystems. TechHive reviews Minut Smart Home Alarm - a very different system using heat technology. Instead of arming the doors and windows, it senses intruders to trigger the alarm. Minut monitoring is $8 a month, sold around the world – quick and easy to install. Technology is a big disrupter in this industry. Traditional systems have high equipment and monitoring costs and often come with contracts you should never sign. 

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The merger between wireless giants T-Mobile and Sprint has cleared a major hurdle as a federal judge ruled in favor of the deal. Clark explains his take for consumers, including information about the impact on home internet service.

Today, we pause to salute companies that value their employees. One great way to do so is profit sharing. Especially in a service businesses, workers are core and key to progress. Delta has paid huge bonuses, having profited from the grounding of the Boeing Max, while Southwest suffered losses from the Max grounding, but still made a profit and gave their employees bonuses equal to about 6 weeks pay. Only 1/3 of companies share their profits. Business doesn't exist without employees. Rewarding workers with a share of what they made happen is KEY to motivating them. The companies that do best take care of their employees first. No matter what industry you’re in, its ultimately about serving the customer. Rewarded employees are more committed.

The word ‘password’ has been used as a password. It’s important for security to do better. Firefox and Google Chrome users have access to password managers. More sophisticated password managers generated unique passwords as needed. We creatures of habit tend to use the same passwords, which basic pw managers simply echo. More advanced programs offer more protection, including Dashlane and LastPass. Many more have entered the market. A WIRED review rates 1Password as the best overall manager, which auto generates unique passwords for $36 per year per person, $60 for a family. Bitwarden gets great reviews for free. These tools help place a barrier between you and a hacker.

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Some have lost a tremendous amount of their savings betting on Tesla. Know that betting on any one enterprise is risky – Apple, Amazon – stocks that become stories. Amazon went through a cycle that wiped some stock holders out. When you invest in an individual company, you’re creating risk. You could come out ahead, or lose a great deal or both. First build a base and create a strong core in funds wherein your money is well spread out. The U.S. represents 3% of the world’s population and 22% of the world’s economic activity and declining. Make sure your diversification includes international funds. Schwab teaches to build core investments first. Only then should you chance individual stocks with money you’re not depending on. Protect the future you’re building. Live on less than what you make, and protect the rest of that money going forward.  

Clark was given a fake debit card from AT&T for dropping DirecTV. He was issued a partial refund on a debit card - receiving a check is not an option. Clark’s card kept being declined. He then registered the card and was texted the balance. The declines came because the balance was less than attempted purchases. It won’t allow another form of payment! Clark tried to get it to 0, and now it’s expired with .72 cents left on the table. So the company keeps that money – what’s known as breakage. This is why many companies use debits - knowing it won’t all be spent and they’ll get that much back. Clarkrageous that companies think this way, instead of doing right by their customers.

A type of data breach has become a life and death threat for many businesses. Many ransomware attacks don’t hit the news unless the company must publicly disclose they’ve been hacked. School boards and local governments must disclose. But we usually don’t hear about it from companies, who often have to pay to get their operations back. This crime is escalating, hitting companies of all sizes and can destroy a business. Have automatic backup of your data daily on a hard drive or cloud service. This can help restore your business activities. Have cyber insurance added to your business liability coverage. Backup data every 24 hours and have cyber insurance. The insurer will want to know what steps you’re already taking to protect your business. Take the time to make these things happen.

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Mortgage rates have plummeted recently. This is creating even more competition in the housing market. If you are planning on staying in your home for a while you could save a lot of money in interest payments by refinancing soon.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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There's a major problem happening all across the country. People are trading in cars that aren't paid off. This can lead to a whole lot of issues. Never trade in a car that you haven't finished paying on.

US Bank fired an employee who spent her own money to help a customer on Christmas Eve. Clark thinks this is ridiculous!

Clark is a romantic at heart. But he also likes to save money. So he gives you his favorite tips for saving money around Valentine's Day.

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Most taxpayers are eligible to free file. But only 2% who qualify use the IRS free file site. Most software vendors are in the IRS Free File program, but tout their paid software instead. Go to IRS.gov - Free File: Do Your Federal Taxes for Free | Internal Revenue Service. Some of the software includes free state tax filings as well. If you don’t like the one you’ve selected, you can bail and try another. If you make over $69K a year, you’re not eligible for Free File. In that case, try Credit Karma Tax to file for free. They want that info to target you for offers. Business owners or those with complicated tax situations need a pro. Small business owners can consider hiring an enrolled agent or your CPA who does tax. Warning: there’s been a steady increase in the number of unqualified people doing tax returns. No certification is required. Anyone can claim to be a tax preparer. Many have turned out to be con artists and thieves, who lie to generate a big refund directed into their account. Make sure your preparer signs the return and look it over. If you see false information, do not sign your name to that return.

Dan of Cleveland got a notice from the post office to come pick up more mail than can be delivered. He arrives to a pile of 55,000 letters! His lender, the College Avenue Student Loan Company, sent him the same statement for his daughter’s tuition 55,000 times. Postage alone was around $11k and the information in the letter wasn’t even correct. The student loan industry is in disarray, rife with incompetence and abysmal record keeping. The industry is flat out broken. Keep your records. Run your own amortization schedule and track your loan. Make sure the balances and interest rates are correct and that payments are properly reflected on time. Watch them like a hawk.

VISA - the most powerful of the 4 credit card networks (Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover) – will roll out fee structure changes this spring and fall. They’ll begin charging higher merchant fees where credit cards are dominant, and lower fees in low use sectors in an effort to manipulate buying behavior. Merchants that accept Visa won’t have a choice, unless they’re large enough to negotiate their own processing rates, like Amazon and Walmart. Everyone else will be at the mercy of Visa. The cost for online merchants will go up. Smaller businesses may have to bump up prices to deal with this. Online purchases will potentially cost more than in-store. Tuition payment by credit card can cost 2.9% more. That’s an industry with low market share for Visa, so they’ll be dropping those rates and subsidizing them with higher fees charged elsewhere to try to get market share in student tuition payment for private schools, pre-schools and colleges. Visa/MC cartel fees are typically the second largest expense for merchants. Remember you can offer customers a deal for paying with cash and giving them part of what you save as a way to reduce expenses. Visa may be trial ballooning, waiting to see what the other card networks will do. Consumers may see different pricings for different payment methods.

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Pharmacy mistakes filling prescriptions are becoming more common as volume increases on a small number of players who allegedly put the pharmacists under unsafe quotas. Investigative reporting by the NYT reveals that pharmacists with the major chains are under pressure to fill prescriptions and the resulting errors. Another recent report states 1.5 million people have been adversely affected by Rx mistakes. Oversight by state pharmacy boards has failed. Marketplace pressures being applied to pharmacists is creating unsafe conditions, putting the public at risk. Simple prevention tips: Pharmacists are human. Always look at the prescription before you leave the store. Packaging describes the shape, size, color and markings of the medication. The same med may look different from different manufacturers. When a med goes off patent to generic, it’s appearance can change. Look at the name on the label first as many drug names are similar. Then check the actual medication and be very careful verifying you have the right prescription. We can make sure the medicine we receive are correct as best we can tell. Check before you leave the pharmacy and have them verify before you leave. Take these steps to protect your and your family’s health.

Clothing manufacturers and retailers are in full clearance mode on winter goods. From light to heavy weight, this is the week to start looking for great deals on winter wear.

Scandal has rocked the U.S. Dept. of Education because they have failed to honor the law on forgiving student loans for public service workers including police officers, fire fighters, teachers and others that work in nonprofit or service capacities. Certain public service professionals were promised Federal loan forgiveness after 10 years of on-time payments. The rules were drawn in a way that triggered denials due to technicalities for 99% of applicants. This caused such an uproar that the Dept. of Education has passed new rules that will allow around 3/4s of those declined to now receive their loan forgiveness. This is not widely reported so spread the word to those you know who may be affected. Those declined should apply again. Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) is how many will qualify for loan forgiveness. Don’t give up and great thanks for your community service. This was a promise made that should be kept.

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Last year there was the mad rush of discount stockbrokers to cut commissions on various kinds of trades to zero. Nobody's laughing anymore at the once obscure app Robinhood. Now millions use the app to trade stocks at no commission. Finally Chuck Schwab had enough and decided to stop charging commissions as- which set off an earthquake. The stocks of various discount (now free) brokers just collapsed because the investment community thought this was financial suicide. It wasn't, because brokers earn money offering other services including checking accounts and credit cards - services superior to banks. Thus money has migrated out of stodgy, high-cost, low-service banks into credit unions, online banks and no cost brokers. Brokerage stocks recovered from the zero commission earthquake and new money coming in has shot through the roof. Know you can do a checking account with a zero cost broker. Bank shares are included in some index funds meaning you make money from them vs. the other way around, as they're in the business of looting your wallet.

Special Warning. For years we've faced fake emails pretending to come from banks so most people are aware of that approach. Now we see reports that criminals have figured out how to take it a step further. They now send a notification that an account has been compromised, including a duplicate banking landing page, now with code that transfers your input to the REAL banking site. You'll get the 2 factor authentication text, and enter that number - which they also duplicate, giving the criminals full access to your account. Anytime you get an email you think is from your bank or any financial institution, never click a link. Go separately to the official bank site. If there is an issue, you'll be on the real site and know if all is well or if there's an issue.

Screen time can be isolating. Clark's banned gadgets at the family dinner table. No point in being alone together. Turns out our constant companion cell phone induces human loneliness. Having grown up in the digital era, young adults report greater degree of loneliness. It's not the same communicating online vs face to face. The WSJ reports how young adults in the workplace report greater loneliness. When all communication is digital - young workers report feeling twice as lonely as older workers who grew up analog and are more likely to talk to co-workers face to face. In person contact can create a warmer, more fully connected work environment. Whether at work or in your social life - being around people can make you a happier, more connected person.

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Variable pricing has made it even harder for consumers to book travel. But there are some important things to know when you are looking to book airfare, hotels, and rental cars.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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Nonprofit and hospital workers, teachers and other 403b workers suffer much confusion from this rip off form of retirement plan. It’s a scandal that we give teachers a plan so inferior to the 401k. The surrender charge is how 403b insurance companies handcuff people  to the plans. This often massive penalty fee is imposed for exiting their rip-off plan to put money in a low cost IRA – costing about 1/40th what the 403b takes. Remember 403b = rip off! A financial planning firm found that a young worker would be better off paying a 40% surrender charge to the insurance company to invest at lower cost elsewhere. Over that working lifetime, that worker would still make more money than paying the rip-off fees imposed by the 403b. Some surrender charges are only 15%. If you’ve got 10 years or more working life, it’s generally worth it to pay the surrender charge to get out of a 403b.

Clark reported months ago on an investigative series from the Detroit Free Press about severe problems with the Ford Focus and Fiesta. 2 million people have now been affected by vehicles with defective transmissions. A class action lawsuit was filed 8 years ago on this matter. Possibly the Free Press series finally pushed forward a settlement. There’s no cap on payouts to these car owners. Ford has to pay to make people whole who owned or own a Fiesta or Focus who have filed a claim. Also revealed, Ford knew about the problems on model years 2011 – 2016 and had a procedure in place to BLAME THE CONSUMER as a strategy to avoid paying for repairs.

Even though the great recession reportedly ended in 2009, the job market remained terrible until 2012. We’ve been on a steady economic and employment upswing since. But there are times when all seems lost, and a worker must reinvent their role in the marketplace. After a job loss, Clark advises that you draw on what you know. Your best opportunity in your next chapter draws on your education and experience. The Detroit Free Press profiled car salesman Brian. This family man worked extremely long days and was abruptly let go. Knowing that people hate going to dealerships, Brian decided to become a car buying concierge. He gets paid regular commission by the dealerships he uses for clients, and charges the buyers nothing. He sells around 35 vehicles a month via word of mouth, gets more time at home with family and makes more money. He helps clients determine the right vehicle for them through a questionnaire. He delivers, helps with the paperwork and either takes in their trade-in or Ubers from their home. We often undervalue what we know and how we can serve others. Businesses have a hard time changing, which means opportunity for experienced individuals who come up with a way to serve people better. You may be your best boss ever.

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We tend to just accept that prescription glasses are costly. There is an international cartel that’s been buying up both retailers and frame manufacturers for eyeglasses in order to corner the market and take prices through the roof. BUT, when there’s market concentration to push prices up, there’s always a rebound effect. Now there’s a fast growing marketplace of discounters offering eyeglasses at a fraction of cartel prices. Frames and lenses complete can be had for as little as $15. Consumer Reports has put together ratings for the discounters. Number 1 - Costco Optical, 2 – Warby Parker, 3 - Zenni Optical. In fact, every single discounter rated got at least a good score. Know you can get good eyeglasses for under $100 – even for bifocals, trifocals and progressive lenses.

-For contacts, 1800Contacts is now offering a free online eye exam for contacts, with an eyeglass Rx. See our guide. There are enormous price differences for contacts. Beware merchants pushing high cost lenses.

Many of us use hand sanitizers thinking we’re protecting ourselves from germs. If using Purell, you may even think you’re protected from the flu. The company has even claimed the product can prevent Ebola! No more says the FDA. They’re reclassifying Purell as an unapproved drug because of these outlandish claims. The real advice from the FDA and the CDC is to simply wash your hands thoroughly with soap. Only default to hand sanitizer when there’s no alternative. Also we worry about catching colds and flu on airplanes. The Journal of the National Academy of Sciences finds you have to be within 3 feet of a sick person for them to be a potential hazard to your health. Don’t worry the whole plane is contagious.

Via permissions, Facebook tracks you OUTSIDE of Facebook, when you’re not using Facebook or any of their services. Under pressure, in an effort to stave off legislation that would restrict their tracking activities much more, Facebook now offers the tool, Off Facebook Activity, allowing you to see and curtail this tracking. At sign up we unwittingly give Facebook permission to spy on us everywhere we go online. They know all. Third party apps are reporting to Fb what you’re doing online. They know what articles you read, podcasts you listen to, music etc. They can then build an ultra-deep dossier for sale and for targeted ads. Producer Joel used the new tool to delete the info and found it very easy.  

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Google search results now present in a way making it more difficult to distinguish between results and ads. Anyone can be buying those ads which could be scams, rip offs and fake companies. Legit ads are also there but you should know what’s an ad. There’s almost no delineation anymore to tell you something is an ad. “Ad” is in tiny type and they can be mistaken for search results. You need to know to look past those. Also, we generally don’t get past the first page of search results. Take more time to refine your search. Or use DuckDuckGo as your default search engine for clean search results, no tracking.

MarketWatch reports a huge number of homeless veterans are eligible for special housing vouchers designed for vets from the Vietnam and first Gulf wars. 11,000 of the vouchers now go unused. Veterans need to know there is this great voucher program available from the VA. Make sure any vets you know are aware of the housing voucher program.

Auto insurance rates have gone up roughly 50% in 8 years. For a time, fatality rates were way up due to device distraction, subsiding now with state texting-while-driving laws. WIRED points out a new pain point. If you’re cited for texting while driving your insurance rates will go up 20 – 25%. Another rate hike factor involves the high safety tech in cars today. Vehicles now have so many safety devices that accidents are less severe, happening less often. But ironically, a simple fender bender can render a vehicle totaled by the insurance company, as so much tech is in the fender, they don’t want to repair it. Often a single airbag will deploy, and they’ll total the vehicle out. All these totals is having an impact on rates. As vehicles turn over in the fleet, cars get safer overall. In 2021 Ford will install tech allowing vehicles to communicate. The problem of sun glare will be addressed by red light dash warnings. Safety measures so much a part of the future, will bend this curve on insurance rates.

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We face unknowns with the Coronavirus outbreak. Some practical matters to be aware of. Historically, odds favor the virus not becoming widespread in the U.S and Canada. The travel industry is in ongoing response mode. Isolation has begun with Chinese cruises generally canceled around affected areas. Airline policies vary including refunds on flights to China and other parts of Asia. The stock market - especially travel companies - are being hit hard right now in the wake of the Coronavirus too.

FedEx and UPS have issued warnings in the last 24 hours to be aware of receiving a text or email claiming you have a package scheduled for delivery. These phony messages contain viruses. If you click and answer the questions, criminals get your personal info. Set up your own personal account with FedEx and UPS to receive for clear notifications that don’t require you to click to open.

New factors will be weighed more heavily in the new FICO scoring model. Lenders are starting to get nervous as more people carry debt. Here we are with low unemployment yet more people carry debt. There are hundreds of credit scores. Even using the same scoring model, the credit bureaus will come up with different scores from different items on credit reports. These scores indicate a general direction. All this only amplifies previous advice about how to protect your credit reputation. Come up with an effective way to make sure every bill gets paid on time, every month. Also, lowering your utilization rate will be even more impactful moving forward.

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Clark’s quote for a modern home security system came in at $2700 + $25 a month monitoring or $300 a year. Meanwhile, Clark’s been touting self-install systems for years so he decided to give it a try. Clark looked at Nest, Ring and Simply Safe on cost and features. Clark bought the Ring system for $179 on sale at Costco, complete with motion sensors, sound alarm, enough door/window coverage & keypad. He already had Ring doorbells and cameras that would fully integrate - $100 a year for professional monitoring.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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Clark discusses the expenses many retirees don't consider when they are planning for retirement. Some call them "stealth expenses." It's important to have a plan as you get closer to your retirement date and to have your eyes open about what your incoming and outgoing funds will look like.

An auto shop owner paid off his long-time employee's mortgage to help him retire. How cool is that!?

More and more universities are offering income share agreements. This means that graduates will pay a portion of their salary for quite a few years post graduation. It's a different approach to the traditional student loan market.

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Other than recent initiatives in California, the U.S. is lagging when it comes to internet privacy protections. This spring, strict online privacy rules for anyone under 18 will go into effect in Britain. For underage citizens, personal information will be private. If a kid is using YouTube, Google can’t track that use. No tracking, data mining or subsequent targeted advertising to kids can take place. We need such a law in the U.S. In addition to Google and Facebook, gaming companies, and other social media are using our kids as fodder to develop massive databases for targeted ads. Naturally adults should have privacy rights as well. Affected companies are under so much pressure to grow revenue, the moral ethical equation gets pushed aside. These are powerful companies that can buy off U.S. politicians to work in their favor. We should have clear privacy protections for children. The British are using a market-based approach, allowing users to set up default privacy settings for all users, or go through a process of age verification. And this has real teeth. If a company violates the law, the fine is 4% of their worldwide revenues. That’d be gigantic for Facebook or Google. At last, a strong way to deal with reckless big tech.

An American Bankers Association survey finds that attempted check fraud has gone up 60% in the last 2 years. One of the great vulnerabilities in the banking system is a traditional paper checks – an analog device that does not provide adequate security in a modern digital era – already banned in some countries. If you routinely carry a checkbook with you, stop doing so. If a single check of yours falls into the wrong hands, the danger to you is can include jail time for check fraud. Also business are a big target for check fraud. It’s safer to operate electronically.

Lots of investors are becoming interested in socially responsible investing. They don’t want their retirement money going into ‘bad’ companies. But the criteria is hard to define. Tobacco, alcohol, soft drinks, coal, oil are company areas some define as bad. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing principles is one criteria, but can be defined very differently among fund managers. Before you choose a socially responsible fund, understand how that is defined. It may omit companies you champion. Facebook is loved by some investors. Others love to hate it. Also, when you start slicing and dicing, you shrink the pool of companies eligible to be part of an investment. Before you jump into this, see how ‘socially responsible’ is defined by the fund choice available to you. And look at the expenses. Often investment houses will charge more in expenses for these funds.

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In some states people are able to shop their natural gas service. Regardless of state, know that natural gas prices have collapsed. Projections are this will be a mild winter, with an oversupply of natural gas available. The price at wholesale has collapsed to now 1/8th of what it was just 15 years ago. Other than electronics, prices tend to move up over time. But energy has gone way down. If you live in a state where you can negotiate, this is a time to shop the market. With prices this low, lock in for 2 years if allowed. In states with no choice, the good news is that generally wholesale costs are passed on to consumers. Overall, energy prices have steadily gone down, making the case for deregulation. Many states are under a corrupt process wherein politicians decide who will provide electricity and what they charge. Better to emulate the free market system used in Texas, creating very low energy costs as the market provides the most efficient energy available. In the case of Texas, overwhelmingly it’s wind power. In D.C - hot air.

A new survey reveals a basic distrust of capitalism has taken hold among Americans. Public-relations firm Edelman conducted its 20th annual analysis of public trust in major institutions, surveying 34,000 people in 27 countries and Hong Kong. Here we are in the midst of a long economic expansion begun in 2012, yet the majority surveyed no longer believe in capitalism. Americans are down on the free enterprise system. No one was ever punished for the banking scandals of last decade. Income inequality also undermines faith in the system. But becoming a socialist paradise doesn’t tend to play out well over time. We need to improve how capitalism works in the U.S. We have much to fix. The reality is nothing in human history has ever worked as well as giving people the opportunity to create new ideas, products or services people want to buy, creating greater wealth for both society and those individuals.

If you’re willing to move, you can benefit from job opportunities across the nation. Economic opportunities abound in other cities and states for people of all sorts of different work backgrounds.

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A Bankrate survey has found that of those with $100k to $200K net worth, more than half are carrying credit card debt. The psychology of this is important. There’s an old expression that describes this: Keeping up with the Joneses. When someone lives in an affluent neighborhood and drives an older car, they may feel like the odd person out, and seek to buy a new one to fit in. It feels only natural to match the environment. It’s a matter of being too influenced by those around us, and creating expectations for ourselves. This mentality takes hold in an insular culture. We are influenced by others, often in positive ways. But when it comes to possessions, trouble follows. Remember that those who have the greatest net worth are those that live a modest life, seemingly below their means. They are building long term wealth. Nobody ever got rich paying Visa or Mastercard 18% interest on debt.

The Christmas season was rough for many retailers as evidenced by store vacancies happening all over America. The U.S. has been ‘over-stored’ for years, with more retail space per person than elsewhere in the world. A correction has begun. Retailers are closing for many reasons, leading to GOB (going out of business) sales. Know that these sales are not necessarily a deal for you. The companies that specialize in running these liquidation sales are expert at manipulating buying behavior. Much of the merchandise in a given GOB comes from previous clearance sales, designed to give the perception you’re getting a great deal. Know that most of the discounts are an illusion. If you shop a GOB, let your smartphone be your friend. Use it to price check and comparison shop.

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Vehicles are one of the largest purchases in life. To protect your finances, drive your car till the wheels fall off. Certain vehicles stand the test of time.

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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A senior gets a call from someone pretending to be a relative in trouble asking for money. This scam preys on seniors desire to help loved ones, resulting in millions of dollars in losses to seniors every year. Should banks and other financial firms be doing more to protect seniors? Banks are required by law to put through a lawful transaction. Lazarus suggests bank tellers simply ask the person if they’re familiar with the grandparent scam as a brief intervention to hopefully prevent loss. In some states, tellers and bank officers are trained to spot scams and ask questions. This is a reasonable responsibility to expect from banks. Make sure your aging relatives are aware of this scam and verify with relatives. If the caller refuses to let them hang up to do so, that’s a scam red flag.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has published an investigative report on how criminals are targeting retirement accounts. No federal law protects our retirement accounts from hacking but many of the providers do. Still, you can’t count of administrator protections since it’s not law. Monitor your retirement account at least in tandem with quarterly statements, and set up 2 factor authentication. Virtually every 401k provider offers this additional security step. Protect your life savings.

Due to the increase in extreme weather and natural disasters, we’ll see homeowners insurance rate increases. Normally, home and auto insurers go through cycles where they’re either into market share or profit margin. But extreme weather is a third factor upending actuarial assumptions about what losses insurers will see. Insurers also depend on financial industry ratings of their strength. Thus they must maintain certain levels of financial strength, now tested by increasing claims from catastrophic weather. The greatest vulnerability is in coastal regions. Coastal residents will see a reduction in the quality of home insurance available as in less coverage and higher deductibles. Your mortgage may have limitations on the deductible you’re allowed to carry and that may force a change in who insures you. Otherwise your mortgage company will rip you off with ‘force placed insurance’ which cost from 10 to 100 times what regular insurance cost. This is a big profit center for banks. Different insurers are facing different pressures. If you’re hit with a notice of a large rate increase, take it as a signal to shop the market. Coastal dwellers may have a hard time finding robust coverage at an affordable price. Know that behind the scenes, home insurers are facing significant financial pressures. Due to the increased violence and frequency of storms the market must calculate higher risk levels. Be aware and prepared.

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Many younger adults have no expectation of privacy. For others, there’s a clear expectation of privacy. Know when you download an app there’s the risk they’re packaging, selling and reselling your information. Californians now have a clear right to control what info is collected about them and what is done with it. The good news Clark shared last week is that the rest of us can use the California law to our advantage as many sites provide the same privacy rights to all to be in compliance with California and Europe. We’ve received complaints from those who, when they’ve tried to use provisions of the new CA law to delete personal info or see their digital dossiers, have had to provide more personal info including their driver’s license or state issued ID. These sites and apps must verify the identity of someone requesting their file, so ID is necessary. If you want to restrict data out there on you, use provisions of the new law and be ready to prove you’re you.

The National Security Agency found a major flaw in Windows 10 – a very dominant OS. The NSA informed Microsoft who has provided a patch via the latest update. Those who receive auto updates got theirs last night. If you don’t have your computer set up for automatic updates, go to settings, update and security – check for updates, download and install right away. We spoke with 2 IT security experts who confirm this a key update you should be sure to get.

Clark Deals’ Charis joins Clark to discuss her teeth straightening quest. SmileDirectClub has been controversial as the more DIY choice. Invisalign aligns with orthodontists. Now SmileDiretClub will sell both ways – directly and through dental professionals. Charis had braces as a kid but her teeth shifted from not wearing the retainer. Charis consulted a traditional orthodontist and went to a SmileDirect location to price compare, and received basically the same 3D imaging at both places. Invisalign via an orthodontist typically cost $5k+. Charis’s SmileDirect cost: $1895. Charis’s research of other users finds that those with complex concerns can have problems in the absence of regular monitoring by an orthodontist. She had some bumps in the road as well. SmileDirect has spawned Facebook groups for success stories and for bad outcomes . Some are overjoyed, other suffer loose teeth and other problems. Smile Direct is a money saver, but with risks. Charis is seeing good results so far in her 10 month program. So much in medical is moving more to self-service blends with traditional care. If you have pre existing dental issues, doing a self-serve straightening is likely not a good choice. And all users need to strictly comply with their plan for a better chance of success.

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In November Clark reported on the anti-college mindset and provided stats on how much more a person makes over time with any level of post-high school education and training. The numbers were starkly in favor of further education. A counterpoint has emerged from a study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The study tracked net worth and found that college for better income wasn’t a given IF there was a large student loan burden. This further makes the case that having to borrow to go to a certain dream college is NOT worth it. Top tier college snobs snipe at others who go to ‘directional college’ (Ga Southern for example). What matters is your education and training without enormous debt upon graduation. The value of a college education remains unassailable. BUT follow Clark’s rule: Graduate with less debt than you’ll earn in your first year on the job. Make the first year’s income in your chosen field the ceiling on what you borrow.

Amazon has changed its business model. They’re more about convenience than price, and starting to get nervous about comparison shoppers realizing they’re not cheap anymore. Many use browser extension Honey to comparison shop, Clark recommended along with CamelCamelCamel. Amazon is so freaked out they’re telling people that Honey is not safe to use and should be uninstalled. That is just not true. Use Honey and CamelCamelCamel to know if a purchase really is a deal or not.

There’s been great interest in peer-to-peer lenders Prospers and Lending Club over the years. Borrowers can submit their loan request and members decide what % they want to finance. Clark wanted to check both out as an investor. 3 years ago Clark put $5K each in Prosper and Lending Club. Instead of picking the individual loans, he used their automated system based on risk level. With Both p2ps, 50% of Clark’s loans were going to very low-risk borrowers – those with great credit scores. The other half went to subprime borrowers presenting varying levels of risk. 3 years later, Clark’s annualized net return is 4.76 and 4.77% - a better return than with savings or CDs but with clear risks. People who don’t pay their notes have to be written off. Many use statistical analysis to invest in higher risk loans of their choice. Clark plays it bland. For borrowers, this is a potentially cheaper option than elsewhere because they cut out the banker in the middle.

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A large percent of publicly traded companies are losing money right now, even in a decade-long strong economy. But we’re moving into a feast / famine cycle of employment and what you know can help you. The general trend now is that big companies are reducing headcount by attrition. They’re not filling open positions. Meanwhile the smaller local and regional companies not involved in international trading – are generally doing well and bidding for workers. Topeka Kansas is offering incentives of up to $15 to get people to move there for work. The WSJ reports companies are offering relocation bonuses to attract new workers – a perk common 15 years ago now returning. Focus on opportunity to find real advantage in the marketplace. We creatures of habit need to look out the window. Because of rotation in the corporate environment, this is a time of big wage disparity. Your skills may be worth more to another company than you’re getting now. Take advantage of education and training, so important to finding the best opportunities. If you feel dead ended, explore further training.

Boeing's CEO was fired for undermining a culture of safety that ultimately caused two crashes and cost hundreds of lives. He’s getting severance between $62M and $82M for failing. Newly released memos further expose a chaotic culture of eroding safety standards. Internally, many knew the plane was unsafe and some laughed at being able to con the FAA in approving the Max. Failure is rewarded handsomely in the executive suites of big publicly traded corporate America. Hundreds died due to gross negligence by Boeing and the CEO is scoring millions. Why is no one being charged criminally – with manslaughter at least – in this circumstance?

Disputes between local network affiliates and operators about carry provisions and payment are ongoing. It’s a great idea to have an antenna for local channels. If you get a good signal, it may be all you need for NO monthly fee. If you stream content, having an antenna is great as well. AntennaWeb - Antenna Signal Prediction – Antenna Web has updated their site and revised their search tool for local channels and antenna recommendations based on address including topography. If you live in a high-rise facing broadcast towers, any antenna may due. Other residents may need heftier attic antennas, or easy TV boxes. Locast is a non-profit for streaming local channels. Verizon and the cable monsters have all pushed packages. Now, Verizon is dropping contracts. Great news for consumers!

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Since the Truth in Lending Act does not apply to small business, instant loans to small businesses is a major rip off area around the country. There’s no requirement to disclose junk fees or interest rates on these loans. As a small business owner, Clark receives about 10 offers a week. Though there are ethical lenders, there are too many bad players out there taking advantage of small business cash flow needs, charging gigantic interest rates for quick money. If you’re a small business owner, do NOT bite on these loan offers until you know the fees and rates. If you can’t get a straight answer, stay away. While Congress lies about how much they care about small business, they ONLY care about their corporate contributors. Nobody’s looking out for the small business owners, with no laws governing proper disclosure of loan terms. Also, the Supreme Court ruled that states can charge sales tax to small businesses selling across state lines online. For big retailers, that’s no big deal, but for small business, compliance is a nightmare. They need a simplified tax procedure in place governing online sales below a designated threshold. Candidates should come up with real agendas for small business. Big company lobbyists feeding in cash are the only ones heard. When can we get leaders who represent the people of the U.S. in the people’s White House?

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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There's a heavy wave of discounts this January in addition to historical discount patterns for this time of year. Fitness equipment is a deal now. Buy used and check out Craigslist and Facebook neighborhood groups. CES is pushing the latest high tech TVs. But unsold Christmas TVs are deal right now both online and in-store. Housewares and bedding are a January deal. Toys: there’s a lot of unsold inventory right now – a good time to buy birthday gifts. Winter clothing is more heavily discounted this year. The grounding of the Boeing Max makes January sales less aggressive, but travel deals for spring and early summer are available now.

The IRS reports that only 3 out of every 100 eligible for Free File are using it. Free tax prep and filing is there for anyone who earns $70k or less annually. Many services provide free state tax filing as well. But no one knows. Don’t get sucked into paying.

Many websites and apps are afraid of California, the only state with an online privacy protection law in place. For many companies, real compliance with CA means de facto privacy protection for all 50 states. Microsoft is among this first, with many following. You’re likely seeing new privacy links from sites and apps, allowing you create privacy settings and prevent them from selling off your personal data. Most sites and apps sell off our personal info in various ways all day long. California has designed a system allowing consumers to opt-out of their data being sold. The LA Times reports on how different sites are handling this. Some come with the dire warning that IF you opt-out of the sale of your personal info, they will not be able to offer you personalized ads. OH NO! Actually that’s what you want. This should be the national standard. It’s an abject failure in Washington that this isn’t already national law. California has essentially set a standard affecting the entire country. If you’re creeped out by the microtargeting of you and selling and reselling of your personal info, pay attention to these privacy notices and set the most restrictive measures allowed to protect your privacy as much as possible. Sure seems like Congress doesn’t care about U.S. citizens, when what should be longstanding national policy has to come from one state.

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January bring a LOT of travel deals. Clark talks about how to grab them. If you get internet from cable and there’s an increase, check out what the monopoly phone company charges. Be very wary if you still get legacy cable TV. Those rates are going way up to compensate for cord cutters. While your at it, consider going to streaming to save money. The WSJ has investigated large cable companies and analyzed data filed with the FCC, and found that the cable companies are lying about internet speeds. People aren’t getting what they’re paying for.Because of the structural deficiencies created by monopolies, we pay much higher rates than other developed countries, for less internet service. That gap is about to close. Consumers will FINALLY have real choice at much lower prices. Clark guarantees it!    

For over a year Clark’s been pounding the injustices of public service employees, government workers and teachers getting ripped off in their retirement plans, usually 403bs. A WSJ investigative report reveals teacher and public employee unions are taking huge kickbacks from insurance companies for favoring their plans. The NEA teachers union takes $Millions in kickbacks from the companies providing retirement plans that cost up to 100 times in fees what a low cost Roth IRA or 401k would cost. These unions are selling out their own members. The WSJ reports while the NEA is recommending ultra-expensive 403b plans to teacher members, their own employees are in low cost Vanguard plans. Rise up at your union teachers and force them to stop cheating you on your own retirement future.

VISA has issued a warning about how exposed consumers are at gas stations, which remain inside a 5 year delay for implementing payment processing security rules. The danger is enhanced in the remaining year of non-compliance with current standard payment security measures. A more secure payment phase-in begins this year. In the meantime, criminals have a target on every gas station they can hack and skim. This ongoing problem gets bigger in 2020. If you pay at the pump, know it’s a roulette game with a high chance your card will be compromised. Big danger to debit users. Within minutes, criminals can empty a debit account. Credit cards offer more protections. If you must pay with a debit card, go inside to pay, reducing fraud risk. Another precaution, if app pay is available at the pump, choose that option for enhanced security. Otherwise use a credit card NOT a debit card.

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Congress just passed the SECURE Act which modifies how retirement plans work. The RMD – required minimum distribution has changed the age requirement from 70.5 to 72. Also, small employers can now ban together to offer low cost 401k plans to employees. This capacity will gradually emerge over the next year, putting small employers on a more equal footing with large companies in their ability to offer retirement plans. Also, excluding part-timers from participating in 401k plans will be outlawed. Starting next year, employers will have to make 401ks available to part-timers. And employers will have more power to automatically enroll workers. Generally, Americans allow spending to rise to income levels and beyond. Mandatory enrollment will be more prevalent, with options for workers to modify contributions. Since Social Security alone is not adequate income and many will be physically unable to work their entire old age, these new rules facilitating increased retirement planning are a benefit to society.

Technically the new decade starts Jan. 1, 2021, but we’re in the 20s – a new beginning. We commonly write 2 digits each for month, day and year. But now that it’s 2020, there are warnings to write the year in all 4 digits. On any document – contracts, leases, checks etc., if you only put down /20 – anyone can easily backdate it by adding 2 numbers. Write out all 4 digits for the year. Get in the habit to prevent hazard.

This January and February will be the biggest post-holiday clearance months we’ve seen – and 2020 the biggest clearance year yet overall. That’s unusual in a strong economy, but this year broke pattern. Retailers are in shock over the unprecedented number of returns. Many of the items coming back have no value for theretailer. As a result, clearance sales are the real deal, especially on apparel. It’s a double whammy for clothing retailers as spring items are already on the shelves and online. Now comes overwhelming winter returns. Mark downs are off the charts. This was the first Christmas season that a big percentage of clothing was bought online, creating return rates stunning to everyone in retail. The FT reports that online purchases are being returned at 3 times the rate of in-store purchases. Retailers are forced to rent trailers and warehouse space to house the returns, overwhelming staff. Hence it will take longer to get the goods back out for sale, driving down values even more. So THIS year, we’ll continue to see clearance sales into February with significant markdowns. Next holiday season will have to be different because retailers can’t deal. Wide return rights have boomeranged on retailers into a tsunami of returns. All to the point that phenomenal bargains can be had for the next several weeks.

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Edmunds.com research covering the first 9 months of last year finds that 1 in 3 who traded in a car at a dealership were upside down on the trade-in car. They owed more than the trade-in was worth, averaging $5K. They rolled that debt into a new deal, and leave even more upside down on a different car. This is a disaster. A year ago a dealership F&I man - head of financing & insurance - angrily approached Clark, accusing him of killing business. He'd run into customers who'd gotten Clark's message not to roll negative equity into a new purchase. If you're tired of your car, have it cleaned & detailed. Learn to love it again, pay it off, own it free and clear and drive it debt free. Don't trap yourself by rolling old debt into new debt. This has lead to more repossessions. It doesn't end well.

Edward Jones is knocking on doors to sell investments. A new trend is a real danger zone for our senior citizens. A Clark staffer's 97 year-old Mom was solicited at her door by someone trying to sell investments. Commissioned sales people are hitting neighborhood streets. Morningstar writer Christine Benz reports on finding her intellectually disabled sister being solicited at their home. The elderly are targeted. This is NOT a safe way to buy investments. Make sure the seniors in your life know not to answer the door on this! 

Clark first talked about Lemonade insurance over a year ago when it was an experiment in one state. Time for an update. Lemonade is a coop for homeowners and renters insurance. That's all they sell. When you file a claim, it's not an adversarial process. They use automated claims processing. About 1/3rd of claims are simple enough for automated approval in under a minute! That's different! So far we've had no complaints. Lemonade is now available in roughly half the nation's states. Find out if your state is included at Lemonade.com. Pay potentially lower premiums and not to be treated like a criminal when you make a claim.

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The CDC reports a massive decline in the smoking, down to 13% of the adult population. The same week, a dramatic decline in lung cancer was reported recently. And more people are living 5 years+ after diagnosis. In addition, the British Journal of Sports Medicine finds that if you run, even just once a week, you reduce the risk of early death from any cause by 27%, from heart disease by 30%, from cancer by 25%. Lifestyle changes make a big difference. Running twice or more a week doesn't dramatically increase the benefit! So get your weekly run on to dramatically improve your health and lifespan. 

After housing, transportation is our biggest expense. So it's important to choose the most reliable vehicle. The vehicle market is way overstocked. Carmakers are suffering sluggish sales and bloated inventory. There are deals all over. But, it's not a deal if the car isn't reliable. Consumer Reports does a deep dive for their annual automobile reliability survey. Again, LEXUS emerges as the most reliable vehicle, followed by Mazda, Toyota, Porsche, Hyundai's Genesis, Hyundai, Subaru, Dodge, KIA, Mini, Nissan & Honda. There are specific models listed within these makes. Lexus, Toyota and Mazda have 3 out of 10 each, Hyundai has the last 5. Consider reliability when buying a vehicle.

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2 months ago Clark shared a Bankrate survey finding ATM charges have hit an all time high. Banks are looking for every possible way to take advantage of account holders, charging $4.75 on average for ATM use. You have alternatives. Discount broker Charles Schwab offers banking services, a pioneer in 0 fee ATMs worldwide + no foreign currency junk fees. Their checking is a straight up clean deal. The online banks offer a wide network of ATMs you can use fee free. Online bank apps can show ATMs near you to help you avoid fees. Online banks have no branch overhead, and pass the savings onto customers. 

Post holiday is prime time for side hustles to get out of Christmas debt. January brings a steady stream of emails and social media posted opportunities to pick up part-time money. Be aware of solicitations for a job as a 'drop shipper'. Your home address is used as a delivery point. You're paid commission to resend packages to addresses provided. That's receiving stolen property to send overseas. Being paid makes you an accessory to a criminal ring moving stolen goods. You could do hard time! These crooks use stolen credit cards to buy merchandise, they send it to you to send further out. That leaves you holding the bag. Also next month, expect to see a push in MLM schemes. Legit multi-level-marketing are all about selling a product or service, NOT about recruiting. If the emphasis is on recruiting, the MLM is likely a pyramid scheme. But even when legit sales are involved, 2/3rds to 3/4ths of participants make 0 net dollars from the effort.

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Some workplaces now have the open vending room, equipped with digital cameras. You can register a credit card via fingerprint for ongoing charges, or pay per use. Half the options available are fresh, healthy choices. Improved vending choices is a trend around the country. The industry national association has an agreement to self regulate and make 1 out of 3 choices healthy in 2020. Much of this trend is being driven by consumers. People are choosing fruit, protein bars and other healthier snacks. Also the industry is terrified of the kind regulation or prohibitions surrounding soft drinks.  

Barron's published an article about how difficult it is for Uber & Lyft drivers to make money, unless they buy a used, high fuel economy vehicle. With a 4 year old Toyota Prius at $13 - 14K averaging 50 miles a gallon, it's possible to make a decent living as a gig driver. The cost of the wheels and fuel is core to being profitable as a driver. This also pertains to sales workers given driving allowances. The Tesla Effect is also in play. Tesla has been so popular with luxury drivers, it's devastated the resale value of used European and German luxury vehicles. Today you can find a 3 year old lux car priced in the mid-teens. This is a unique situation in the market. Figure in the overall slowdown in vehicles sales as well, used vehicles are a great deal now. The oversupply of new vehicles piling up on dealers lots means you may be able to buy new for the price of a 1 or 2 year old used vehicle. Use the current distortions in the market right now to your advantage.

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Snow skiing is a very expensive hobby. There are many bargains available for getting to the slopes and skiing. CO and UT are the 2 biggest ski zones. Because of extreme airfare competition in the Denver hub, it's ultra inexpensive to fly to CO. Plus there's been a massive expansion of limited service interstate hotels in CO. So skip the fancy lodges to save. If you stay along a freeway in close proximity to a ski mountain - that's a big savings. For UT, there are 9 ski mountains within close proximity to the Salt Lake City airport, but as a Delta hub, airfare is pricey. But once you get there, there are many affordable hotel options in the Salt Lake Valley close to mountains. Aspen, Vail or Deer Valley lift tickets run around $200 per day, but many other mountains have affordable lift ticket prices. Liftopia.com offers lift ticket bargains. Skiing doesn't have to be so costly. In both markets locals rent ski equipment at better prices than found at the mountains.

Clark has called Wells Fargo "a criminal enterprise impersonating a bank". Hopefully new leadership will end the illegal culture there, but even so, Wells Fargo is a big, traditional bank. The bigs, BOA, WF, Chase and Citi have roughly 50% of market share in the U.S. These are high cost operations under pressure to show profits to stockholders. Their business model is to see how much they can take from customers every month. As a result of how the federal government handled the banking scandals last decade, the smaller banks were hollowed out and are mostly gone, changing the equilibrium of banking. More tech sophistication from online banks allows them to offer better deals, and make a competitive impact in the marketplace. If you have money in traditional bank saving or CDs, you're cheating yourself. Because of these factors, credit unions have gone through radical transformation as well, with the smaller players merging into larger ones big enough to get their tech up to date. Younger customers are looking for great apps and online banking features - modern in every sense. The cultural difference a credit union offers remains - a co-op owned by and serving its members. The biggest credit unions offer a mix of online banking assets, branches AND a focus on service.

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If you have a need to call customer service, be aware they have a great deal of info on their callers. They may know everything you ever purchased from them, how profitable you are, complaint history etc. Your profitability index score determines how much customer service you'll get. Ultimately the big data that companies keep and buy, means we know nothing about them but they know plenty about us. If you're not a high volume customer, you may find going in person to a store gets you better results. The higher your profitability index score, the better customer service you'll receive by phone.

Jobs in tech and engineering generally yield high pay. For others, the big question is whether their education will pay off. The federal government has compiled deep data on the payback on particular courses of study at specific schools. No one school emerges as best or worst value. The desired field of study is key. An interactive tool available in the WSJ adopted from the federal database allows you to pick a school and course of study, and see cost vs earnings payback. Parents and students can see if a degree from a certain school will be worth it.

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Historically, 1 in 5 Americans move each year. But the Census Bureau finds we are relocating at a much lower rate today, closer to 1 in 10 moving each year. People are staying put, primarily because dual incomes make it more difficult to move. This save people money over time. There's enormous cost in both selling and buying a home - generally 10% in and 10% out. One important exception: It's better for your net worth bottom line to move out of a deteriorating neighborhood. It's worth it to sell and move on because it can take decades for neighborhood home values to recover. 

The Financial Times of London did a poll concerning American attitudes about healthcare. Premiums, copays and deductibles have gotten huge, so even with coverage, we're exposed to how unbelievably expensive healthcare is in the U.S. The FT survey found healthcare cost is considered the number one economic threat to our nation in many states. Healthcare consumes 20% of the nation's economy. We can not prosper as a nation in global competition with 1 of every 5 dollars of economic output being swiped by healthcare, It's one out of $10 -$12 elsewhere. That gap is devastating to us. We must address this. Hospitals are freaking over new cost disclosure rules. We should have the right to know costs in advance. 

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Coming next year: the electric Ford Mustang SUV - faster than any Mustang muscle car before. Electric vehicles will get steadily cheaper with longer range. The baseline Mustang SUV will cost what any average SUV costs in the U.S. - around $36K. In the next few years, hundreds of electric vehicles will be introduced. They cost almost nothing to operate and maintain, They typical electric vehicle will get the equivalent of 120 miles per gallon. In TN, VW will be introducing a large variety of electric vehicles. The cost of owning and operating a vehicle will collapse with electric cars. Warning: Electric vehicles are much faster than what we're used to driving. Tesla has developed tech to allow parents to suppress horsepower to protect young drivers. Hopefully other car makers will do the same. A decade out it will be routine to buy electric vehicles because they'll be so much cheaper.

Most people could come up with an extra grand a year by taking the time to go through their expenses and make cuts, capturing the money we burn without intending to. This is easier today because we have so many tech and subscription services. Start thinking about the $1000 challenge. Many could save hundreds a year just by changing their cell phone plan. There's virtually no one who can't generate hundreds in savings by reviewing how they watch video content. Look a what you're subscribed to. Are you using it? Gyms, video streaming services - go over expenses. Grocery shopping is an area where you can save. Think through what you spend, how you spend, where you bank. Go through checking and credit card statements and look where your money is going. Create a checklist of what you can do to save $1k in 2020. You CAN do it!

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People have become comfortable subscribing to most anything. But cars is a new frontier. The first efforts at car subscription services appeared in 2017, all aimed at the luxury market. $1 - $2K a month bought a rotating fleet of vehicles as desired. Current services limit changeouts. There are now subscription services competitive with typical vehicle costs. The cost of having a vehicle all in averages around $700 a month. Now car subscription services are appearing that include insurance, maintenance and all fees with no long term commitment for $500- to $700 a month. This allows you to flex vehicle needs from sedans to trucks. At this price level, these will be typical vehicles. This could be a good choice for convenience leasers. The best answer remains buying a used car and driving it until the wheels fall off.  

Clark’s has talked about Mechanical Turk (MTurk), now the subject of a NYT report, claiming it’s a waste of time paying .97cents an hour. Our own investigation found you could average making around $7 an hour. True, many surveys on the site are a waste of time. But there’s a plugin we recommend to figure out which surveys are worth your time.

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One Minnesota senior living center is renting out vacancies to nearby college students. Students in residence volunteer hours to senior citizens for discounted food and lodging. Winona State students and seniors benefit alike - Win - win! The mutual benefits of this cross generational opportunity are immeasurable. Meanwhile the predicted demand for senior housing could be exaggerated, as more seniors choose to age in place, accommodated by technology. Adult children can monitor their aging parents from across the country. Apple and Samsung watches provide the capacity for shared health alerts. New services provide a level of care through home visits at a much lower cost than residing in institutional settings. 

Tech firms are going heavily into banking services. Fintechs offer new ways to handle, save and invest your money. A survey found that of the big 4 tech companies, people trust Amazon the most to handle their money. They've yet to enter that sector. But The WSJ reports Google is setting up banking operations in a joint venture with Citibank and a credit union. Google enjoys a financial trust level greater than Apple. The survey reports the least trust in Facebook, which has trashed its own reputation. Facebook has not shown respect for user privacy - a long term issue that undermines its credibility. Google is trusted 2 to 1 to handle money vs Facebook. The big news for consumers is that change comes from outside this industry. New and improved deals are coming from competitors outside traditional banking. Around 15 years ago, European ING Direct pioneered online banking options we enjoy today, offering superior rates on saving. Traditional banks are limited by legacy computer systems and mergers, leaving them with antiquated, high cost operating systems. Consumers will have more choice from innovators.

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Google has the most sophisticated search tool for finding travel bargains because they acquired a key industry database. That combined with Google's data capabilities yields up-to-the-second info. They've added a feature allowing you to shop flights to adjacent airports while shopping flights between selected airports. Google.com/flights is able to shop all fares for months at a time for selected and neighboring airports. You can pull up a calendar and see day by day, month by month the cheapest fares. 

Let's go back a decade + and talk analog financial crime - stolen wallets. It still happens. NEVER NEVER NOT EVER carry a checkbook unless you're on your way to a house closing. If your checks are stolen and a criminal writes checks as if they're you, when those checks pass - YOU get arrested for the bad check. You end up with a record, and having to hire a defense attorney. You have to prove innocence. It's an abuse the way the law works here. 2. Purge all the cards you really don't need. Limit the damage by scaling down your wallet. NEVER carry your social security card around.     

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Retailers now use third party data services to determine whether you get to return an item, regardless of their return policy. "Machine learning" big data companies are crunching data on us all different ways and issuing secret scores, very different from credit scores. The NYT reports on these outfits including Retail Equation, and one called Sift which analyzes 16,000 different factors on an individual to come up with a Sift score for sale. Clark has requested his data from one such company called Zeta Global. Many of these have operated in the shadows, only marketing to companies while stonewalling curious consumers. But California's new privacy law takes effect in January, giving consumers the right to access such data and have it removed. Some of the services are already complying nationwide. They're all terrified of states passing such statutes with differing requirements. We should have the right to control and delete dossiers on us. What happens when these companies get hit with data breaches and all our info is further exposed? Clark will share his requested data files, let you know what you need to access and what rights you have with your own data. Creepy that all these organizations are developing secret scores on us using their own methodologies. Where is privacy? It's not written into our Constitution because early America was so rural, connection was the goal. Privacy is a modern concept that now must be adopted as a national effort comparable to European privacy law which is working well. 

Christa reads listener posts about how Clark has missed the mark in his advice this week. If you have a "Clark Stinks" to share you can leave it here.

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