• half.com - used textbook deals
• amazon.co.uk - used text book deals
• bookcentral.com - used text book deals
• cruisecritic.com - cruise info
• uspto.gov - patent info
• nolo.com - patent info

The percentage of people leasing cars is dropping like a rock, according to the Detroit News. Apparently, consumers who’ve been burned once or twice are swearing off car leases. Plus, the automakers were burned as well. The leasing thing ate up everyone except those people who came along and bought the used cars after the lease was up. Four years ago, one out of three cars were being leased. Today, it’s one in 11. Leases account for just five percent of sales for domestic automakers. For the Japanese, it’s nine percent. But European automakers are still leasing vehicles in big numbers. More than one-third of all European brands are still being leased. So, what you need to know is that this year and next year there will still be good deals on cars that are two, three and four years old. The leases made years ago are flooding the market and creating an opportunity as a used car buyer. Looking several years down the road, however, the deals will not be so good. People are leasing cars right now for the longest time periods in history. Many are upside down in their vehicles, so they’re going to have to stick with them for many years. It will starve the used car market starting in about 2006 and 2007. European brands will still be available, though. You’ll continue to find good deals on those cars. But this is great news that people are not leasing as much. Leasing a car is the worst financial circumstance you can be in. It’s a commitment without a way out. And you can be destroyed financially by getting a lease. And if you terminate early, the penalty may exceed what the remaining monthly payments are. So, if it seems appealing, think twice. You can buy a nice luxury car that is two or three years old, and the payment will be about the same as a new car lease payment would be. Then, you can own the thing at the end of the loan.

Clark heard a few months ago that AT&T was planning to raise rates in 2004 for all customers. Even people who are on a high-rate calling plan and who pay no monthly fee will be assessed $50 a year. MCI has assessed fees as high as $14 a month on some customers. Sprint has also raised fees, and Bell South has added a long distance fee that never existed. Throughout the phone industry, the whole fee parade continues unabated. That’s why Clark has a page dedicated to bargain long distance carriers on his Web site. Check it out by clicking here. With these companies, you have no monthly fee and the rates are very inexpensive. So, if you have stayed with one of the big three long distance carriers, you could be wasting $50 to $150 a year in junk fees. Even if you make no long distance calls, why should you have to pay a fee? It makes no sense.

Clark gets a huge number of calls from listeners who have had serious problems with their mortgage lender. Lenders have been known to mess up loan balances and to fail to pay taxes on time and sometimes not at all. As a result, a homeowner’s insurance can be cancelled and the homeowner has to buy ultra expensive insurance because no one wants him or her as a customer. Then, when people try to sue them for fouling up, it’s not possible because, according to their documents, lenders only allow “arbitration” as a way to resolve disputes. And the arbitration process is fixed in favor of the lender nearly every time. But all that is about to change. Because of the incredible numbers of abuses, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are taking a stand and are saying that they won’t allow any lender writing loans for them to require mandatory arbitration. They will no longer be able to refer disputes to a third party arbitrator, and it’s about time! Clark doesn’t object to arbitration or mediation. Alternative dispute resolution, in general, is a great thing. But it should be the choice of both parties to go, and each party gets to decide whom they will use. Banks have been the greatest abusers of the arbitration system. One of the nation’s largest banks won arbitration 99.9 percent of the time. Now, that is ridiculous! It’s cynical, abusive and wrong. And now it won’t be allowed for nearly all mortgage loans written in the country. Clark saw information recently about how the public feels toward mortgage lenders. The industry received one of the lowest scores ever reported in the history of surveying customer satisfaction. So, let’s hope this knocks some sense into lenders’ heads.

If you have a son or daughter in college or you are in school yourself, you know that textbooks are a huge expense. It’s not uncommon for books to cost $1,000 a year. But is it really necessary to spend that much money? Maybe not. The Public Interest Research Group conducted a survey among college professors and more than three quarters of them said new textbooks are not justified. Publishers will often put out a new edition just to make money. The new edition will have no new value to the student, but the publishing industry is basically trying to put the used text book industry out of business. Students go online looking for a book and they see all kinds of older editions on sale at great prices. But they buy the new edition because they think they need it. You should ask your professor if it’s okay to buy the previous edition. There will be a few areas of the book that are different or out of order, but 8 out of 10 professors say you’ll be fine. Check out half.com and overseas sites such as amazon.co.uk and bookcentral.com for great used textbook deals. How much will you save? If you buy in a college town, the average text book is $202. If you buy a used copy, that same book is $64. Don't throw money away you don't have to.

Clark often hears from people who’ve gotten ripped off on collect call charges. The three big companies – AT&T, MCI and Sprint – destroy people on collect call charges. According to a survey by Consumer Action, a 10-minute collect call will cost you $14.89 with Sprint; MCI will charge $14.80; AT&T will charge $13.89 for the call. In short, just under $1.50 a minute. What about if you used a calling card? An MCI credit card will cost you about $14 for 10 minutes. AT&T will charge just under $12, and Sprint charges just under $10. With a pre-paid calling card, however, it will cost you 29 cents with MCI. So, the first thing to remember is that you should never accept a collect call! Secondly, get a pre-paid phone card for your loved ones. You can buy them at all of the warehouse clubs, and now many of the discount stores are selling them for three or four cents a minute. The third area to protect yourself in is with regular long distance charges. The average price of a long distance call is up 55 percent in the past four years, according to Consumer Action. On Clark’s site, you can find rates that are moving down steadily. You should be paying less than five cents for long distance and you should not be paying anyone a monthly fee. There is no reason to pay giant fees to the “Big Three.” And use your cell phone for long distance.