• edmunds.com - estimates on car value
• telestial.com - cell phone overseas
• cheaptickets.com - computer glitch offers wrong price
• ftc.gov - file complaint about "Do Not Call" list
• donotcall.gov - register for "Do Not Call" list

Clark has mentioned studies that show how much additional money you’ll make over your lifetime if you have a college degree or advanced degree. There is a humongous difference in earnings, usually between 40 and 60 percent more with a college degree. But Clark recently saw a report from the Bureau of Labor & Statistics that makes the strongest case for why people should get a college degree. The nation’s unemployment rate for people holding college degrees is down to 2 percent. For those without college degrees, the rate is between 6 and 7 percent. The recent recession was very hard for college-educated workers who lost their jobs. But overall having a college education is invaluable in the long run. Also, colleges have become obsessed with keeping in touch with alums and offering job placement services to former graduates. So, there are great networking and career services through your alma mater. They will ask for your donation money in return, but that's fine. You are getting something out of it too.

About one in four people think it’s okay to cheat their homeowner or auto insurance company. Clark is stunned by that news. He has dealt with insurance representatives who assume that most people who submit claims are being dishonest. But maybe they have a reason to be cynical about it. The sad part is that when something legitimate happens, you’ll be guilty until proven innocent. In Britain, insurance agents are using voice recognition software to determine if you are lying. The caller is withdrawing one out of every eight claims, as a result. It’s so valuable to insurers that they are paying as much as $35 per phone call. The software found that about 70 percent of people were telling the truth, meaning that 30 percent were being dishonest. But when the agents checked further, they found that one third were actually telling the truth. So, the system should be used as a fact checker, not as an ironclad system. So what is happening in the States? Two insurers - one in California and one in Illinois - are about to start testing the software on customers. The industry is not revealing which companies those are, but in many states insurers have a right to record you without your knowledge. So in these “one party states,” you could be tested and not know it. So, don’t lie!

Clark recently flew back from his nationwide marketing tour and he had some problems getting home. He was flying through Denver when the radar at the airport failed, causing hundreds of flights to be delayed or cancelled. He was watching the story on the television in seat back in front of him as the plane circled over Denver. Then the pilot told the passengers that the plane was about to run out of gas and that they would have to land in Colorado Springs. The plane was one of hundreds on the tarmac and Clark and the rest of the passengers had to sit in the plane for about five hours. He saw some pretty despicable behavior while they waited. Some people were screaming at airline workers, who obviously have no control over the radar system not working. If you don’t travel often, airports may cause you anxiety. And when something doesn’t go right, it won’t accomplish anything to yell or treat others badly. Be polite and be prepared with solutions. Standing in line at the customer service desks won’t do you much good. Get on the phone with the airline reservation system yourself and you’ll have just as much progress. People who call get seats on the next flight out while you’re stuck waiting in line. If you can help it, don’t take the last flight of the day because there is a chance you’ll get stuck. And avoid Monday morning flights if you can help it. Clark thinks security will improve at airports because the Transportation Security Administration loses its contract after this year. The TSA will be in competition with private companies to handle security, and the groups will be tripping over themselves to do a better job.

The CEO of Best Buy is giving 200,000 of his personal stock options worth about $7.5 million to other non-executive employees. Options are opportunities to buy stock in a company at a certain time and pre-set price. It’s one of the ways corporate types feather their nests, and there has been a lot of underhanded handling of these stocks. But this is the exact opposite. He obviously wants the employees to feel a stake in the game. Clark thinks it’s great. Execs need to do whatever it takes to make employees feel like part of the team and feel valued. In turn, they will value the customers, and that makes everyone money.

Clark can’t stand telemarketing calls. The idea itself upsets him. So, he was ecstatic over the federal “Do Not Call” list. But apparently some companies are still disobeying the law and calling you and me. The FTC has already gotten 300,000 complaints from people who are getting calls when they’re not supposed to. Many of these telemarketers claim they are doing surveys, which are exempt from the law. They still give you the same pitch, but it’s in the form of a “survey.” If you’re getting these regular calls, go to the FTC site and complain. Or, you can do what some of Clark’s callers have done, and tape the calls. Then, you’ve got proof to sue the companies.

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In other telecommunications news, Clark told you in March about a cell phone registry of numbers that companies were putting together to list your cell phone number. It would mean you would receive spam text messages on your cell phone that you have to pay for. Not to mention the fact that any company can buy this directory, get your number and call you. One of the benefits of having a cell phone is that you only give out your number to those people you want to have it. So, Clark is outraged over this directory. Clark talked with Travis Larson, a spokesperson for the CTIA, and he claimed that people would only be included in the registry if they “opted in.” Larson also said people should not have to pay for those messages. Several cell phone companies also called to rebut the story that was originally published in The Baltimore Sun. But a story published today in the L.A. Times reiterated what the Sun said. People will be included secretly and people will have to pay for text messages, according to the Times. The only company that is not participating is Verizon. T-Mobile has even changed the language of its contract to say that people will automatically be included in this directory. The “Do Not Call” list protects you from being contacted by a telemarketer, but it doesn’t protect you from getting spammed by text messages. We need to voice our opinions about this, and stop it!

Clark is stunned by the results of his weekly poll. The question was whether a cubic zirconia would be just as nice as getting a real diamond for an engagement ring. About 38 percent said a CZ or diamond look-alike would be fine, while 44 percent wanted a real diamond. About 18 percent hadn’t made up their minds. So, you’ve got to really know what your future spouse wants. It wasn’t so divided when it came to a less expensive or borrowed dress. Many more women said they wouldn’t mind that. In our next poll, Clark wants to know how you feel about a ticketing snafu that took place on cheaptickets.com. It’s a pretty big travel booking site that recently listed flights to Europe for under $100. Hundreds of people bought the tickets before Cheap Tickets realized it’s mistake and took the fare down. So, should the company have to honor the fare or is that simply not fair? Who should take the hit?