• donotcall.gov - register for five years on the list
• landlord.com - rental landlords
• dishnetwork.com - satellite service
• fastweb.com - scholarship info
• finaid.org - financial aid
• dishwnetwork.com - plasma and HDTV
• fastweb.com - scholarship info
• finaid.org - scholarship info

Clark is not a big fan of rebates. So, when his computer died recently, he was not excited about having to shop for a new one. But he saw an ad for a computer that he liked, and it was on sale for $339 after rebates. The only problem was that he had to purchase the monitor and printer, which Clark didn’t need, in order to get the computer at the advertised price. Then, he found out that the price upfront was actually $739, with $400 worth of rebates! To make matters worse, there were seven different rebates he had to submit to get the sale price. The process took Clark more than an hour to organize and send, which worked out to be about 10 minutes for each rebate. Now, he has to wait six to eight weeks for his rebate checks to arrive, and that’s hoping they come at all. The point is that it’s up to you to decide whether $400 is worth more than an hour of your time and a 6-to-8 week wait. That’s a lot of time. But, to Clark, it’s worth it. In the future, figure out if the rebate is worth your time before you purchase an item. The only company that does not make the process very involved and lengthy is Costco, as far as Clark knows. Costco has a very simple online rebate filing process that is unlike any other. But until other companies catch on, you’ll have to put some time into it.

Are you aware of the gender gap in today’s workplace? The Christian Science Monitor addressed this issue recently, focusing mainly on how women perceive the workplace compared to men. Most women feel incredibly insecure about their jobs because there is no secure environment for them in the workplace. Home Depot and Wal-Mart especially have been scrutinized lately for their treatment of women. Wal-Mart is facing a giant class action lawsuit involving discrimination against women. Wal-Mart’s female workers feel they haven’t been given the same opportunities or treated the same as male employees. Home Depot has gone through a similar lawsuit. Women feel that job loss is just around the corner for them. About half of women surveyed in the CSM study feel they have experienced some type of job loss, even if it’s a friend who has lost a job. About 90 percent of women now say it’s impossible to find a job that pays well and provide benefits. They are also worried about healthcare and its costs. Both political parties need to include female workplace discrimination as part of their platforms. It’s going to be a huge issue.

Clark is a long time believer in mutual funds as a way to build up long-term savings and retirement income. However, the mutual fund industry has had a really rough time recently because of all the corruption going on at various brokerages. Brokers have been putting people’s money in unstable funds in order to receive big bonuses or trips. So far the fines they’ve had to pay as a result are between $2 and 3 million. But no one has gone to jail yet, and that is where Clark thinks these crooks belong. The industry has fought tooth and nail against the federal government establishing some meaningful oversight over the mutual fund industry. The Securities and Exchange Commission has set up some rules, but the reality is that there are still a lot of crooks ripping off our money. Despite all of that negative news, Clark still believes that mutual funds are the best choice when saving for your future. The key is that you make sure you are putting money into a legitimate funds administered by low-cost companies. Much of the corruption in the business has come from the commission-based companies, so you want to be sure you choose commission-free brokerages. You can still hire a fee-only financial planner, or you can make your own decisions and buy your own funds. Either of these two ways will work fine. Clark’s top four mutual fun companies are Vanguard, TIAA-CREF, T. Rowe Price and Fidelity. Check out his favorite funds by clicking here. So, stick with one of these.

Wouldn’t it be great if you never got a call from a telemarketer again? Well, 62 million Americans don’t anymore, thanks to the federal "Do Not Call" list. It’s not working perfectly, but it’s pretty darn close. If you haven’t already registered, go to donotcall.gov and sign up. Telemarketers cannot legally call your number for five years once you sign up. The system does not include charities, political parties and members of Congress, however. You can register up to three numbers at a time for no charge. And remember that the easiest way to avoid getting ripped off by telemarketers is to not answer the phone when they call.

Clark travels a great deal and experiences the good and bad of air travel. The Transportation Security Authority, which handles security at all airports, has been doing a decent good job since September 11, 2001. But Clark feels that a pre-selected screening method would work much better. People would be screened on their likely level or risk first. Then, once they pass that phase they would be screened again in a less intrusive way. Pre-selection and screening helps separate those people who need more checking from those who pose no risk at all. It will save tons of time in airport security lines. In addition, the TSA is a monopoly that has the power to detain you if they deem you were rude or acting inappropriately. They are expected to move people through quickly and detect any weapons, but the reality is that those are two very opposing objectives. So, the good news is that a new law was passed allowing airports to fire TSA workers if they don’t like the job they are doing. By the end of next year, airports will be allowed to hire their own airport screening companies. The airports in Las Vegas and Atlanta have had terrible problems with security lines, some lasting more than six hours. So, something isn’t working. Clark thinks that that security lines should be split between federal screeners and private screeners. People would have a choice and they would inevitably choose the quicker line. You would probably see a per-passenger fee added to your ticket, but the wait would be much shorter. We’ll keep you posted on what happens.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has a division called the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The job of the NHTSA is to protect you from safety defects in cars and any other related safety issues. So, Clark was astonished to hear that automakers no longer want to report safety issues to car dealerships, something that has been required by law for years. Automakers have been whining to politicians Washington D.C. about how much money it costs them to fix repairs. And, sadly, the DOT bought it. Automakers were able to convince politicians that they should be able to file a notice with the government about recalls without having to tell car dealerships about them. In other words, automakers can keep it a secret that there is a defect in their cars that could kill you and your family. Automakers are no longer going to have to take responsibility for defects in their cars. Clark wants to do something about this absurd decision. Therefore, every other week, Clark will put any recent auto recalls in the “Clark Said” newsletter for your convenience. If you see your car on the list, you will then have to tell your dealer because they won’t know anything about it. Clark can’t see how these people can sleep at night knowing they are deliberately putting people in danger. So, if you want to know about these recalls, sign up for the newsletter here. Another disturbing detail is that only one in three of us get our vehicles fixed after we hear about a recall in the mail. So, check the newsletter for any recalls, and GET THEM FIXED!