• telestial.com - unlock cell phones
• kallback.com - call back to the United States
• clarkhoward.com - Clark's 529 buying guide
• bankrate.com - 5-year CD at 5 percent!
• nahb.org - National Association of Home Builders
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Space tourism was born a few years ago. In fact, one entrepreneur paid $20 million to travel into space about three years ago. That’s pretty pricey. But the good news is that the cost of space travel is declining. Within a few years, the cost could get as low as $15,000 a ride. Testing will go on this summer, and, if you’re interested, there will be a lot more opportunities. Individual air travel is also on the horizon. Pretty soon people will travel to work or across the country in their personal travel machine. If you live long enough, you’ll see it.

Clark has been very concerned with corruption going on in 529 or college savings plans. These are wonderful investment opportunities to help pay for college educations and all of the earnings are tax-free for the next seven years. They are very flexible, too. But Congress overlooked some things when they set up the 529 system. According to law, these plans must be sponsored by a state and administered by a brokerage or financial house. Unfortunately, the states don’t always check out the companies that offer to host the plans and some corrupt organizations have gotten involved. As a result some plans have been hijacked and investors’ money was stolen. But Clark has a sure fire way not to get taken. He has put together a “529 Honor Roll” that includes great plans with very low fees. The best, in his opinion, comes from Utah. Utah gets highest honors in his new, revamped survey. But the other 11 plans are listed on the honor roll. Check it out. If your state is on the list, go with that one because you’ll get the added tax benefits of being a resident there. If your state is not on the list, go with Utah. You can also put money into Coverdell plans at the same time. Just remember to fund your own retirement first. That is always your first priority.

When the price of something goes up, do you change what you buy? For example, if the price of a meal at a restaurant goes up, do you order something else? Prices of certain ingredients such as milk, beef, cheese and pork have gone up. At the same time, the economy has improved. So, restaurateurs have raised prices a bit. But people are not spending anymore. Why? They have changed what they order to fit within a certain price range. They may skip the dessert, or trade down to a cheaper entrée. When we move into a phase of inflation, people change their behavior. Some buy store brands for the first time. Others buy generic or off brand gasoline.

Air travel has become a huge bargain lately. In part it’s because discount airlines now fly coast to coast, which is something only full fare airlines used to do. Full fare airlines have had to cut fares by 80 to 90 percent to compete with discounters. But it doesn’t always work to the discounter’s advantage. When JetBlue jumped into the Long Beach/Oakland to Atlanta route, Delta fought back by creating tons of flights and reducing its prices significantly. After a year and a half, JetBlue had to leave the market. The same thing is happening in Dallas, where AirTran is trying to capture some of the Dallas to LA route. As a result, American Airlines is cutting fares for business travelers by as much as 95 percent and is adding 39 flights a day on that route. Leisure fares are dropping by about 50 percent, as well. All across the country, the business model that full fare airlines have traditionally used is dying. The full fare airlines are going to have to change their business model if they want to survive. It’s likely that of the six full fare airlines, only three or four at most will make it. Many people will lose their jobs, which is sad. But it’s great for consumers. Also, if you have miles on one of the six full fare airlines, use them! The six are Delta, American, United, Continental, Northwest and US Air.

Getting a car repaired can be a nerve wracking experience. You don’t know who to trust or what to expect. And, when they take your car away you have to trust they will do what they have promised. Most of the time they do, but sometimes they don’t. And this has severely hurt the reputation of auto repair shops. One shop suburban Detroit wants to gain back customers’ trust, so they’ve taken extra steps. The company allows customers watch the repair over the Internet as it is happening. The program is called “Auto Watch,” and it allows you to access video of your car using a particular code. By allowing customers to check in on the repair, the shop deals with fewer phone calls from customers and increases trust with them. A software developer created the program and now sells it to repair shops all over the country. About two dozen new shops a month are buying the program, which is now in 40 states. If it’s not in your state yet, just remember to find a mechanic you trust through word of mouth. Get a written estimate whenever you have work done, and always get a second estimate for major repairs- even if you have to have your car towed to another shop.

Clark is in the process of redoing his kitchen. He wasn’t totally on board with the idea, but now he’s glad he listened to his wife, Lane. It wasn’t that expensive, and the kitchen looks much nicer. But will Clark make back the money? Probably not. It’s unlikely they will make 100 percent on it, but they knew that going into the project. You should complete a home improvement project because you will enjoy how it looks and the purpose it serves. According to Remodeling Magazine, the typical repair will make back an average of 75 cents on every dollar you spend. Bathroom remodeling projects will get about 90 cents on the dollar, and kitchens will return about 80 cents on the dollar. So, don’t think about doing this if you’re going to be in your house for a short time.