• hadd.com - siding claims information
• affordabledrugs.il.gov - Illinois' overseas drug effort
• Pfizer.com - Pfizer's new prescription options

Clark gets calls every week from people who want to become mystery shoppers. This is a coveted job that many people would like to have. But the truth is mystery shopping is a very selective business. There are some mystery shopping opportunities out there, but for the most part mystery shopping companies quietly seek out the candidates they want. According to the Detroit News, mystery shoppers who work in the car business are highly trained and usually have backgrounds in private investigation, bounty hunting or some research field. They evaluate how customers are greeted, how the business is run and, of course, they kick the tires on cars. They use codes when talking over the phone, and some even wear disguises and hidden cameras. It’s a very serious business that can provide very valuable information to consumers. More companies need to consider hiring mystery shoppers of their own to make sure their businesses are catering to customers.

Furniture retailing is a very hard market in which to succeed. The housing market has been really strong and people want to fill their big homes with all kinds of furniture. But in spite of that, furniture retailers still are struggling. Huffman Koos, a popular furniture retailer in the Northeast, is liquidating because the company couldn’t find a buyer to take over its ailing business. Sometimes furniture stores just shut down one day, and people who have paid for furniture ahead of time are left holding the bag. When you order custom furniture and there is a deposit you must put down, make sure you pay with a credit card. Do not use a debit card, cash or a check. Once you pay, you should start the clock. If the retailer said the furniture should arrive in four to six weeks, and that time passes with no furniture, you should start to wonder. The furniture may be just a little late. But the company could be in financial trouble, meaning your furniture was never ordered. At seven weeks, call and ask what’s going on. If they stall you some more, get ready to file a dispute with your credit card. At eight weeks, you are in danger. When it reaches 55 days, file the dispute. You only have 60 days to file a dispute, so make sure you get it in a few days early. If it turns out that you eventually get your furniture, you can always remove that dispute claim and release the money to the company. But make sure you are protected regardless.

It’s definitely an election year! President Bush is feeling a lot of heat from senior citizens about prescription drug plans in our country. So he’s now back pedaling on the administration’s staunch position that Americans should not be allowed to buy drugs from other countries. He’s saying that he would like Americans to buy drugs from overseas, but he doesn’t want anyone to get injured or die from these drugs if they’re tainted. That is a bunch of hooey. The drugs are fine and the people want to buy them. Clark hopes the President reconsiders his position on this, even if he’s using it as a way to get more votes. But now states are getting involved and offering consumers even more options. Illinois has set up a program to help its residents buy drugs from Ireland, England and Canada. For more information on this program, click here. Minnesota and Wisconsin already have programs in place. USA Today recently published a chart showing that a three-month supply of heartburn medicine cost $422 in the U.S. The same drug cost $164 in Ireland, $166 in England and $172 in Canada. That’s a huge difference. So, this is a big issue and it’s going to get even bigger. Pfizer has also launched a new program for individuals who can get medicines free if they are under a certain income level. For families, it’s under $30,000 a year; individuals it’s $20,000. As income goes up, the discount goes down. Check that one out.

Cable TV satisfaction is falling off, while satellite TV is picking up more advocates, according to research from J.D. Power & Associates. But the gap between the two is narrowing. On a scale of 1,000, according to a University of Michigan poll, satellite TV scores a 723 in satisfaction, while cable gets a 621. This is actually an improvement for cable, but Clark predicts that the cable industry, will next offer a number of deals and specials because of fear of competition. The industry has improved over the past six years so hopefully it will begin to offer better service to the public. Meanwhile, on the other hand, satellite is getting more complaints. Pricing for both services may decline, as well. Why? Because the phone companies may get in to TV service. The good news is that the cable and satellite industry will be forced to focus more on the customer.

For the last two years, Clark has talked about being careful in overheated housing markets. It has gotten extreme in Boston and New York, where people are paying more than a million dollars. The average price for a condo is over $1 million; prices were only half that five years ago. Other places where the costs are equally dramatic are South Florida and Las Vegas. This is the most overheated housing market in the USA. How do you protect yourself? Time in the market is your best ally. Think about how long you are willing to own. The longer you are willing to own, the less risk you face in real estate. When people can no longer afford to pay, the market adjusts. If you overpay at the front end, but can stick it out, you lower your risk in housing costs. Consider the stock market, which has gone nowhere this year. People have taken some set backs, but the stocks will come back. Nevertheless, people must have an exit strategy. The real wealth now is in real estate and real estate appreciation. There is big money in this area.