• ripoff.com - current scams
• donotcall.gov - Do Not Call registry
• privacyrights.org - help with ID theft
• libertydollar.org - alternative dollar source

You’ve probably heard of hybrid cars. They have two engines - gas and electric - and they alternate between both. When Clark bought his first hybrid, it cost a little more because it was such a new concept. Well, now the same thing is happening with the Toyota Prius. Dealers are charging way above list price and there are very long wait lists to get these cars. People are even bidding on eBay to move up in line on the waiting lists. People buy these cars to save money on fuel. But they’re spending so much money on these cars that they won’t ever make up the difference in fuel savings. The Prius averages about 40 to 50 miles to the gallon, so that is a deal. There are also a number of other hybrid vehicles coming into the market including the Honda Accord hybrid, the Ford Escapes hybrid and the Lexus SUV hybrid. That one could cost you $50,0000. So you’ll have to buy tons of fuel before that makes sense. You don’t want to dump your current car for a hybrid if it runs fine. But if you need to replace a dying car, buying a car that gets better fuel economy is smart.

Clark has been on the air since 1987 and he just started getting calls from retirees about three years ago. They want to know how to handle money in their retirement years. You don’t want to spend too much because you’ll run out of money before you die. And you don’t want to spend too little because you’ll live a very frugal life unnecessarily. So, basically you want to spend just the right amount of money. You might have a couple IRAs, some 401ks and some small pensions. Now what do you do? Fidelity Investments may have the answer for you. The company has just spent about $75 million developing software programs that provide support to people in retirement. It allows you to take all of your retirement plans and then customize how much you can afford to spend from each one. More than one in four people are going to retire in the next five years, and many of them are not sure how to spend money. Odds are that one member of a couple will live until 92. So, you need to parcel out the money so that you don’t outlive it. Check out Fidelity’s plan. The good news is that you don’t have to be a Fidelity customer to use it.

New statistics show that new cars are the cheapest they’ve ever been in terms of how many weeks of pay it takes to buy a car. The “Auto Affordability Index” shows that it takes the average person roughly 20 weeks of pay to buy a car. That is the best it’s been since the group started keeping records a generation and a half ago. It means that car quality and performance is much better than it used to be, and car pricing is phenomenal. In addition, the car market is splitting into two groups. Vehicles are being sold at luxury and near luxury levels as well as at the ultra discounted level. Many cars are sold in the low, to mid-teens, including the Scion, Toyota’s discount brand. Kia, Hyundai and Suzuki are also selling cars at low, low prices. Clark doesn’t’ want you to buy a car solely on the discount. Buy based on how much above or below the dealer cost you will pay. But the average vehicle is sold today at a 17 percent discount off the sticker price. According to Edmunds, the average new car is selling at $5,000 below the sticker price. SUVs are getting a 22 percent discount, mid-size cars get a 17 percent discount, compact cars – 13 percent and mini vans 15 percent. Obviously, small cars are in more demand now because people are concerned about fuel costs. All around, it’s great news for consumers. Just make sure you do your homework.

Would you believe that there is now a computer on the market for teenagers that costs $1,700? It’s called the “Hip E” and it is framed in pink fuzz, graffiti or leopard skin. Kids are fashion plates and they want to make sure their computers are too. But this is ridiculous. You should pay $400 or $500 at most for a computer today. With rebates, it could be less. Even laptops are available for $699 after rebate. So, the marketplace has significantly discounted the cost of computers, and there is no reason to buy one that costs $1,700. If your teen is begging for one of these, buy a standard desktop, go to the craft store and glue some pink fuzz around the frame. You’ll both be happy. The best time to buy a computer is the day after Thanksgiving.

Have you heard of the “Try Before You Buy” program from Maytag? It’s been around for a while, and basically you get to do a load of laundry or bake cookies with an appliance before you purchase it. It’s a very successful program, with people buying an item 70 percent of the time. The company is opening several stores a month around the country, and there should be 60 more around the country by the end of the year. So, who is doing laundry these days? According to Money Magazine, 70 percent of the time it’s the women doing the laundry in a male/female couple. Why is that? Three-quarters of the time it’s because the woman doesn’t trust the man to do it right.