Clark just returned from a trip to Dayton, Ohio, where he met a female listener who was clearly very wealthy. She could buy any clothes she wanted, but she told Clark she buys used clothes. The key to her success has been to live below her means. In every book you read, the first tip is to spend less than you make. Think through the things in your life you think you MUST DO. Do you really have to do them? We want to impress others for some reason, so we spend money on things we don’t really need. But why not be reverse chic. Impress people with how good you are with your money instead of what your latest material possession is.

Television audiences are so spread out and busy these days that ad agencies are trying everything they can to get people to watch ads. The latest trend is using humans as advertisers. Sandwich shops and service shops in New York City have done that for years with body billboards. But this is a bit different. People will walk around with temporary tattoos of business names on their foreheads. It’s becoming particularly popular among young people, according to ABC News. Scion is just one of the companies hiring kids to sport these facial and body tattoos because the car is targeted toward teens. Streaking is another hot advertising trend. People will plaster ads on their naked bodies and run up and down streets. So, when does all of this stop? When people stop noticing these outlandish antics, that’s when a new idea will pop up.

Many people have been visiting the unemployment office in the past few years and it’s been a very trying time for those people. In the midst of it all, though, Clark has some good news. Demographers point to trends in the American work force that show with certainty that the job market is going to improve over the next five years. Why? There are so many people nearing retirement age, which will create tremendous labor shortages in certain fields. Nursing is one field that already has massive shortages. And many more will retire in the next decade. These are jobs that cannot be sent overseas, so they will not be filled by foreign workers. As a result, employers are going to have trouble finding good workers. If you are looking for tradesmen and women, you may have to contact trade schools, technical schools and community colleges. These will play a key roll in filling lower wage positions that still require some training. If you are a worker, you will have more flexibility negotiating what you earn. Employers have had the upper hand on wages, but that is about to change.

When you’re looking for a relaxing place to go, would you consider going to a bank? Probably not. Banks are traditionally known as stuffy places, with lots of lines and forms. But some companies are completely redesigning the look of their banks, so that they look more like coffee shops. Bank of America, in particular, has put Starbucks coffee shops in the banks. They also have a media wall, where people can surf the Web while banking. There are no teller windows in most of these banks. Instead, tellers walk around with a clip board and approach you while you sit and enjoy your coffee. The idea is to create a space where people feel welcome and warm. So it’s more like a bank branch inside a coffee store. BOA employers came up with these ideas after visiting other retailers that are trying new customer service techniques. Niketown, for instance, sends shoes to people through pneumatic tubes in the walls. Gap was another store they visited. Delta taught the company that people like using self serve kiosks. Banks do not have monopolies on your money anymore, so they have to fight for your business.

Clark knows that the car buying is one of the most perplexing and frustrating experiences consumers can go through. Many people get taken advantage of or get in over their heads because of the high-pressure sales tactics and other gimmicks. Those underhanded practices have resulted in the passing of a law in California known as the Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights. It basically gives consumers privileges and rights that they don’t have right now in the car buying business. It includes restrictions on the markups dealerships charge for the car and the padded interest rate they often charge when figuring out financing. Under the new law, the spread on that finance rate can not be more than 2.5 percent over the rate for which a consumer qualifies. In that same vein, dealerships will also have to tell customers what their credit scores are. The law is awaiting the governor’s signature right now, but it seems likely to pass. You would think the tenets of the law would be something dealerships do anyway, right? Well, it’s amazing what some dealerships will do to get as much money out of you as they can. More states need to follow California’s lead on this.

Many people have been visigitn the unemployment line in the past few months and it’s lasted much longer than anyone thought. About seven or Sprint has introduced a system that allows you to watch roughly two dozen TV channels live on your cell phone. That’s right. It’s available with several models right now and costs $10 a month for 20 channels. The picture is not up to normal TV standards, but you get a live picture and can actually watch shows. Clark has seen several reviews about the cell phone TV, including one from the technology writer for the Wall Street Journal. He said only gadget and TV nuts should consider buying this system now because it’s not quite ready for prime time. It will be very useful down the road, and it should take about a year for the TV picture to get better. It’s up to you to decide whether more TV in your life is a good or bad thing.