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Do you have an umbrella? No, not the kind you used to shield yourself from the rain. This is the kind of umbrella that protects your hard-earned dollars. Say, for example, you are in an auto accident and it’s your fault. They may sue and get a judgment against you that goes beyond your auto insurance liability. Well, post judgment, their attorney tries to get everything you’ve got. The more you have, the more you’re at risk, so to speak. So, it’s a good idea to have an umbrella if you have a lot of uncovered assets. That means that you have a lot of stuff but you don’t owe money on it. That could include equity in your home or money in brokerage accounts. It doesn’t have to be your fault. You could still end up broke. So, ask your insurance company if it offers any kind of umbrella. Most do, they just don’t advertise it. Clark recommends that you buy coverage equaling the amount of assets you have. You probably won’t need to use it. But it’s a good idea to have it anyway. If you have it and pay for it for years and years, it’s a good thing!

You’re late for an appointment or you’re trying to get to work, and all of a sudden you run into traffic. What would it be worth to know you can get where you needed to go on time? We’re about to find out. California, Texas, Minnesota, Colorado and Virginia are a few of the states experimenting with “pay lanes” that allow people to circumvent traffic by paying a fee. The fee is based on the demand to use the lanes. In California, for instance, if traffic is flowing fine in the free lanes it costs only a quarter. If it’s really heavy, drivers may pay $5 to go full speed. Clark gets very freaked out by traffic. He hates sitting in it, but he’s not sure if he’d pay $5. We’ll see when and if he has to pay!