• clarkhoward.com - saver's credit info

The saver’s credit is an idea that Congress came up with to help Americans prepare for retirement. As you go down the income scale, people are less likely to save money. Quite often, there is a lot of negative net savings, meaning people spend more than they make. So the saver’s credit allows you to put money aside for retirement while getting a match from the Feds. For singles, it caps out at $25,000 a year, and for married couples it caps out at $50,000. As your income rises, the amount of federal freebies goes down. It’s a very simple application and it’s only around until 2006, so get going. How often does someone send free money your way? To learn more, check out our chart on clarkhoward.com.

Portion sizes at American restaurants are huge these days. Restaurants are serving portions that are four times the size of those served back in 1985. That’s less than a generation ago. The reason for the huge portions is, in part, because restaurateurs can charge more for meals. So, Clark’s advice is to split it with someone. It cuts the cost and the calories in half. If there is a sharing charge, pay it. It will still be a lot less and it’s great for your health.