Clark has always been a big fan of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Now, according to the Orange County Register, other people are catching on to this trend. The cost of the bulbs has gone down to about $1, and the light cast by the fluorescents is much more appealing these days. Not the mention the fact that you will save massive amounts of money if you use them. One bulb can save you about $30 over its lifetime. So, even though regular candescent bulbs cost much less, they aren’t nearly as good a deal. If you hated them before, try them again. You may change your mind.

• hsainsider.com - help with HSAs
• hsafinder.com - help with HSAs
• donotcall.gov - sign up if you haven't already
• ehealthinsurance.com - buying individual health insurance

A new study from Hewitt & Associates shows that about one in two people liquidate their 401k money when they leave a job. When you do this, your nest egg becomes a goose egg. When you cash out your 401k, a huge amount of that money goes to taxes. For example, if you have $5,000 saved up, $2,000 goes straight to taxes if you cash out your 401k when you switch jobs. And it seems to be a generational thing. Almost 70 percent of people in their ‘20s cash out of their 401k plans when leaving a job. At 30, it goes down to 50 percent. But even 40 percent of people in their ‘40s cash out of their 401k plans. You need to leave the money alone and let it grow. You will be much happier in the long run.

This year has been a flashpoint in the history of identity theft. Not only were there a record number of identities stolen, with the number increasing each month. But there were also huge security breaches at Choicepoint, Bank of America and many other huge companies. These companies carelessly leaked or sold customers’ financial information to criminals, causing a surge in ID theft. One law in California has been the saving grace in this catastrophe, and it was the brainchild of Sen. Deborah Bowen. Today, Clark talked to Bowen about the law, which has changed the focus of identity theft across the country. The beauty of the law is that it requires companies to notify customers when a breech has occurred. Before that, companies in California just kept it a secret and charges would all of a sudden show up on your credit card bills and credit reports. She talked about the fact that people deserved “fair warning” when something like this happened to them. And Clark hopes it takes shape in all other states soon!

More than half of people with Internet access use high-speed service today. The problem is that the cost of these services is much higher than it is in other countries, while the service is much slower. Now, a few initiatives traveling around Capitol Hill will make it even more of a monopoly industry. But Clark doesn’t think it’s all doom and gloom. In spite of what appears to be very anti-consumer measures going on, Clark thinks this is just a brief stop on our way to much more options and cheaper prices. We are on the edge of getting high speed Internet service from all kinds of alternative ways, including over the phone line and through our power companies. One thing to remember is not to sign a contract for high-speed service right now. If you do, you won’t be able to take advantage of the great offers when they come along. So, keep it month to month for now.

The second largest expense for most people is a car, and the car market has been turned upside down because of employee pricing discounts. It started with GM and then Ford and Chrysler got involved. In the month of June, sales were up about 50 percent more than last year because of these programs. So, this no-haggle promotion is the most successful one in history. The interesting part is that the amount someone saved on a car overall was the same, according to several studies. But, once the employee pricing model was introduced, sales took off. People hate the car buying process, so they were willing to spend more – or at least the same – when the price was the price. If you want more proof, think about CarMax. The company has a no-haggle sale policy, and people can get their money back if they decide to take the back in the first three days. CarMax may not be in your town yet, but if it is it’s worth checking out. People in the car business need to wake up and realize despise the grind. The average car dealership keeps people in limbo for two days before the sale happens, and people are sick of hearing, “Let me go talk to my manager.” They’re voting with their wallets and it’s going to continue.

Do you remember when you walked into a drug store or supermarket and you’d see maybe three or four toothpastes on the shelf? Last year, about 112 new toothpastes were added to the market. A study done in Britain compared different types of toothbrushes and found that it doesn’t make much difference which kind you use. They all do about the same thing. There are a few exceptions. If you do a bad job brushing your teeth, meaning you rush through it or don’t have make the correct circular motions, you need a rotating and oscillating brush. If you have arthritis or bad manual dexterity, these electronic toothbrushes would be good for you. And the most important thing you can do for your teeth is floss. You prevent so many dental problems if you just floss every night.