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People responded excitedly when Clark talked in the spring about locking in student loan rates. Graduates could lock in their student loan rates at about 2.75 percent, and those who’d been out of school a while could consolidate at about 3.3 percent. So many people took advantage of this deal, which expired July 1, that the lenders that were supposed to rework the loans couldn’t handle it. In other words, student loan lenders have been unable to consolidate all of the loans and they’re not hurrying to do so either. As a result, some companies are billing those former students at the current rates instead of the consolidated rates they were supposed to have after July 1. All the lenders have to do is ask the Department of Education for a waiver, according to the Dow Jones News Wires. The DOE is granting permission to give the cheap rate to anyone who submitted the application prior to June 30, but lenders don’t seem to care. And they’re not too focused on making sure people get switched over soon. You should not be stuck with a higher rate just because the bank hasn’t gotten around to giving you the correct rate.

The Feds are still considering raising interest rates again. There maybe more to come. And for people with home equity lines or HELOCs, you will soon owe a lot more interest. For example, if your rate was at 4 percent at prime, it’s now probably 6.5 percent or more. And it could be headed to 8 percent. If you’re not a prime, you could be paying even more. If you’re in a fixed rate first mortgage and you have a floating HELOC, your first goal is to pay down the balance on that HELOC. This is a steep incline with no leveling off in sight because of certain issues causing potential inflation. Credit cards are also affected by what the Federal Reserve does. So, your credit card balance could come back to bite you, too. It may be a time to look at “Money Market Mutual Funds” if you have a decent stash of cash. A lot of banks are still paying really crummy rates on their money market and savings accounts. So, if you have some cash sitting around, look at moving it to a stock brokerage money market account, where rates are as high as 4 percent.

New statistics out from the Mayo Clinic show that the number of people under 40 who are getting skin cancer has tripled. Overwhelmingly, it’s females not males getting skin cancer. And the No. 1 cause is tanning beds. Women in their 20s and 30s who spent a lot of time in the tanning bed when they were younger are prime candidates and need to see a dermatologist at least once a year. Skin cancer used to affect older people who spent years in the sun and were affected years later. But young people are especially susceptible because tanning beds accelerate the process so much. Dermatologists have been accused of being aggressive with moles or freckles in recent years. But it’s better to overreact than not to react at all. The other side of the coin is that people who get skin cancer become ineligible for health coverage once they get cancer. So, be smart and use sunscreen when you’re outside. And stay out of tanning booths all together.

Indiana is the only state where there had been two different time zones. One area observed daylight savings time and others did not. But eventually that got resolved. It seems that time is a big issue in Indiana because now they’re onto another clock-related issue. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles decided to remove all of the clocks from the walls in the drivers’ license offices. Apparently, the powers that be didn’t want people to know how slow the line was moving and how many hours they had been standing in line. Instead of pulling down clocks, why not try to provide them service in a timely manner. States should be held accountable when someone has to wait, in Clark’s opinion.

Have you ever worked at a job where you watched the clock the whole day? Years ago, Clark worked as a bill collector for IBM and he was bored out of his mind. His stimulation came when he went to school at night, something IBM graciously paid for. It’s still going on, according to recent several stories and surveys. People who are bored at work have a lower satisfaction with work than those who are overworked. More than half of people are bored at work, but those people are much less happy with their jobs than the half who are overworked. If you’re at a job where you’re just passing the time, it’s not fair to you or your employer.

Two music chains – FYE and Coconuts – have come up with a very effective advertising technique. These two music stores use Bluetooth technology to send people messages on their Bluetooth phones as they walk into the store. You may see special deals or hot items in the store because you allow the companies to send you these messages. You have to agree to accept the messages first. So, you’re not just going to get spammed all of a sudden. Sending private messages to people is also the idea behind DING, an airline technology currently being used by Southwest. DING lets customers know when an airline sale pops up. It even sends those people customized airfares based on the typical prices they pay and their travel patterns. In other words, airlines are able to offer one-person sales instead of sales for everyone. It’s all done through data mining and it’s going to get bigger. Northwest is also experimenting with a system that sends people special, private deals. We’ll keep you posted.