• savingforcollege.com - tips on saving for college
• pparx.org - Partnership for Prescription Services
• hud.gov - "American Dream Homeowner Program"

Clark travels quite a bit each year, spending close to 100 nights a year in hotels. He hasn’t checked a bag since 1988, which was also the last time he lost a bag. Checking a bag adds so much airport waiting time and it’s way too risky these days. Airlines are losing 40 percent more bags this year than last, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Airlines are having major breakdowns in their baggage handling departments, in part because of the job loss in baggage carrier positions. In a lot of areas, airlines are having trouble filling jobs because the wages are so bad. It’s caused a train wreck for travelers because bags are disappearing all the time. The solution to this is to never check a bag. If you can, pack light and always carry on your bags. It is much safer and will save you a ton of time.

Clark talks a lot on the show about how to save money, especially for people who have a hard time juggling all their debts. If you have children and aging parents to care for, for example, it’s very hard to save. A recent Allstate Insurance poll reveals that many more baby boomers are caring for aging parents and children these days. It interferes with finances as well as time management. If you are one of those people, you have to make sure you’re in a position to handle what you owe. You must sit down and talk about your priorities with your parents and kids. Resist the urge to avoid this talk and discuss finances with each group. Ask you parents where their money is going and go over their checkbooks with them. People are finding out, for example, that their parents are still paying the phone company a monthly fee to “lease” a phone. That is a total ripoff charge from the phone company, but many older people are still paying it. Every dollar wasted on worthless fees could go to help them in the long run when they need it most.

Neal Boortz, a fellow talk show host, has written a book about eliminating income tax all together. Instead, Boortz wants to start a sales tax at the national level. The sales tax would be 23 to 27 percent, and basically the idea is that you only pay tax on what you spend not on what you make. Boortz’s book is No. 1 on the NYT Best Seller list because it’s such a simple concept compared to our current system. In the other camp is Steve Forbes, who advocates a national flat tax. Forbes ran for president, you may recall, and he runs the magazine Forbes. Clark loves the idea of simplifying our current tax code so that people are in two or three simple tax brackets. It would mean that tax returns take just a few minutes and people could easily understand – and be more honest about – the taxes they’re paying. That system was corrupted and perverted over time by politics, and now it’s harder than ever to do your taxes. Clark is not partisan on this issue. But he worries that over time a flat tax could be corrupted again. The beauty with the sales tax is that there is nothing to mess up. Politicians can’t get in and change it around.

A few weeks ago, Clark talked about a device called the “Internet Phone Wizard.” He said on air that he was going to try it out and see how it worked. It’s a tiny box that hooks up to your computer and telephone line. Then, if you’re subscribed to an Internet phone service such as Skype, you can talk to people on an actual phone for free. A lot of people don’t want to deal with Internet phone calling because you have to sit in front of a computer and wait for the call. But with the Phone Wizard it rings on your home phone, just like normal. What’s so stunning to Clark is that usually technology doesn’t work as it’s advertised. But the Phone Wizard works just like it says it will and it even improves call quality. If you make mostly domestic calls, it’s not worth it. But, if you have family or friends abroad, consider using it. It costs $50, but it will save you a ton in overseas calls.