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Clark has talked with great enthusiasm about the “Smart Car” coming to the U.S. The Smart Car is a Mercedes-Swatch idea that is from Europe and is being sold in Canada. The cars average 60 miles for gallon and many have wanted them to come to the U.S. It’s not going to happen, but all is not lost. Zap, the company that was going to sell the Smart Car in the U.S., is now bringing another car into the States. It’s from Brazil and it can run on various types of fuel, including corn, sugar, gasoline and other sources. It’s called the Obvio 828. It’s one of the oddest looking cars you’ve ever seen and it goes 0 to 60 in about five seconds. The Obvio takes up as much space as a motorcycle, but it can seat three people. Prices on these will ultimately be decided, but we’ll keep you posted. In other car news, Mazda is bringing a micro mini-van into the States that seats six people. It gets about 50 percent more fuel economy than a regular mini-van. Clark is psyched about the options coming our way because they get such better fuel economy and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil.

Clark was 22 when he got his master’s degree in business management. At the time, he had done a number of studies on companies and programs. What he learned was that the best companies treat their workers like gold. And he believes it even more today. Even more convincing is the news recently reported in the Financial Times of London. The Times reported that stocks of the 100 best companies to work for in America also have stocks that earn three times the rate of general companies on the various exchanges. That’s because companies that romance their workers have workers that romance the customer. It simply improves how companies run and earns more money for the company. The data is very clear on this. So the bottom line is that you want to invest in a company that treats its workers well.

Real estate agents are in the midst of a civil war over whether to have fixed or floating rate commissions on properties. The traditional real estate industry is terrified of the free market and the national Association of Realtors is fighting hard to keep things the same. A recent profile in the Wall Street Journal featured an agency in Ohio that started discounting commissions and was basically ousted by other agencies in the area. The Los Angeles Times also featured a story on another agent who has decided to provide full commission service for half the money. How will it work? Basically, the woman will get paid on salary instead of commission. Technically, price fixing is illegal, but the traditional real estate industry ahs been able to fix commissions by browbeating agents involved. But things are changing. Pretty soon you will be able to get whatever level of service you want with a comparable commission rate. No longer will be it a market where you either sell-it yourself or pay full commission to a real estate agent. In addition, the U.S. Justice Department is currently suing the NAR for the price-fixing techniques it pushes. The marketplace needs to decide what happens here, not the real estate industry.

You can get huge savings on life insurance these days. Clark prefers that you buy level term insurance, which allows you to buy coverage for a certain amount of time. You hope that it never pays off and that you outlive your policy. But if it does your family members are set. Clark saw the news in the Allentown Morning Call, which publishes a lot of great consumer articles. This report shows that term policies have dropped by 50 percent over the past 10 years. So, if you took out a policy in the mid ‘90s or even early in the 21st century, you can replace your policy for a much lower price. Why have prices dropped so much? The first reason is because of the Internet. The second reason is because people are living longer and outliving their policies. So, reshop your policy and you could pay much less each month. You may pay a little more, but you want to buy only from companies rated either A+ or A++ by A.M. Best. And be sure to run away if someone tries to suggest variable life or universal life insurance.

Do you have a wife or husband? If so, do you talk openly about money or keep some things under the carpet? What do people hide from their spouses? About one-fourth of people have hidden cash. Men and women also keep certain purchases secret. For men, it’s entertainment and electronics. Women hide clothing and food. If you all don’t approve of each other’s spending, hiding it is not the answer. Honesty is very important with finances, as is compromise. So who handles money more often – men or women? Two to one, women are managing the money. The No. 1 goal with finances should be to communicate, according to the Washington Post. So, try to set a time to talk about it.