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Proctor & Gamble is one of the largest consumer products companies in the world, as you probably know. Look down the aisle at any supermarket and you’ll see a ton of their products. But the company is scared. It is filing a bunch of lawsuits right now against private label product companies and those who make products for their own stores. Store brands used to mean a vastly inferior product but not anymore. P&G is claiming that private label folks are designing the products to look like theirs and take their business. It’s actually a sign of weakness on the part of Proctor & Gamble. They see consumers buying more private labels and store brands and they are threatened. The good news is that private labels are not going to back off, and consumers will continue to have more of a choice. You might find that a store brand cereal is really good, but you don’t like the quality of the store brand toilet paper. But if it’s something you like, keep buying it.

Are you having a problem with e-mails these days? Clark heard recently that e-mails are either not being sent or not being received as often these days. Why? It’s a good-intentioned reason, but a problem all the same. Spam filters are supposed to block spam mail, but they’re also blocking legitimate e-mails. Research shows that about 20 percent of real mail goes into the Junk, Bulk or Spam mail folders. Clark has never gone to that area. He’s just deleted them. Now, he’s going to have to filter through them. The good news in all this is that the amount of spam has declined in recent years. So, we have to take the good with the bad.

Clark has been pretty unhappy with several banks that have entered into alliances with “marketing companies” that supposedly offer some kind of service. One of these companies is called “Member Works,” which has changed its name to Vertrue. Clark has heard complaints about this company over the years, and now the state of Iowa is going after it for signing people up for services and then deducting the amount from your account. The companies can do this because they are in a relationship with your credit card or bank. One man was having a fee deducted from his account for 16 months without his knowledge. You must check your bank and credit card statements with a fine tooth comb each month. And be wary of trial memberships and free memberships.

Clark has been a member of AAA since the early ‘70s. It’s been a good value because he travels so much. Clark gets more maps and routing services than he can count. But in terms of towing and road service, he hasn’t gotten his money’s worth. He’s needed the towing service maybe three or four times in the 40 years he’s been a member. If you think you’re spending too much on your motor club, there are now more options out there. Trade associations and youth groups are now starting to market their own motor clubs. The warehouse clubs also offer towing services for about $15 a month. And, you may be able to add a rider to your auto insurance for as little as $5 or $10 a year. Think about the last time you needed a tow and decide if it’s worth it to spend the money.

Christa, Clark’s executive producer, nearly lost everything in one of her brokerage accounts recently. But thankfully she checks her account online several times a week and she prevented it from happening. While randomly checking her account, she saw that all of the stock in their pretty sizeable account was about to be sold. She immediately called the broker and learned that someone in Gainesville, Florida had hacked into her account and was getting ready to wire the money out. The really scary part is that there is no protection of brokerage accounts, but her company – eTrade – was able to get the money safely back in the account. So, if you don’t normally check your brokerage accounts, start! Often, if you’re not taking money out of these accounts, you don’t check them. But you need to. Brokerage firms are also starting “two-factor ID systems” using USB ports and other security methods to verify you are the account owner. But until then, monitor closely.

If you have a son or daughter who is having some trouble in school, you may want to consider a tutor. Now, Clark knows tutors can get pretty expensive. But there is a way to get a great tutor at one-third to one-fourth the cost of a typical tutor. According to the Washington Post, tutors in India have master’s degrees, can teach a variety of subjects and only costs $18 to $20 an hour. One is called “Growing Stars” and is based in California. Another is “Study Loft,” which is based in Chicago. They only use overseas tutors. Many of the systems have live chat capability so students can see and interact with their tutor. So, who thinks this is a bad idea? Teachers unions do. They are in an uproar over this and are trying to get Congress to outlaw the overseas tutoring. Let’s hope that goes away quickly.