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• hotwire.com - book travel online
• ikea.com - affordable furniture
• timewarnercable.com - More about getting Clark "on demand"

When you go to a restaurant today, almost all have some kind of healthy menu or “heart smart” items. Throughout the industry, restaurateurs list these items because they are worried about image and, more importantly, about lawsuits. People want to eat healthy. But are they? Not according to the people in the restaurant business, the New York Times reports. Burger King, for example, is having great fun with its “BK Stacker.” The Stacker has 1,000 calories, 1,800 milligrams of sodium. A reasonable amount of sodium is 1,500 milligrams PER DAY! One Stacker has enough saturated fat to last you a day and a half. Carl’s Jr. has also had great success with its “Thick Burger.” Carl’s said it tried to sell salads, but no one bought them. So, clearly what people want to do and what they are actually doing are two different things. Just be careful and use moderation. Usually eating at home can help you eat healthier because you know what you’re putting in your meals and you can monitor calories.

The furniture business is very unstable these days. The industry has gone through lots of changes in the past 15 years, mostly because non-traditional players are taking away revenue. As a result, many chains are going out of business. That can have a huge impact on you because furniture stores don’t announce that they are filing bankruptcy or shutting down. So, it’s imperative that you protect yourself when buying furniture. If you’re buying furniture that you’re going to receive at a later date, there are three “nevers” to remember. Never write a check. Never pay with cash. And never pay with a debit card. You always want to use a credit card. That way, if a furniture store goes out of business, you can file a chargeback and you haven’t suffered financially at all. Just remember to put that charge into dispute before 60 days are up. Then, if the furniture arrives, you just call the company and cancel the chargeback. It’s also easier than ever to file a dispute with credit card companies, and is usually possible online. But if you’re nearing the 60-day mark, you want to send it certified mail.

In today’s highly-political culture, we are about to hear a lot of rhetoric tossed back and forth about the economy and how we are doing financially. Looking back at the past 40 years, the average American is making much more money than he or she has over that time. So, what about the argument that the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer? Census charts show that it’s true. The top 20 percent of income earners are taking 50 percent of the nation’s wealth. At the same time, the bottom 60 percent of Americans are earning significantly less than 20 years ago. Politicians are going to blame it on each other, depending on their party. But the reality is that this isn’t political at all, and politicians are arrogant to take credit or assign blame. The decline of unions has a lot to do with the changes. People who had trade jobs could earn a lot of money with the help of the unions and that’s not really true now. Secondly, wealth eventually flows to owners. People who start businesses and succeed are the breadwinners of the country. And thirdly, the more education you have the more you’ll earn and the steadier your work life will be. Of course, the area of study makes a difference. Engineers make much more than teachers. But a college degree makes a big difference in what you can earn. So, take all that into consideration when you consider today’s predicament.

Clark often gets calls about sending faxes over the Internet. It’s usually easier to send faxes over the Net than it is to receive them, but it’s a great way to avoid spam faxes that come with traditional faxing methods. Even better, Lycos, the once-big search site, plans to offer a free fax service in the next few months. There is no monthly fee and it costs nothing to send. It’s the first offer of its kind since the “dot bomb” era. We'll keep you posted when we find more at lycos.com. In the meantime, there are several services that charge a very small monthly fee and work great. Clark and his wife, Lane, have one that costs $7 a month. They are able to avoid scam faxes by simply deleting them before they are transmitted. Typically, people get eaten up with traditional faxes because of the cost per fax and the toner costs. Also, if you get faxes only occasionally, you can buy a fax machine for $20 or $30 and just turn it on when you’re expecting a fax. That way you don’t have to worry about spam faxes arriving on your dime.

Clark is about to appear in a series of new TV shows appropriately called “Get Clark Smart.” The shows are scheduled to start October 26 and will run for about five months, with a new show airing each month. The shows take Clark’s radio topics and expound on them in great detail. For example, one show is devoted to buying a used car. Another show features buying a home. There are about 20 shows right now and Clark could produce more, depending on how many people "demand" the shows. That's right. "Get Clark Smart" is on VOD or “video on demand,” so you can watch them whenever you’d like. Initially, the show will be available in about 10 million homes. Salespeople are pitching the show to cable operators right now, and you can find out if Clark's show will be in your area by visiting the Mag Rack site and entering your zip code. We’ll keep you posted on "Get Clark Smart" and when the shows will air. In the meantime, get more details on the upcoming shows!

Employers are now pulling credit reports on applicants even when someone’s financial picture has nothing to do with the job. If a student just out of college has debt or a late payment shows up on the report, employers are turning applicants away. Now, if you’re planning to work in the financial industry, this might make sense. But Clark thinks employers are doing themselves a terrible disservice by buying into the hype. Credit bureaus are basically convincing companies that it’s necessary to run a credit check on employees to see how organized their finances are. Please! There are so many reasons why credit can go awry. Sometimes it’s because the credit bureau has made a mistake and refuses to fix the error. Clark hopes employers catch on that a person’s credit report rarely reflects on the type of employee he or she will be.