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When the airlines restricted your ability to bring liquids on planes, Clark started going to the dollar stores wherever he landed to pick up the toiletries he needs. Some people think the dollar stores carry cheap products and junk, but that is not the case. The two biggest – Dollar Tree and 99 Cent Only – are very clever about what they put in their stores. Dollar stores now sell $20 billion a year and more are popping up. About two-thirds of the population shops there for every day items such as cleaning products, batteries and toiletries. In addition, dollar stores get treasure items from stores that have stopped selling them. An example might be a type of new cereal that didn’t sell that well in stores. So, instead of costing $4 or $5 in the grocery store, it’s just a buck at the dollar store. Clark has found cell phone cases and charges from his manufacturer for one dollar!

What is the advantage of buying mutual funds from full commissioned stockbrokers? There is none. Researchers at Harvard and the University of Oregon compared returns on commissioned mutual funds versus non-commissioned funds and found that the people make more money on commission-free funds time and time again. Many stockbrokers are above board and just charge you the company fees. But there are also dirty brokers who get paid extra to put you in poorly performing funds. They are referred to as “incentives” but what they really are is kickbacks. So, stick to commission-free or no-load funds when setting up your portfolio. They’re much better for your wallet.

Criminals recently hacked into Executive Producer Christa’s brokerage account and she’s not the only one. Customers from TD Ameritrade, eTrade and Charles Schwab have all been hit. How is it happening? Criminals are hacking into accounts and stealing all of your money within three days. The scary part is that there is no protection under federal law if your brokerage account is compromised. So, you’ve got to wake up. If you don’t check your brokerage account very often online, just get paper statements. Never go online. Or, if you check a lot, make sure it’s at least twice a week. That way you can see if it has been tampered with. Also, don’t use a general use computer at a hotel or public location. Crooks are installing key-stroke programs on these machines so they get your passwords and financial information. When accessing your brokerage account, do so from your home computer. And, if possible, do business with a company that has sophisticated login and security procedures.

The Mortgage Bankers Association of America reports that more people are taking out disastrous home loans. Going back six years, only two out of every 100 people took out one of those loans. But today about 40 percent of people are taking out exotic loans that could harm their wallet. This is a loan where you don’t pay any principal on your home, known as an interest only loan. Or the other type is an option loan that sets the payments so low that the balance on the loan goes up instead of down. Option payment loans are worst, but both are bad news. Banks were pushing these kinds of loans in the ‘80s and they were called “Negative AM” loans. Back then, many people had to foreclose on their homes because they took out these loans. It’s happening again today. If you can’t qualify for a traditional home loan – typically a 30-year fixed loan – you shouldn’t buy that home.

Pocket PC cell phones are growing in popularity. Clark and Christa love theirs. But it’s typically only the big corporations buying these gadgets because they’re so expensive. That’s going to change shortly, though. Cell phones will soon start promoting the various gadgets and services their phones can do, and the prices of them will drop. The entry price point is under $300, but it’s possible to get them for under $200. The important gotcha you need to remember is that the phone does nothing without the service plan. And, the service plans can be sky high. There are plans that cost $15 or $20 a month extra, but some are upwards of $50. So, don’t get mesmerized by the phone only. Be sure to check out what it costs to get all the functionality. For more information, check out cnet.com before you buy.