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Clark had a physical this week and everything checked out fine. He admits he would never have gone if his wife hadn’t made the appointment for him. Women are much more likely to get check-ups and visit the doctor, research shows. And, women live longer. There is probably some connection there. But Clark was happy with his results. His cholesterol and blood was fine. His EKG was normal, but he did have to get a tetanus shot. The doctor also told Clark that he has a 6 percent chance of having a heart attack, which is low considering all of the cheeseburgers he eats. So, what about you? When was the last time you had a physical? Tell us in our most recent poll.

The state of California’s foreclosure rate is up 800 percent compared to a year ago, according to the LA Times. And, that’s only the average. In Ventura County, for instance, foreclosures are up 1,100%; Riverside County is up 900%; Orange County, LA and many southern California areas are up 700%. The rest of the country is not as bad, but foreclosures have increased tremendous amounts compared to past years. The foreclosure rate throughout the country is up 200 percent. Many of these homes were speculative buys, especially in Nevada, Arizona, California and Florida. No one ever intended to live in these places. They were just hoping to flip them for more money. What if you’re not a spec buyer? You own your house and you can’t make payments. Clark has been recommending that you talk to your lender and try to work something out. He’s gotten some feedback on this from folks who say their lender won’t work with them. That may be the case in rare circumstances. But, for the most part, your lender wants to work with you. They may offer you a 40-year loan instead of 30-year loan to help you keep your home. It will reduce your payment about 5 percent, which isn’t much. But if you’ve called before and gotten the blow off, give it another try.

Bad news continues to come out about the student loan scandals. The latest reports claim that high-level employees at the Department of Education were involved in impropriety. This scandal reaches down deep in the DOE, yet the secretary of the department denies any wrongdoing. The fact remains that taxpayers are out perhaps more than $1 billion because lenders were overcollecting on student loan payments and we – the taxpayers – subsidize those loans. There are so many levels to this story, and the truth will come out in due time.

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The other shoe to drop this week involves the release of the personal and financial information of 60 million students. The DOE has been allowing banks to go on school databases and snoop for this information. It’s not just ethically wrong; the potential risk of ID theft is huge. It’s clear that the entire student loan system needs to be revamped and made to answer for this corruption. In the meantime, remember to shop for your child’s student loans. And never rely on the lenders recommended by the school’s financial aid office. They simply can’t be trusted anymore.

Would you believe that roughly 50 million Americans pay no income tax. You might assume that it’s the rich who aren’t paying. But you’d be surprised. If you make about $50,000, you’ve paid all of your taxes April 30. If you make $100,000, you are done paying federal, state and local taxes on June 20. If you make $1 million, you’re done paying August 3. So, if you look at people who make more than $100 grand, they’re paying taxes at least about half of the year. Is it right that you pay more tax as you make more money?