Clark used to be a big fan of arbitration. But over the years, he’s completely changed his opinion, especially in the case of mandatory arbitration. Mandatory arbitration is something big corporations now cram down the throat of customers. Basically, they’re saying that if you’re going to do business with us, you must go through our arbitration system if you have a dispute. But that system is always stacked in favor of the company and against the consumer. One example of this is going on in the stock brokerage business with full-commissioned brokers. Statistics show that people who enter into arbitration with either Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley or Smith Barney, you will get only 10 percent of your money back. Consumers win “partial money” 4 out of 10 times. The good news is that now there is a move in Congress to outlaw mandatory arbitration. With voluntary arbitration, the companies would have a reason to make the process fairer. The best advice is to never do business with a full-commissioned stock broker.