• vrbo.com - rent vacation homes directly through the owner
• wtdirect.com - 5.26% interest rate on savings account
• ingdirect.com - 4.5% on Checking and Savings
• fnbodirect.com - 6% interest through September
• grundfos.com - pump systems
• lala.com - Trade unwanted albums online

Clark has positive news regarding all of the corruption that has gone on in the student loan business. A number of schools have fired the heads of their student financial aid offices in the wake of the scandal. Those financial aid officers were accepting bribes and kickbacks from banks that wanted exclusive privileges to the loans students needed. In turn, those banks charged outrageous interest rates and fees and the school officials looked the other way. There was so much information reported in the media that finally something is being done about it. The Department of Education has agreed that no financial aid offices can take gifts greater than $10 from banks. That includes, gifts, trips, cash and prize drawings. The Secretary of Education needs to take responsibility for all of the corruption that has happened on her watch, in Clark’s opinion. But at least it’s s start. Financial aid offices have also agreed to put three banks on their list of preferred lenders instead of just one. Also, schools will now have to tell you how they picked a preferred lender. They will also have to tell you that you don’t have to use a preferred lender. You can find an independent lender yourself. Clark thinks banks that were offering bribes should go to jail. But right now, no one wants to indict a big bank and its chief officers. Clark said earlier this summer not to trust the financial aid offices at schools because of the bribes going on. But schools are under such a microscope that they will be making sure their offices are squeaky clean. So, you’re probably okay to go back to the financial aid office now. They are going to go out of their way to treat you well and give you a good deal.

New statistics show that for the first time in almost 6 years, people are buying more cars than light trucks, which include SUVs, minivans, pick-up trucks and vans. That’s been the sweet spot in the car market for years, but now that’s shifted: Small cars are selling like mad, and big vehicles are not doing well at all. Cars.com does a list of the top ten cash back offers on the market, and Clark discovered that the discounts top 25% on several models. Number one is the Chevy Silverado, which is giving $4500 cash back (a 28.41% discount from the MSRP.) The Dodge Ram is giving a 28% discount ($6000 back) , the GMC Sierra a 27% discount, the Ford Freestar a 25% discount ($5000), and the list goes on. For those of you who want or need a large vehicle, there are some outrageously good deals out there for you. But the greatest deals are on the used ones - you can steal a deal right now. The flip side is that if you are buying a new SUV (or anything that’s not “in”), you’ll save a lot on your purchase, but you’ll get pinched on the trade-in value on your old one. If the vehicle you are trading in has enough years on it, however, the pinch you’ll suffer is not nearly as much in dollars as the benefit you get in dollars on the new one.

How can you earn the most on your money that are sitting in a “parking space” such as CDs, savings accounts, and money market accounts? Those places aren’t designed to get you a great return, averaging less than 0.5% interest on your savings. While you’ve always had the option of credit unions and local banks for better deals on savings, there’s now an even better choice: a “Direct” -- an online bank which has no branches, and can therefore offer you better rates. ING Direct (ingdirect.com) was the first bank to do this, and they’ve been phenomenally innovative, with checking accounts offering over 4.5% in interest, no-fee savings accounts and more. They spawned an entire league of competitors who are offering even greater rates on savings accounts now. We’ve gotten almost no complaints over the years on these Direct banks, compared to regular banks, so the customer service is fantastic. The newest player in the game is wtdirect.com, who are geared only to people with big bucks. You’ll need $10,000 to earn any meaningful interest, but they’re paying 5.26%, which is a good deal, and not a teaser rate. They limit the number of withdrawals to 6 per month, so this one is geared for those who mainly want to “park” their cash. Fnbodirect.com has a 6% teaser rate through September, and the national average is about 5.05%. However there are some economic trends that may push the rates even higher- inflation may step up, which will push up interest rates, and in turn, rates on savings. If you want to keep some of your business at a monster mega bank, you can electronically link your high-interest savings account to your crummy mega-bank checking account, and in just two days be able to transfer money back and forth between the two accounts.

Major music labels are responsible for all the illegal downloading of music. Because they stubbornly fought technology left and right instead of adapting to new technology, people are stealing the lion’s share of music they’d have otherwise bought. One of the companies music labels are furious about is LaLa.com. It’s a service that allows you to take CDs that are gathering dust on your shelves and trade them to someone who has a CD that you’d rather own. LaLa makes a finders fee of a buck from each of you to arrange a trade, and it’s been so successful. And now, LaLa has started something new. They pay the labels for music and make it available for you to listen – for free – on your computer. It’s a loss leader for them, but they’re hoping you hear something you like and then buy the album at normal market prices. That’s the only way they are going to make money. So if you just want to listen to music, you can hear all you want for free at Lala.com!