eloan.com - online mortgage broker
payscale.com - compare your salary to others in your field
vrbo.com - vacation rentals by owner
Noscamnc.gov - protect yourself from ID theft
funerals.org - Funeral Consumers Alliance
everestfuneral.com - funeral planning and concierge services
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/ - get info on your savings bonds
prosper.com - is where people lend money to each other
emigrantdirect.com - High Rate, No Fee Savings Accounts and CDs

Today topics are "Best Of Clark" repeats from recent shows:

Forbes magazine has put together a list of the best places to find a job right now. So, after scouring 100 cities in the country, Forbes says the No. 1 place to find a job is Raleigh, N.C. The city has a decent climate, friendly people and a fantastic job prospects. No. 2 is Phoenix, followed by Jacksonville, Fla.; Orlando, Washington D.C.; Salt Lake City; Honolulu; Las Vegas; Fort Lauderdale and rounding out the Top 10 is Norfolk/Newport News, Va. Now, living in some of these places will cost you a pretty penny, especially Hawaii. Housing, gas and food are all very expensive there. But it may be worth it to you if you have a great job. So, what are the worst places for jobs these days? The worst city is Detroit. New Orleans is just above it in 99th place, preceded by Youngstown, Ohio; Troy, Michigan; and Toledo, Ohio at 95th place. If you’re in a dead-end job or in an area with few job opportunities, check out some of the towns that have more to offer. Don’t just sit there and do nothing.

Have you heard about Raymond James getting into trouble recently? The company just got fined about $3 million for failing to supervise some out-of-control employees. These employees were putting senior citizens into inappropriate investments. And it’s not just Raymond James. This complaint has come up time and again with full-commissioned brokerage houses who are putting people into high-risk annuities and investments. One branch manager in Wisconsin convinced an 84-year-old grandmother to put 80 percent of all her personal wealth into a crummy investment with huge commissions. She lost 60 percent of her money overnight. You need to remember that there are two different business models with brokerage firms – commissioned and non-commissioned. With commissioned brokers, you pay someone in that firm a fee to put your money in investments. With a commission-free broker, you do it yourself. Now, some people don’t feel comfortable making those decisions, so the other alternative is to hire a fee-only certified financial planner to pick investments for you. That person has no connection to the brokerage house and just gets a fee for his or her advice. There is no commission and, therefore, no incentive to put you in risky funds. The industry calls it putting people in inappropriate funds, but Clark says it’s stealing. So, keep an eye on your parents’ funds. Stick your nose in their business, even if they don’t want it. They are being targeted and need help.

Health care is changing and it could have a major effect on you and your family, not to mention the entire country. Americans spend about 50 percent more on health care than any other country. Yet, lifespans are shorter here. Some folks are in favor of government-provided health care, but this concerns Clark. The government already pays for about half of health care in the country, so we’re already creeping toward socialism in health care. Clark would much rather see us go the other way, with individuals being in charge of their health care. Insurance companies should be required to sell standardized policies, which is a legitimate role of government. Clark thinks insurers should have about 8 to 10 policies and that’s it. You pick one, depending on how many people are in your family. Age and gender would also play a role because women go to the doctor more than men, as do older people.

Are you being paid a fair wage for what you do? There is a site where you can find out, according to Business 2.0 magazine. It’s called payscale.com. Once you go through the steps, the site will try to get you to purchase more products. But just keep hitting the “free” buttons and you’ll get a chart showing how you’re doing compared to other people in your field. It can also help business owners figure out what they should be paying workers. Now, any tool like this is not scientifically proven. But it is a great resource.