T. Rowe Price - Automatic Asset Builder
CNET.com - Digital camera reviews
BlackFriday.info - A Black Friday website for advanced word on deals
IIHS.org - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

There's been much talk about the possibility of a merger between two full-fare airlines: Delta and United. We have about a half-dozen full fare companies, while there are many more smaller discount airlines working the skies. One out of every 3 flights in the United States is on a discount player, and Southwest Airlines is one of the largest. So we have a situation where the industry can't profitably support 6 full fare airlines. Keep in mind that companies almost never merge out of strength -- they do it out of weakness to avoid becoming unprofitable.

Clark has been interviewed extensively about the merger news and there's one question he's faced repeatedly: Will the union of Delta and United drive fares up? The answer is no. Business travelers will soon be able to use inexpensive private jet companies that fly directly to destinations many of the full fare airlines would not. Meanwhile, don't look for an answer to the Delta/United merger question in six months; Clark thinks we could be discussing this question 5 years down the road. Mergers of this size require the skills of real diplomats -- it's difficult to get two different sets of employees to mesh. When two companies tie the knot, there's no honeymoon in an airline marriage. As an aside, Clark was recently in a meeting where he was asked about Spirit Airlines. It seems that Spirit charges for everything when you fly. So Clark put on his best poker face and told a few people that you have to pay a dollar to use the bathrooms on the plane. They believed him! Boy, does he feel sorry about having pulled their legs!

Electronics are some of the hottest items for both men and women this holiday season. Clark's been looking at several websites dedicated to leaking the deals, and he has the scoop on what you'll be seeing at retailers on the day after Thanksgiving.

Let's get started with digital cameras. First off, Clark says this is one of the most difficult areas to comparison shop because it seems like every retailer sells about 25 types! Try going to CNET.com and reading customer reviews to get a handle on the model you want. That said, this is the first Christmas that SLR (single-lens reflex) digital cameras are coming in under $500. The advantage of SLRs is that they offer better picture quality even though they're a bit bulky.

When it comes to GPS units, look for prices around $100-$149. Best Buy is listing the popular TomTom One for $119. Staples will have some GPS deals for $124; Office Depot for $129; and Circuit City will be selling the discount Mio Walker GPS for $99.

Meanwhile, portable DVD players won't be much cheaper ($79-89) than they were last year, but you'll find the average screen size has gotten larger.

If you're in the market for a laptop computer, you'll find some deals in the $299-349 range at Circuit City and Staples, respectively.

Finally, look for a variety of HDTV deals. Some retailers are offering 32-inch screens for around $399. If you want to check out a Black Friday website for yourself, try logging on to BlackFriday.info. Clark told you several weeks ago how Wal-Mart was trying to put the kibosh on such websites leaking its deals. So somebody leaked the sales info to CNN and Wal-Mart got way more exposure than they expected!

Gift card fatigue has finally set in across the land. Clark was only too happy to learn recently that sales of gift cards are stalling. Why is he so opposed to these popular holiday gift items? For starters, a whopping 27 percent of them are never redeemed. Many more are only partially redeemed. The only good gift card is the kind where you get greater monetary value than you actually pay for. Restaurants and spas are among the businesses that sometimes offer bonus bucks when you buy a gift card. Sounds good, right? But before you even think about getting a gift card, reach in your purse or wallet and pull out a bill. Look at it closely. It has no expiration date and there's no inactivity or activation fee. That's the beauty of cash, and it really highlights why gift cards are such a bum gift. Clark himself has gotten burned on an ice cream shop gift card he received on his last birthday. Sadly, the store was out of business when he tried to use it several months later. So what's a discerning gift-giver to do? Clark has come up with his own "gift card" that you can use to show you're a Clark Smart giver. Print it out, wrap it around an honest Abe or a Jackson and gift it as you see fit!

Your car is the second most expensive purchase you're likely to make after your home. So people often ask about which vehicles hold their value best after 5 years. To answer that question, Kelley Blue Book has just released its 2008 Best Resale Value Awards tally.

The winner is Volkswagen, which is making a comeback after some recent big losses. VWs keep just under half their value after a 60-month cycle. The other brands that round out the Top 10 are BMW, Acura, Honda, Porsche, Subaru, Lexus, Infiniti, Audi and Toyota.

On the other end of the spectrum, the worst brand to hold value has been singled out as Suzuki. With Suzukis, you only get about a quarter back for every dollar after 5 years. Other cars that really stink when it comes to holding value include Kia, GMC, Mercury, Dodge, Chrysler, Lincoln, Jeep, Ford and Jaguar.

On a related note, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says that the Subaru Impreza is the only small car that meets its strict safety standards. There were tons of midsized vehicles green-lighted by the IIHS, but not so in the large vehicle categories -- despite what you may remember from high-school physics!