HealthyToys.org - Tracks toxic chemicals in children's toys
Operation Hero Miles - Donate unused frequent flyer miles to troops

Clark is one man who has a unique take on dressing for success; his fashion sense usually involves shorts and sneakers! On a rare occasion, he may have to wear a suit. That's why Clark was thrilled when he bought a couple of washable suits last year at J.C. Penney. He picked up a dark grey and a dark blue one in the $129-$149 range -- "typical banker or political candidate suits," in his own words. Clark first learned about washable suits in Europe. They're a big deal over there because many Europeans of all economic levels have to wear a suit in their daily lives, plus dry cleaners are more expensive over there.

Clark's former TV producer was aghast when she caught word of the wacky washable suits. So they soiled the suits, threw them in the wash and they came out perfect, according to a top tailor they consulted. The only caveat Clark has about washable suits is that they tend to be 50 percent wool and 50 polyester fabrics. That's why they're wash and wear. But they look great. Now Target is offering washable suits at select locations. J.C. Penney has a new one for women by American fashion designer Nicole Miller. The Limited is also selling a washable travel suit for women. Meanwhile, Sears and Kohl's are also on board with this trend.

With the holiday season upon us, parents are freaked out about the safety of children's toys. There's a new website called HealthyToys.org that's done research into which toys are safe and which ones are not. You may notice this website loads up slowly. That's because it's getting so many hits after a lot of media exposure -- which just goes to show how important this issue is to people. When it does load, you'll see a picture of a child with a rubber ducky in her mouth. Manufacturers use lead in rubberized toys to give them more consistency. Clark recently caught the ire of Neal Boortz -- a syndicated radio host and one of his friends -- for saying that government should have a role in enforcing toy safety. Be that as it may, you have to err on the side of safety when you're a parent. One thing HealthyToys.org definitely says you should stay away from is jewelry for kids. More than 1 in 3 pieces of kid's jewelry that was tested contained so much lead that it could decrease your child's IQ.

Note: Clark is broadcasting remotely for his Christmas Kids 2007 initiative. You can donate online.

Clark's executive producer Christa is back from her Bahamas vacation. She and her family stayed at a timeshare where they got a great deal. Of course, they had to get pitched on the sale of a timeshare as part of the deal. But by bringing her 2 year old son to the pitch, she was able to expedite things! Meanwhile, Clark's latest travel story involves the hoops he had to jump through to his redeem frequent flyer miles. Clark had 1 million miles through Continental Airlines' One Pass program; 500,000 from American Airlines; 400,000 through Delta; and smaller amounts on a variety of other airlines. He used every trick in the book to find a Clark Smart way to redeem them. So now he and his family will be flying coach to Venice, Italy, and returning from Zurich, Switzerland, in business class. It only took him 2.5 hours to nail down the itinerary! If you're flying domestically, try redeeming your frequent flyer miles for first class tickets, not coach. That may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes it's easier. One final thought: Stop using your airline frequent flyer credit card! Frequent flyer milers are like fool's gold. Get a card that gives a cash dividend.

There's an old saying that tells us, "If everybody's unhappy when a leader takes a stand on an issue, then they probably did the right thing." Clark thinks that's the situation President Bush finds himself in after announcing his voluntary plan to handle the mortgage meltdown. As you may recall, Bush is allowing lenders to voluntary freeze the interest rate on bad loans for 5 years -- if the homeowner had been current with all their payments. A lot of critics, including Clark's friend Bill Brennan of the Legal Aid Society, have emerged saying that Bush's plan is just mere window dressing. People of a libertarian mindset are upset on account of the free-market interference.

The truth is there's no tidy way to clean up this mess -- even though candidates from both sides are making promises. Things could remain messy in some high-spec areas until 2015. The speculative-buying fever of the early 2000s fed a rash of bad loans like 80/20s, no docs and more to falsely inflate housing values. The real tragedy is the human one when children and families are put out on the street. Clark's late father had that happen twice as a young child and it really shaped him for the rest of his life. Now a lot of new homeowners may not be able to stay in their homes if they can't make the payments. The equity the average American has in his or her home is down to 49 percent. The flipside of this whole discussion is that there will be great opportunity in 2008 or 2009 for those willing to take a risk on distressed property. But we're not there quite yet.