LyricHearing.com - Invisible in-ear extended wear hearing aid
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As Clark's mom has aged, she's been struggling with diminished hearing ability. But this problem is not just limited to seniors. The younger iPod generation will probably suffer premature hearing loss because the device's in-ear buds really tax your hearing. In many countries, there's a volume limiter on the iPod and its competitors. Not so in the United States. When Clark is at the gym, two-thirds of the people there have iPods or iPod Shuffles. They play them so loud that he can make out the song the guy on the next machine is listening to while exercising!

Many young and old people alike are very self-conscious about wearing hearing aids. So there's been a lot of time and money spent by companies trying to develop invisible hearing devices that are comfortable to wear. Clark recently found out about a hearing device called the Lyric that is implanted into the ear canal. The device works for months at a time and then has to be replaced. Installation must be done by a professional, and they actually use a powerful magnet to pop the Lyric out and change it; you can't take it out yourself. So far the Lyric is only available at stores in California, New Jersey and Florida, though it's not a cheap option. You pay an annual subscription fee of $2,500. But if that money means someone who hasn't been able to hear well can hear again, isn't that worth it?

RIP-OFF ALERT: You've heard of phishing, right? That's where you get those scam e-mails purporting to be from your bank or other financial institution. Now there's a new phenomenon called "whaling." According to CNET.com, top corporate executives and business owners have been getting e-mails alerting them to a bogus U.S. District Court subpoena. When you click on the link in the e-mail, you're taken to what looks like a real subpoena. But it's not, and it loads a key-logger virus onto your computer. The key-logger captures all your account numbers and passwords, and it even alerts the criminals when you log on to your bank or brokerage account. The criminals then sign in, change your password and steal your money.

Phishing is targeted at the general public. But whaling only targets the big fish in corporate America or small business owners, hence the name. It's been estimated that 2,000 people have fallen prey so far to whaling. If you're among them, here's what you need to do: Run an anti-virus program on your computer to remove the key-logger. Clark has a couple of suggestions for spyware blockers that you might want to check out. Then change all your passwords at your bank or brokerage house.

There's a new trend that you need to know about if you have a home equity line of credit. Buried in your HELOC is a clause that allows the bank to freeze or reduce your line, at will, with almost no notice. In his TV work, Clark recently did a story about Bank of America doing this to its HELOC holders. But many banks other than just BoA are doing this.

This is a double whammy because many banks charged fees upfront to set up the HELOCs. So far they're not refunding the junk fees. Meanwhile, your credit score can also be demolished based on utilization of the HELOC. Say you have a HELOC with a $100K limit and you're only using $30K. That means you're using 30% of the limit, which is a relatively low level. But if your HELOC is suddenly dropped to a $30K limit, then you're using 100% of what's available to you and your credit is buckling under that strain.

Banks are slashing HELOCs because people are increasingly defaulting on them. Yet people with solid credit can get fantastic offers for borrowing right now because it's such an odd time in our economy. Clark's credit union is offering a 5-year fixed rate HELOC at 3.95%. That's really inexpensive! He also has access to car loans at 3.90% for new or used vehicles on loans of 4 years or less. There's such a stark contrast between what's available to people with good credit and people with bad credit.

Years ago, Clark recalls getting a unique call from a man who explained how he haggled at Wal-Mart. Haggling at a chain store that's already turbo cheap? It turns out that idea is now in vogue. America's Research Group reports that two-thirds of Americans say they've haggled in a store during the last 90 days. The Los Angeles Times reports that some chain stores have now given floor employees the authority to accept lower prices, especially on electronics. Many retailers also have matching policies where you can show them a competitor's ad and get the lower price. Clark's not sure if he thinks of that as bargaining. Do you have a great haggling story? Let us know with our new commenting feature!