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Credit.com - Get your free non-FICO credit score
NFCC.org - Assistance with a hardship debt-management plan

The single most reliable car in America is a hybrid, according to the December issue of Consumer Reports -- though it's not the one you're probably thinking!

Top reliability honors go to the new Honda Insight hybrid, which looks just like a Prius. But overall, Honda came in at No. 2 for brand reliability.

The No. 1 brand for reliability is Toyota's Scion. Toyota's own nameplate is No. 3, following Honda. After win, place and show, Consumer Reports ranks Infiniti, Acura, Mitsubishi, Lexus (the former No. 1) and Hyundai as the next most reliable vehicles.

Isn't it interesting that Scion is one of cheapest cars sold, yet it's the most reliable? As the headline of the Consumer Reports article states, "High price does not equal quality." You don't always get what you pay for when it comes to cars.

Who's stinking it up on the other end of the spectrum? One word: Chrysler. The second worst for reliability was Cadillac, followed by Dodge and then Jeep. What was Fiat thinking when taking on a share in Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep from the United States government?!

The full reliability list is available at ConsumerReports.org, where you can buy onetime access if you're not a subscriber. Or check it out for free at your local library.

Have you seen those ads that push you to get a supposedly free credit report? The catch is that they also enroll you in a subscription service where you pay as much as $200/annually to have your credit monitored!

Under federal law, you are allowed one free credit report every year from each of the three main credit-reporting agencies -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Additional copies are available if your identity is compromised. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com to get your free credit reports. No strings attached!

Meanwhile, you can also get a free non-FICO credit score from Quizzle.com, CreditKarma.com or Credit.com. These services will try to sell you certain mortgage and financial services, but you can decline their pitches and get free access to your score.

One nuance that's important to understand: Each credit bureau's report will contain three credit scores. For example, if you get your Experian report, it will have a made-up score; the true FICO score used by most lenders; and a Vantage score.

So there is no single credit score for people. What's important is to know where you rank on a scale as a credit risk compared to other people.

CLARKONOMICS: The Senate has voted 98-0 to extend unemployment benefits between an additional 14 and 20 weeks for jobless Americans.

The 20-week extension will be for residents of states where unemployment is higher than 8.5 percent. Residents in the remaining states will be eligible for the 14-week extension.

The measure is expected to be approved by the House today and signed into law by President Obama shortly after. This move makes is so that those hardest hit by unemployment can get 99 weeks of jobless benefits, which is just shy of 2 years! The average weekly unemployment payment is around $300/week, according to Clark, though it varies greatly by location and prior earnings.

Ultimately, this is just a Band-Aid on the wound of people who want to work but can't because the job market won't bear it. As always, Clark believes an economic downturn is a great time to start your own business. Commercial space and employees both come cheap at a time like this.

Meanwhile, Congress has extended the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit through April 30. This is expected to be the final extension. In addition, there's a new expansion that will give $6,500 to existing homeowners who want to move up into another house. Income caps apply for the latter provision.

Ford is planning to roll out an inflatable seat belt for back seat passengers beginning with next year's vehicle models. The newly designed belt promises to save the lives of children who routinely sit in back seats.

"Each belt's tubular air bag inflates with cold compressed gas," according to The Los Angeles Times, "which flows through a specially designed buckle from a cylinder housed below the seat." In addition, the rate of inflation is very gentle compared to that of traditional air bags.

Clark loves ingenuity like this. Likewise, he recalls hearing about a state highway engineer who came up with the idea of wires being strung along freeway medians to prevent crossover collisions.

There's so much we can do with science on the cheap to save lives!