Institutional trust had been declining for years, but it really fell off a cliff in the last couple of years.

The financial sector has been hit hardest by the erosion of trust, according to a new survey from Forrester Research. There's been a widespread loss of faith in stockbrokers, financial planners, banks, insurance companies and others across the board.

There are, however, two glaring exceptions, two institutions that actually still command trust from the public! They are USAA and credit unions, and they're both tied for first place in the survey with a 68% vote of confidence.

USAA is an insurer of military personnel that has a large banking arm, a credit card operation, a home loan operation and more. Credit unions, meanwhile, were lumped together because no one institution was large enough to be on its own as a brand name.

Life insurers did horrible: New York Life (30%), Prudential (35%) and Nationwide (37%). And the stock brokerage firms didn't fare any better: Ameriprise (33%), Charles Schwab (39%) and Edward Jones (40%).

One absolute shocker was Vanguard. Clark has long trusted this organization, but it only received a 36% vote of confidence.

Forrester's survey of more than 5,000 households was conducted in the latter half of 2008.

It's hard for Clark to find much that he likes about the $787 billion stimulus package. But there is at least one benefit for military homeowners not being widely reported.

Military families that have sacrificed so much frequently face the added burden of having to move posts every 3 years or so. That means buying a home at each duty station and selling the home at your previous post.

The stimulus package actually offers compensation for those who are forced to sell at a loss -- for up to 95% of that loss. This applies to your primary residence purchased before July 1, 2006.

Why that specific date? That's the generally accepted marker at which housing is considered to have peaked in the United States.

Meanwhile, the government can also underwrite the cost of buying a house up to 90% of the home's previous value under a separate provision of the stimulus package.

The Washington Post has a detailed story that fleshes out additional information.

And the cost of these provisions? The best guesstimate puts it at $555 million, an amazingly minor sum that's just a fraction of 1% of the total package.

The consumer champ is glad he has something positive that he can report about the stimulus package. This is one ornament on the Christmas tree that he can believe in!

The natural inclination following terrorist attacks like those in Mumbai is to recoil in fear and revulsion. Many people also mentally scratch India off their list of places to visit. But not Clark -- he instead went on his computer and looked for travel deals to India. Clark's thinking is let's not give the terrorists what they want by living in fear of them.

It's the same reason why he did 2 shows directly from New York just days after 9/11.

We as a nation have been doing a lot of soul-searching about how to deal with terrorism in the world. There are going to be a lot of U-turns and dead ends on the road ahead. Historians will have to tell us if going into Iraq was the right move, but Clark believes there should be no question about having gone into Afghanistan.

Closer to home, the penny-pincher encourages you to do what you can to help your country. Back in 2001, he was proud to join his state guard as a way to do his part.

Seven years ago today, our nation took a major body-blow during the unfathomable terror attacks in New York and Washington D.C. So many innocents were blown away by fireballs of brutality from the evil geniuses of al-Qaeda.

Seven years on, we as Americans have fatigued from the War on Terror. But the reality is that dealing with terrorists is messy and we have a long road ahead of us.

Clark recalls how the British handled the IRA. The IRA would put bombs in metal trashcans to turn them into shrapnel. So the Brits put in plastic trash cans. They also put in cameras everywhere with artificial intelligence to recognize terrorists. The point is they adjusted and they ultimately defeated the IRA. Thus goes our struggle with al-Qaeda.

There are so many ways people have been moved to contribute in the aftermath of 9/11. Clark joined his state guard in November 2001. He didn't have any martial skills at all, so they put him in public affairs. But he's also had opportunities to serve that he never anticipated -- such as when he did medevac relief during Hurricane Katrina.

Want to join your state guard? Be sure to see Clark's sign-up guide.

Food budgets have been stretched to the breaking point for a lot of families. The feds try to pretend that we don't have inflation by getting cute and cutting out food and energy from their numbers. After 7 years in the state military, Clark realizes that the basics -- diapers, food, trash bags -- are a tremendous burden for enlisted personnel on a very tight budget. Instead of just hearing about this sad story, some people are doing something about it.

Clark was inspired by The Washington Post's report about a group of women who collect newspaper inserts from their neighbors and meet every Tuesday at an American Legion post. They come with satchels full of inserts and then clip coupons for food and non-perishables. The coupons are then sorted and mailed to soldiers overseas or their families here in the United States. The troops can use the coupons to buy goods at commissaries on their bases.

Clark loves what these women are doing. This clipping program was started by a woman whose veteran husband died of cancer around the time of the terrorist attacks. She came up with this program to honor his memory. But coupons can make a difference for your budget even if you're not in the military. Grocery costs are up at least 10% over last year. Try CouponMom.com to get yourself organized. Clark's sister-in-law is so into coupons that she eats almost for free every week.

It's no secret that Clark has a lot of respect for the men and women in our all-volunteer military. He's particularly touched when strangers at the airport spontaneously applaud personnel returning home from foreign theaters of war. Whether you agree or disagree with the Iraq situation, Clark thinks people learned have learned from the mistakes of Vietnam when people were awful to the returning soldiers.

Kiplinger reports that six years into our latest Middle East foray, we still have companies that are not following laws designed to protect the military in the marketplace. For example, one cell phone company put a soldier into collections and ruined his credit while he was deployed overseas. The soldier should have been granted a military suspension. Similar situations have popped up with car leases, apartment leases and more.

Clark has compiled a military manual to help get you financially prepped if you're enlisted. You can also check Military.com for further information.

These rules are not meant to cheat private enterprise out of the money they're owed. Rather, these rules are designed to protect our brave volunteer military. If you're a company not following the law because of ignorance, here's your chance to learn about it. If you knowingly choose to ignore the law, shame on you.

Food budgets have been stretched to the breaking point for a lot of families. The feds try to pretend that we don't have inflation by getting cute and cutting out food and energy from their numbers. After 7 years in the state military, Clark realizes that the basics -- diapers, food, trash bags -- are a tremendous burden for enlisted personnel on a very tight budget. Instead of just hearing about this sad story, some people are doing something about it.

Clark was inspired by The Washington Post's report about a group of women who collect newspaper inserts from their neighbors and meet every Tuesday at an American Legion post. They come with satchels full of inserts and then clip coupons for food and non-perishables. The coupons are then sorted and mailed to soldiers overseas or their families here in the United States. The troops can use the coupons to buy goods at commissaries on their bases.

Clark loves what these women are doing. This clipping program was started by a woman whose veteran husband died of cancer around the time of the terrorist attacks. She came up with this program to honor his memory. But coupons can make a difference for your budget even if you're not in the military. Grocery costs are up at least 10% over last year. Try CouponMom.com to get yourself organized. Clark's sister-in-law is so into coupons that she eats almost for free every week.

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

Clark recently had a visit from some National Guard folks who had a story of their own holiday efforts. The National Guard apparently helps to ensure that the children of soldiers who are killed, wounded or in financial distress have gifts on Christmas. As a part-time soldier, Clark is proud to hear of these efforts. Meanwhile, The American Institute of Philanthropy recently assessed the fund-raising efforts of 29 military charities. It turns out 20 of those studied are managing their money poorly, have huge overhead costs/fund-raising expenses and are paying their leaders immense salaries. This is shameful. Be sure to check out a new guide to navigating the best and the worst of the military charities.

Clark frequently opens his show by telling listeners that his purpose is to be of service to them. But have you ever wondered how you can be of service to others? Clark is a big believer in joining our nation's homeland security effort by signing up for state guard service. These are voluntary military units under the service of the governor in 27 of the 50 states. Like many people, Clark had never heard of state guards before a guardsman told him about them in the wake of 9/11. Now he's been active in the Georgia State Defense Force for about six years and has become a captain. Prior military experience is usually not necessary.

Different states operate their defense forces in different ways. Some train with the National Guard, while others don't. Some carry weapons and some don't. In case you're wondering, Clark doesn't carry a weapon! There's no pay for this work, but it really can enrich your life. Clark has been trained on search and rescue, medivac and community support in the event of a disaster. He had the privilege to serve his fellow citizens doing medivac during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Now he's just completed his annual training this past weekend and he's totally pumped about the experience. Volunteering for Georgia's State Defense Force is his way to stand up in an era when foreign enemies want to destroy us. Check out Clark's defense force guide for more information about state guards across the country.

There is an unpatriotic segment of the population that has been thriving by ripping off members of our military with usurious loans. Clark thinks it's disgusting that the soldiers who lay their lives on the line for our freedom are being taken advantage of by scum. This issue directly impacts our national security when military personnel can't deploy because they're burdened by mountains of debt and can't get security clearance. Some of these locust payday lenders have been stationing themselves outside of military posts and making loans with interest rates beginning at 390 percent! Many military recruits have fallen for this because they're young and not sophisticated in the ways of finance. Congress previously outlawed these sickening loan practices, but only now has the Pentagon formalized rules to protect the young men and women in our military. It is now a federal crime for a payday lender to rip off a soldier. The rules also extend to loans offered to the spouses of soldiers. Other provisions of the new rules ensure that soldiers will soon have access on their posts to financial advice 24/7 and extra low-cost loans.

Clark recently had annual training for his defense force position. He was at Fort Stewart in Georgia and he noticed tons of pawn shops, quick cash businesses and several bankruptcy attorneys on the way into the base. Why? Lenders are taking advantage of young recruits, lending them money at interest rates of 400 and 600 percent. These young soldiers borrow money at an outrageous interest rate and are unable to pay it back so they go into bankruptcy. The good news is that a new law will soon go into effect that caps the interest rates that soldiers and sailors can be charged at 36 percent. The law will go into effect in October of this year. So, for nine more months, soldiers and sailors can legally get ripped off. Make sure your loved ones know about these loan sharks and about the new law.

Have you heard of “pay day lenders” or “pay day loans?” These are the crooked insurance salespeople who set up shop outside military camps just waiting to rip off uninformed soldiers and sailors. They claim to offer quick cash and try to get these young people to take loans out against their paychecks. As a result, the soldiers and sailors would end up with huge debt and, therefore, were not allowed to serve because of it. Thankfully, Congress has seen the light and passed a cap on interest rates charged to our military personnel at 36 percent. Most people wouldn’t want a loan at 36 percent, but it’s been legal to charge as much as 400 percent interest. So, it’s a start. And come January 1, 2007 it will be against the law to charge ridiculous amounts of interest on loans. There is a cap in place. The pay day lenders have been talking about having to go out of business because of the new law. Clark says good riddance.

It was bad enough that 26 million U.S. veterans had their information exposed recently because of carelessness at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, it gets even worse. Nearly all active duty soldiers were also in the database and could have their information compromised, as well. One congressman after another has pranced in front of the cameras, calling for an investigation. Instead, why don’t they focus on establishing requirements for companies and how they handle our information? We need strict privacy rules that determine how our information is used. Also, every American citizen needs the power and right to freeze his or her credit information. Our representatives are responsible for drawing up and presenting these laws. That’s why we elect them. It’s horrible to think that soldiers are putting their lives on the line for us overseas while thieves use and abuse their information. If our legislators do nothing for regular citizens, they should at least do something for soldiers who are fighting for us.

Thousands of brave young adults have gone overseas to fight in military theaters around the world during the current war. They are serving their country and putting their lives on the line for the safety of our citizens. How does our government repay them? Well, would you believe the military is serving them with bills and turning them into collection agencies in return. What happens is a soldier gets injured on the battlefield and leaves his or her weapon behind. The government is then billing those soldiers for the weapons and equipment while the soldiers are lying in hospital beds or dealing with a disability. What an insult! These people are coming back with brain damage, amputated limbs and paralysis. Yet, the military is going after them for repayment. What’s worse is that families are getting harassed so badly by bill collectors that they’re paying. Clark thinks Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld should apologize to every soldier who has been wronged like this. If you're interested in doing your part for our country without enlisting, check out Clark's Defense Force Guide and join in your state.

A new act on the books aims to protect service men and women and their money. Better yet, it's being paid for by fines that rip-off artists have had to pay for duping soldiers on bases. Listen to Clark and find out how to get started in the program.

Clark is currently on book tour for his latest book, "Clark Smart Parents, Clark Smart Kids." You can look up his schedule on ClarkHoward.com. Also on Clark’s web page, there is a new page dealing specifically with military finances. Clark thanked Web site producer Kellie for her work on this page. Check it out here.

Many soldiers and sailors have been getting ripped off for years on investments and insurance. They have been conned into buying mutual funds with commissions of up to 50 percent. This has been occurring for decades on military bases, but Clark wants you to know Congress has created proposals to stop these con jobs from continuing. Stories in The Washington Post and the New York Times have finally prompted our lawmakers to do something about this unfortunate trend. With the new policies, salesmen will no longer be allowed onto military bases. The financial companies are extremely upset because they will not be able to rip off the military customers anymore. But Clark is ecstatic about these new proposals. He wants you to know that if you are ever confused about any investment, do not spend your money on it. Do not invest in something until you understand it completely.

Clark is a big believer in rescue groups and shelters for dogs and cats. Too often people give pets as gifts and the recipients can’t handle the responsibility or don't want the animal in the first place. Worse yet, the pet is purchased from a breeder, pet shop or puppy mill, which often cost a great deal of money. There are millions of great animals out there in shelters and rescue groups that need good homes. They are also a lot less expensive than pets from traditional methods. The need is even greater these days because of the number of soldiers going overseas who have to surrender their animals to shelters. Consider taking in one of these pets as fosters. You can save the dog from being put down and learn a lot about pets and responsibility. Who knows? You may decide to adopt one of these special animals.

There has been a lot of publicity surrounding identity theft in the past few days, mostly since the breech in security at Choicepoint. One area where identity theft is happening quite a bit is in the military. These people are out of the country and it’s easier for criminals to scour their mail and seize their identity. That’s why it’s important for soldiers to freeze their accounts before heading overseas. And, there is now a special exemption for those soldiers, which is known as the “Soldier Freeze Military Alert.” Soldiers should add a military freeze to their credit file before they go overseas. Also remember that if you’re the victim of identity theft, you have the right to see copies of the paperwork that the individual used to open the account. It’s part of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The advantage, of course, is that you have something to compare and show people to prove it’s not you. Don’t play victim and don’t allow yourself to be a victim in this growing crime.

For years, sleazy insurance salesman have been selling high-commission life insurance policies and investments to vulnerable military men and women. One Congressman, Max Burns, has been fighting this travesty on Capitol Hill and last night he won a victory for servicemen and women everywhere. Last night, the House passed a bi-partisan bill that will protect military personnel. He hopes it moves just as quickly through the Senate and then goes into law. Currently, the unscrupulous salespeople are allowed to charge up to 50 percent commission for these contractual mutual funds. That’s a huge amount, and the bill will wipe out the chance that those kinds of funds are sold on military bases. This is good news for everyone.

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Speaking of protecting people, are you protecting yourself when it comes to your investments? Do you look at your prospectus to see if you are being charged a junk fee known as a 12B1 fee? If so, get out of that investments It’s a ripoff fee you should not be paying.

If you have a cell phone, you know that you may get eaten alive in overage charges if you go over your minutes one month. With Cingular, the minutes you don’t use are “rolled over” to the next month. So, if you go over one month, you can use those “roll over” minutes against the balance. Now, Sprint is offering a deal that allows you to buy a flat number of minutes per month. If you go beyond that, you pay an overage fee of 10 cents per minute. Granted, no one likes to pay overage fees, but it’s less than what you would normally pay with typical plans. They are usually 40 to 50 cents per minute that you go over. You end up paying more for your base minutes with this plan, but it works very well for people who clock very few minutes one month and a lot the next. The name of the plan is “Fair & Flexible,” and you can always switch plans if something doesn’t work for you. Usually, these plans only apply to non-customers, which Clark thinks is ridiculous. Companies create loyalty when they make efforts to keep existing customers. Sprint is catching on to this idea apparently and has started a new program for old customers. Customers can get a new phone every 1.5 years and can earn $150 credit toward that phone by sticking with the company. It’s about time.

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In other cell phone news, two teenagers have come up with an idea to help soldiers overseas. It’s called “Cell Phones for Soldiers,” and it’s geared toward soldiers who have run up huge long distance charges calling their families back in the States. The idea is that people can donate old phone cell phones, which are then either turned into usable phones or sold for money. The money is used to buy pre-paid phone cards that soldiers can use to make phone calls back to the U.S. Check it out!