Want to stay mentally sharp even in old age? Start surfing the Internet!

A team of UCLA researchers presented that revealing finding during the Society for Neuroscience's recent annual meeting. The researchers looked at a group of subjects (with an average age of nearly 67) who were not initially Internet savvy. After just two weeks of basic web surfing, the subjects' MRIs showed remarkable brain activity.

Simply getting on the information superhighway actually made them smarter!

"Their brains showed activation in portions of the superior and medial frontal gyrus and the inferior frontal gyrus," The Los Angeles Times reports. "Those are regions of the brain key to decision-making, working memory and interference resolution -- the skill of fending off distracting intrusions and allowing necessary ones while 'bookmarking' one's place in a task to return."

So ladies and gentlemen, start your search engines!

More and more people who are elderly or ill are selling their life insurance policies to death future contracts companies (aka life settlements) to score some quick cash.

Let's say you have a $100,000 policy. Someone may offer you $30,000 or $40,000 if you sign over your rights to a policy that would otherwise eventually pay out to your heirs.

Is this a good deal? Usually not. Think about it, you're taking pennies on the dollar for a policy you may have had for years. It will also likely create an additional tax burden for you.

The only time you should consider doing a life settlement is if you are out of all sources of income and have no survivors who need the money. But even then, you'll want to shop the market to make sure you're getting the best deal.

Senior citizens are taking on debt levels that are just eye-popping, according to new numbers that Clark has seen.

Those 65 and older increased their debt by 26 percent between 2005 and 2008. Meanwhile, there's been virtually no increase in the debt level of people aged 35-64 over the same period.

So what's going on here? Seniors are most likely trying to maintain lifestyle on a fixed income as the earnings on savings have deteriorated.

These stats are for the middle class only -- they're not for seniors rolling in dough who simply have a little less of it now. The reality is that people who were getting by before now aren't.

Clark guesses these aren't seniors making frivolous choices with their money; they're paying for meds, putting food on the table and dealing with the daily expenses of life.

That's where you can help, according to Clark. Be nosy with your parents or elderly relatives. Too often pride gets in the way and they won't ask for help.

Realize there's no insta-answer here either. Those seniors who are able to may have to go back to work part-time. Others are not well enough to work or may not be able to find employment.

Again, that's where you come in. Some kids have amnesia about what their parents did for them through the years. If that's you, try to get beyond it and see if you can be of help now.

Finally, Clark says the credit cards pushing through rate increases before the new consumer protections fully go into effect are only complicating matters for seniors.

What happens to your accounts, usernames and passwords when you die? A recent Time article titled "How to Manage Your Online Life When You're Dead" addresses this thoroughly modern dilemma.

DeathSwitch.com is a service that repeatedly prompts you for your password to make sure you're still living. If you fail to reply to multiple prompts, the system will then e-blast out a message you've pre-composed (containing usernames, passwords, special messages to loved ones, etc.) to let others know of your untimely demise!

WeRemember.org is another similar service.

But what if you sign up with one of these services and they go bust? What becomes of your sensitive info? There is no clear law in the United States to govern this. In similar instances, user info has even been sold to make creditors whole!

Obviously, there's no perfect solution yet. If you're a braniac, there's a great business idea here, Clark promises you.

And how does the consumer champ handle this dilemma? He's chosen to go a very analog way. Clark has given one of his lifelong friends an envelope that has all his usernames and accounts in the event of his death. If his friend is not trustworthy, he could be broke in a minute!

Reverse mortgages have been very popular as of late with seniors. With a reverse mortgage, an elder gets to stay in his or her home and collect a check each month from the mortgage company.

You essentially turn your house into an ATM. It's been particularly attractive to seniors who can't afford to sell at a loss and are in need of supplemental income.

But what seems good in concept has not been good in reality. Reverse mortgages have historically come with exorbitant fees and expenses. The forthcoming September issue of Consumer Reports has a write-up on why they stink. Keep an eye out for it shortly on a magazine rack near you.

Another good resource to check is Reverse.org -- a service of the National Center for Home Equity Conversion -- which offers free, unbiased advice on reverse mortgages.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is taking a look at the main part of the mortgage market. There are new proposed rules now open to comment from the mortgage industry through November.

In short, the Fed is trying to force mortgage lenders to lay out in plain English what will happen to you in a loan or home equity line. The proposals would also outlaw kickbacks where lenders purposely put you into a higher cost loan to earn compensation.

Clark hopes the Fed stands up to the mortgage business and doesn't weaken its proposals. We need the industry to have fiduciary duty and work for us, not against us.

And remember to always get several mortgage offers before making a final decision.

One unexpected consequence of the recession is that some families can't afford to bury their loved ones.

The Los Angeles Times reports that bodies are going unclaimed in record numbers at morgues because families know they can't afford a burial. In a case like that, many jurisdictions will do a cremation at taxpayer expense.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that home burial is becoming increasingly popular at family farms and other large tracts of private land. In most jurisdictions, home burial is permissible as long as you follow the regulations. The typical cost is a few hundred dollars.

Obviously, these are the two extremes of how the recession is shaping end-of-life choices. But there is a reasonable compromise: Join a non-profit funeral or memorial society if there's one in your area. Funerals.org is a clearinghouse where you can search by state.

As Clark has said in the past, you get to use the group buying power of your fellow memorial society members to greatly reduce the costs of a funeral with cremation or burial.

The consumer champ has been a member since the '70s. Through his membership, a simple burial with a casket is $1,950 vs. $7,500 for a comparable service. Cremation is in the $900 range.

Are you a senior who is "house rich and cash poor," or do you have a loved one in this situation?

Reverse mortgages offer a way for retired folks who are running out of money to remain in their home and get a check each month by borrowing against the value of the property. This can be a good option if you don't want a family member to inherit the house. Historically, however, the fees on reverse mortgages have been too high.

In fact, any legitimate lender will require you to go to a counseling program to learn about the pitfalls of a reverse mortgage before you sign on the dotted line.

Now the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that these types of counseling programs are in fact shills for lenders looking to rip the elderly.

The GAO did an undercover investigation of 15 different counseling organizations and went zero for 15 when it came to finding one that conveyed unbiased, sound information about reverse mortgages.

There's also another danger to be aware of with reverse mortgages. Last year, Kiplinger's reported that insurance salespeople were pushing variable annuities to seniors doing reverse mortgages.

AARP found that 1 in 10 people doing reverse mortgages were conned into doing so with the promise of pseudo-investments like variable annuities. If you get the pitch, run the other way.

RIP-OFF ALERT: The Orlando Sentinel recently reported on a new scam where crooks call senior citizens and impersonate their adult grandchildren in order to hit them up for money. Heed this warning if you have aging parents or friends.

Here's how a typical conversation might go:

The phone rings and the senior picks up…

Scamster: (in a low tone) Grandma?
Senior: Is that you, Jimmy?
Scamster: Yes, it's me and I'm in trouble. I'm in jail. I need you to wire money so I can get out.

The typical take on this scam is anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000. There's even a reload on this one. If the scamster gets money, they'll have another person call up impersonating a police officer and ask for additional funds in order for their "grandchild" to be released. They claim there are extra charges for property damage.

Once the money is taken, you'll never see it again. As The Orlando Sentinel says, you should never give out personal info over the phone or send money to unknown sources through a wire service.

Jitterbug is one company that's had a real corner on the market when it comes to selling senior-friendly cell phones to an aging population. Clark's 85-year-old mother has become a heavy Jitterbug user. Unfortunately, many of their service plans aren't exactly designed with the talkaholic in mind, so it's becoming an expensive habit.

Now there's a new cell phone on the market for seniors that promises to be a more cost-effective option for the heavy user.

Clarity may be expensive at $269, but it allows you to sign up for service -- no contracts necessary -- with T-Mobile or AT&T. (It is not compatible with Sprint or Verizon). If you choose to sign a one-year contract, then the phone only winds up costing you $184.99 out of pocket to purchase.

Clark is going to try the Clarity for his mother (on a T-Mobile plan) because it could very well work out financially for her. The Jitterbug, however, still remains a Clark Smart choice for light-volume calling.

There are so many new products ideas out there for an aging population. It's a real sweet spot in the market that entrepreneurs should be looking to serve.

In another example, LoJack is now making a location-tracking wristband for those with Alzheimer's, autism, Down syndrome, dementia and other cognitive disorders. The cost for service is around $20-$30/month.

Clark has long encouraged people in their late 50s and early 60s to consider buying long-term care (LTC) insurance, which pays for care in a nursing home, an assisted living facility or in your own home.

There's a misconception that Medicare will pay for this kind of care, but it won't. Medicaid, meanwhile, requires you to impoverish yourself before the government will pick up the tab for a nursing home. But what happens when you get better and suddenly you're broke? LTC insurance takes the worry out of the equation.

The industry, however, has been littered with fly-by-night operations and other unstable players. The latest blow comes from Conseco, which worked out a deal with Pennsylvania to dump its LTC obligations and essentially turn people over as wards of the state.

The solution is to only buy LTC insurance from a solid company, preferably one that has an A.M. Best rating of A++ or A+. It may cost you more now, but decades down the road you have a greater likelihood that A++ and A+ companies will be around.

One final note: LTC insurance isn't necessary if you're so wealthy that money is no object to getting the best care, or if you're so poor that being a ward of the state makes sense. That still leaves between 65% and 80% of Americans in the middle who could benefit from it.

A recent caller took Clark to task for telling seniors not to carry their Social Security cards around. This disgruntled listener complained that seniors have to carry their Medicare cards, which contain their Social Security numbers.

For the record, Clark believes seniors shouldn't routinely carry their Medicare cards -- unless they know they have a doctor's appointment on a given day.

Years ago, the government ordered private insurers to start using MRNs (medical record numbers) instead of Social Security numbers to minimize the risk of ID theft. The insurers kicked and screamed, but they ultimately complied.

Now, behind the scenes, the government is trying to force Medicare to do the same. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the Social Security Administration itself is trying to pressure Medicare -- and they're not complying.

Seniors are prime targets for ID thieves because they're the ones with all the assets. 31 states have laws that prohibit or restrict the display of your Social Security number. Why don't the arrogant folks at Medicare care? Why must they aid and abet the ID thieves?

A recent AARP poll found that 99% of people do not want to be in a nursing home during their senior years. That's because nursing homes tend to be very impersonal institutions. Sure, some offer great care, but that's more the exception than the rule.

Interestingly, the demand for beds in nursing homes is less than demographers predicted. Americans have instead made allowances to care for aging relatives at home. But such an arrangement is not always possible or practical.

So what's the alternative? The Wall Street Journal recently had a write-up on "Green Houses," a new vision for elder care being advanced by a man named Dr. Bill Thomas. These home-like facilities house only 10-12 residents -- instead of hundreds.

Thomas teamed up with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create more than 40 such Green Houses in a select number of states. The eventual goal is to have them in all 50 states.

As you can imagine, the nursing home industry is trying to block the Green House movement with the help of state regulators. They perceive it as a direct revenue threat. But when 99% of your potential customers don't want to do business with you, you know something is wrong!

Clark once served on the board of a non-profit nursing home, and he knows that the difficulties in running a facility are enormous. So he plans to follow the Green House movement with interest. Baby boomers are aging and there will be a wave of elders seeking nursing home care in the next 10 years.

There's been a disturbing spike in bankruptcy filings among senior citizens. The Consumer Bankruptcy Project finds that bankruptcies are up a whopping 433% among older seniors and 125% among younger seniors.

We live in an age where seniors still have mortgages as they enter retirement, or they have racked up massive credit card debt during the golden years.

This is obviously not the generation that grew up during the Great Depression -- otherwise they would know how dangerous debt can be and they'd steer clear of it.

When you're 20 or 30, you don't realize that one day you'll retire. Modern medicine has given us longer lives, but the flip side of that coin is that you've got to financially provide for those extra years.

No doubt you've heard this before but it bears repeating: The earlier you save, the easier it will be down the road.

Clark thinks of his daughter in college. When she spoke up in an economics class about a Roth account, she proved to be the only student with any knowledge of a Roth. Talk about a full nerd alert on campus!

In fact, she's been enjoying the "daddy match" on her Roth from the age of 15 when she got her first real job at a restaurant. Clark matches whatever she saves dollar for dollar.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a father who's obsessed with saving for the future. That's why it's important to hear this message and heed it. Check out Clark's retirement chart if you want to really see the power of saving early.

One final thought: Clark's friend, the syndicated financial columnist Michelle Singletary, recently wrote a column from the heart about how she's heard from retirees burdened with mortgage debt. The takeaway is do not buy more house than you can afford!

Clark recently created a stir when he spoke about the Finnish educational system. Finland has the world's highest achieving students. Teachers are treated as entrepreneurs in the classroom and can teach whatever they want. There's little emphasis on standardized testing, and there's no state-controlled curriculum.

In fact, they're a great example of free enterprise in the education field. What makes it odd, however, is that Finland has a long socialist background!

The equally socialist Sweden is also letting the free market work in their schools. They've adopted vouchers. Sweden's voucher system allows parents to opt out of the public schools and send their kids to private school regardless of family income.

The Financial Times of London reports Sweden is now planning to institute a voucher system for the elderly seeking nursing homes. Once again, the elderly will be able to shop for basic long-term care regardless of income.

The United States is supposed to be a beacon for free enterprise. Yet free enterprise stops at the door whenever it comes to something that government gets involved in -- like education and healthcare.

We need to reinvigorate how we spend our tax dollars. It doesn't matter if you don't have children or elders; it's still coming out of every paycheck. Clark is a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist, but he thinks we need to follow the lead of socialist Sweden and Finland on these points.

Clark recently discussed how he was furious over kangaroo court arbitrations in the corporate world. Many banks force customers into these joke arbitrations that are worthy of a banana republic. Of course, the financial institutions routinely select arbitrators that rule in their favor.

Days after his initial comments, The Wall Street Journal did a story about nursing homes that harm or kill people through negligence. Surviving family members have no recourse because they signed mandatory arbitration clauses when they were admitting their loved ones. It's getting to the point that nursing homes have no incentive to not kill people; there's nothing families can do after the fact.

The Wall Street Journal is not exactly a bleeding heart liberal publication, but they're very angry over this. So what can you do to protect yourself before you put a loved one in a nursing home? They suggest you carefully vet the admission contract and see if you can opt out of the mandatory arbitration clause. If you can't avoid it, try writing the following next to the clause: "I'm signing this because I was told that I have to." That creates the possibility that you can potentially get out of mandatory arbitration in the event your loved one is harmed or killed while in their care. The thing with the banks was bad enough, but it's a whole different story if they kill your mama.

Last year, Clark told you that nursing homes were using multiple holding companies behind the scenes to limit their liability. There are a lot of things going on in this industry that are unacceptable in a decent society, according to Clark. Interestingly, the demand for beds in nursing homes has been far lower than what demographers anticipated. That's because more families are choosing in-home care options for their elders. You need to feel confident about who's caring for your senior loved ones.

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?

Conventional wisdom holds that it's almost impossible for baby boomers who are in the 50-64 age group to buy individual health policies. But increasingly insurers are trying to woo more individuals as customers. That's because big employers are discontinuing health insurance and switching over to reimbursement plans. Such plans may still be managed by the insurers, who act as paper-pushers. But the actual business of insuring is increasingly done by the employers themselves.

Aetna, Humana and Wellpoint all offer products to uninsured baby boomers, according to The Dallas Morning News. They may even take you on if you have some pre-existing conditions. That's good news for the almost 7 million boomers who no longer get health insurance through work and aren't yet old enough for Medicare. Meanwhile, try looking to the warehouse clubs if you're an entrepreneur seeking an individual health plan. Sam's Club leads the field in offering volume-based pricing, but Costco also offers plans in select states.

Many years ago, Clark switched his mom's phone service to a non-traditional company that offered better rates and more features. That worked out fine for years. Then his mom recently moved, and an unreal odyssey began when they tried to get her phone service moved from the old address to her new one. Now his 83-year-old mom is without her landline. This is really laughable in 2008 when it takes just hours to move a phone number between cell phone companies. Clark had been trying for years with no success to get his mom to use a cell phone, but they aren't always senior friendly.

Recently Clark signed his mom up for a cell phone service called Jitterbug that's designed for senior citizens. Now she's a cell user for the first time in her life -- so much so that it will now be a big expense! In fact, she may no longer care about her landline when it does eventually get hooked up. There's a real business opportunity out there for entrepreneurs who can develop products that take modern technology and make it easy for elders to use. After all, seniors have all the money; why should technology exclusively be geared toward young people? Someone will make a bundle creating simplicity out of complexity.

There are around 150 million Americans on the Do Not Call list. That has really frustrated insurance salespeople who would like to rip off a lot of old folks they're now forbidden to contact. So some marketing companies have come up with lead-generating programs to break the Do Not Call barrier. Here's how it works: The marketing company mails a postcard to a senior telling him or her that there's a problem with their Medicare or Social Security benefits. Some postcards even had the AARP logo or official government addresses on them to suggest credibility. When someone responds to the postcard, they're exempting themselves from the Do Not Call list. Insurance companies then pay big money to the marketing companies for the rights to get those numbers and set up appointments to pitch elders on bad investments.

The Wall Street Journal reports that in one instance, an 83-year-old man fell for this rip-off tactic and was sold nearly $180,000 in annuities that wouldn't mature until he was 90. The salesperson made a commission of around $20,000. Some of the companies that have been involved in these postcard scams include ChoicePoint, American Family Prepaid Legal Corporation, Aviva PLC and many others. In fact, AARP won an injunction against ChoicePoint for using their logo. So if you are a senior or if you have elderly parents, know that these phony postcards are being used to con elders out of their hard-earned money. Clark thinks the real solution here would be to criminalize the sale of variable annuities to people over a certain age.

Do you want a free pass to financial trouble? Try being among the more than 50 percent of Americans who does not have a will! In a surprising twist, Forbes recently revealed that 1 in 3 wealthy Americans doesn't have a will either. What's going on, people? Clark wants to guilt everyone into having a will. Did you know that if you have minor children and don't have a will, the state can take your kids away at the time of your death and decide who gets them? They could go to a stranger or a relative who can't get their life together. Likewise, the state can decide who gets your money if you die and don't have a will. It could go to a family member you don't like, while your spouse may only get 10 cents on the dollar.

If you made a will years ago, you may need to dust it off and update it. You can do this yourself if your financial situation isn't too complicated. You can also go to a site like LegalZoom.com or try the highly respected WillMaker software. But you should go to a specialist if you have substantial money to protect. Retirement savings really need close attention. The beneficiary designation on your 401(k) or IRA accounts will trump whatever you have in your will. So check those designations carefully! One final note: California may be the exception to the rule that living trusts are not useful and should be avoided. That's because the Golden State has a very corrupt probate system. Some lawyers have even been able to arrange guaranteed revenue for themselves as a percentage out of someone's estate. If you own real estate in California and live elsewhere, you may want to hold it in a trust to avoid these corrupt probate courts.

People sometimes balk when they learn that Clark is a member of AARP. But he's not interested in their political lobbying efforts; rather he's just a member for the discounts. AARP actually consists of two branches under the same name. There's the non-profit organization for seniors, and then there's a second for-profit branch that sells insurance, investments and much more. The Los Angeles Times' syndicated personal finance writer Kathy Kristof recently did an analysis of AARP's for-profit financial products and found that they are not necessarily the best deals. The assumption is that you must be getting a great deal if you're a member and you're being solicited. But that isn't always the case. Clark has long felt that Congress should outlaw the practice of non-profits setting up for-profit subsidiaries and selling products or services in an effort to cash in on a legacy name. Please note that Clark is not saying AARP is ripping you off with their financial products. Instead he just wants to people to know that the deals they're being offered may not be the best ones out there.

The elderly are collectively sitting on $14 trillion dollars in savings. That means they have a big, fat bull's eye on them for con artists to hit. Christopher Cox, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is a libertarian who wants the government to stay out of people's lives and is generally skeptical of interference. But he's do disturbed by the con artists ripping off old people that he's convened a conference of the feds and the state regulators to fight back. Did you know that sales people are actually going to presentations to learn how to rip off the elderly with outright fraud and bad investments? "Every rock that we turn over seems to have a bug or a worm crawling out underneath," Cox recently told The Washington Post. "In each of the sweeps we conducted, we found significant fraud."

Clark is very upset about all the newspaper ads he sees for notes that promise to pay up to 14 percent interest. Seniors who fall for these notes probably won't see one single penny. Then there's the free meal seminar tactic and phony credentials that Clark has talked about so often. The latest twist now involves marketing organizations that print up investing guide books. These books feature an author's name and a picture of whatever financial guy pays them to have his headshot on the jacket. So the end result is that the elderly are being pitched by people who look like they're respected advisors and published authors on the topic of investing. The phony tactic literally makes it seem like someone "wrote the book" on investing! On a related note, what do you think is the most common area where seniors get ripped off because they follow bad financial advice? Annuities. No surprise there if you're a longtime listener of the show. Clark now calls annuities "the four letter word of investing."

Have you heard about American retirees moving to Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama because their social security checks go so much further abroad? This is a trend among healthy seniors, but now families who can't afford to pay for senior nursing care are taking a cue and outsourcing their elderly parents! Clark wants to clearly state that he's not endorsing this practice; he only wants to bring awareness to it. India is one of the hot spots for this new trend. The Chicago Tribune recently ran a story about Indian nursing homes that are built to Western standards. The article profiled a man that sent his parents -- an 89-year-old mom with advanced Parkinson's and a 93-year-old dad with Alzheimer's -- to India. The cost is about $15 per day -- a tremendous savings over the facilities we have here. For that price, the mom gets massages, physical therapy and 24-hour staffing for any need, while the dad has a fulltime personal assistant and a cook. Their cost of living is so inexpensive that it only eats up two-thirds of their social security checks. Compare that to nursing home fees in metro Chicago, where the cheapest one is $6,600 per month. Again, Clark is not recommending that you ship your parents off to India when they can't care for themselves. He's just noticing that so much has changed these days with medical tourism, seniors living abroad, etc. The real disadvantage is that you can't visit your parents too often because the cost of flying to see them is prohibitive.

Clark has often talked about how free meal seminars offered by annuity salespeople are to be avoided at all costs -- unless you want to get indigestion in your wallet for the rest of your life. An annuity is basically an insurance contract. The money you put in is not taxed until you spend it. Salespeople love to sell them because they get giant commissions. In fact, the commission is so large that it's hard for even a decent person to avoid the temptation of selling this garbage. Now The Wall Street Journal reports that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Allianz. This German-based company has been selling equity index annuities to older people via seminars, infomercials and free-dinner events.

Equity index annuities promise a portion of the gain of the stock market, while assuring holders against losses. They offer the allure of getting money without risk. But Clark thinks they're a piece of trash because all insurance companies cheat you on the gain -- only giving you a tiny portion of the actual gain in return for their guarantee of safety against market loss. Worse still, you usually have to stay in for 15 or more years to get the benefit. So salespeople target senior citizens, who may not live long enough to qualify for the guarantee. And if you are lucky enough to get wise to how bad equity index annuities can be, you may lose between 10 and 15 percent in penalty fees for surrender if you try to get out. Regulators across the country are calling this an instance of fraud. As Clark says, the "just say no" rule applies here to these free meal seminars.

Cross-country communication is very tough nowadays with generational differences in technology preferences. So how do you get emails and photos to someone who's computer challenged? A year ago, Clark read about something called "Presto," made by Hewlett Packard. It's a simple device that prints out photos and email automatically, three times a day. It's like having the mailman come several times every day. Clark got one for his 83-year old mom for her to get photos, emails and calls from family without touching a computer. This is such a wonderful, simple device. It isn’t cheap ($99) but it's very helpful! It even emails you when you're low on printer ink. Check it out at presto.com. Also, here's a bonus: you don't get any spam, because you can control who's able to send you anything.

The fact that we're all going to die is an uncomfortable subject, but it's one Clark thinks is periodically worth discussing. The reality is that most people pass away without telling their family what should happen at the time of their death. This oversight puts loved ones in a "mission impossible" scenario where they have to consider funeral arrangements while coping with the emotions of bereavement. Unfortunately, the funeral industry has figured out how to make extra dough during such situations. But did you know that by joining a funerary or memorial society like Funerals.org you can save up to 75 percent off? You simply pay a fee and make arrangements in advance. Some people may think that talking about this topic is somehow not respectful of the deceased. That's part of the psychology of field -- funeral homes profit off making it "bad" to talk about money at such a difficult time. But by planning early, you don't force your family to play a guessing game. And you also save money for your heirs.

Clark knows that most people won't ever get around to joining a funerary society. So he also recommends visiting EverestFuneral.com to help save money with funerals. With Everest, you can hire a concierge to negotiate on your family's behalf with funeral home directors. Or you can simply pay $30 and they'll do local price comparison shopping for you. On a related note, The Boston Globe reports that going to a home owned by Service Corporation International -- the biggest funeral company in the world -- will cost you more than going to an independently owned one. The independents charge up to 25 percent less than SCI establishments. Finally, there's always the option of organ donation to save a buck. Clark plans to donate his vital organs at the time of death to those who are in need of replacements. As part of that arrangement, his body will then be cremated free of charge. Clark says that if marveling at the fact that he's willing to take his thrifty ways to the grave is what it takes to get you to investigate some options, well, his work is done!

Not very long ago, Clark mentioned that people from the United States are now going to Mexico for dental care. That discussion sparked some unfriendly response. Now London's Financial Times has done a report about the medical tourism trend. People are going overseas to Thailand and India to save money on surgeries. The number of Americans going overseas is rising 20 percent per year, according to the report. The savings can be extraordinary -- up to 75 percent. The big question is, "What kind of care will you get overseas?" While the quality does vary, many third-world countries have first-rate hospitals that cater to foreigners. The Financial Times reports that Singapore is the best place to go for overseas medical care that is roughly equal to American care. You'll still save substantial amounts there -- up to 50 percent off -- and have a private nurse for 24 hours a day. While Clark admits that he is a medical idiot, he does believe that if you are grappling with the cost issue alone you should consider this option. There are now medical tourism businesses that handle accommodations, finding doctors and all the other logistics of getting care abroad. Be sure to vote in our new poll when you visit our homepage and tell us what you think about this emerging trend!

In the days when people would spend an entire lifetime working for one employer, they were frequently given gold watches at their retirement parties. While that tradition may now seem old fashioned, there's one thing that's becoming even more antiquated: pensions. The Los Angeles Times now reports that two-thirds of those employers who still offer pensions are eliminating them for new hires or planning to do so in the next few months. It's getting to the point where pensions will be a forgotten concept for future generations of workers.

The reality is that you need to think in terms of how you are going to pay for your own retirement. You can not rely on somebody else; that kind of support is increasingly not there. Clark recalls the donnybrook that took place in the Supreme Court when IBM battled to change its pension plan. The computer maker won and cheated out longtime employees who were counting on pension funds for their retirement. The moral here is that if you're relying on a company to provide for you or your family in the golden years, it's time to reassess your plans for the future.

A lot of people hope to save money through the years and live on what they've amassed during retirement. In fact, people 65 and older are sitting on $15 trillion in cumulative assets. Sadly, however, many folks fall victim to supposed financial experts who swipe it from them in the golden years. These "experts" get into the lives and wallets of retirees and run off with the money. If you have elderly parents or are facing retirement yourself, don't fall for any of the seminars that offer free lunch or dinner along with complimentary advice on retirement or investing. These seminars are typically hosted by people with alphabet soup titles by their names that sound impressive. The New York Times ran an article that included some of these titles, such as certified elder planning specialist, registered financial gerontologist, certified retirement financial advisor and certified senior advisor. These are bogus credentials that can be obtained when you have some dough to pay for them. But it's hard to tell between the fake certifications and the real ones.

So Clark advises people against buying any investments or insurance from someone receiving a commission to sell to you. He's not opposed to commissioned sales people in general, but they definitely raise a red flag in the investment world. You should instead hire someone to advise you on investments on a fee-only basis, much like you would hire an accountant or a doctor for their learned opinion. As Clark says, there is no free lunch in investing. When somebody says they're going to give you free advice, they're picking both your pockets. The annuities market, where sales are up 30 percent in the last six years, is an area that is central to rip-offs.

Senior citizens are getting taken in big numbers when they go to "free" seminar lunches or dinners. There's a federal-state joint investigation right now seeking to expose the practice of sales people trying to pitch seniors all kinds of investments, trusts and other products that our elders don't need. Of all the complaints filed with state securities regulators, Dow Jones reports that a third of them come from senior citizens. Meanwhile, roughly a third of all enforcement actions taken by the states are against con artists who have been ripping off seniors. A lot of older people have an old-fashioned sense of values, so if someone offers them a meal they feel obligated to that person or company. Cons know this and prey on the elderly. The problem is that you have no idea what kind of investment fraud you might be getting pulled into if you go to one of these "free" meals. Clark advises people to call their parents and grandparents and alert them to this problem. That "free" lunch your elderly parent may be considering would be better served by you. Go take your parents and grandparents out for a meal and you'll help protect their retirement savings and fulfill their need for companionship at the same time!

Elderly people that live in retirement homes should be aware of a new scam that has come to light. Criminals are calling individuals, usually women, who reside in retirement homes, and then pretend to be grandchildren in order to extort money. One of these crooks will call a retiree and say, “Hey Grandma, it’s Timmy. I’ve been in an accident. Do you think you could wire me some money so I can fix my car?” The unsuspecting woman then wires money through Western Union and the crook on the other end cashes and gets off scot-free. They can get away with the scam because Western Union does not require identification for wire transfers of $1,000 or less. If you have elderly parents living in these facilities, tell them know to hang up and call back to make sure the call is legitimate. The best way to stop this awful scheme is to be aware and to prevent it from happening in the first place.