• cellphonesforsoldiers.com - donate cell phones to soldiers overseas
• volition.com - mystery shopping site
• occ.treas.gov - bank complaint form
• eloan.com - free credit score
• myfico.com - loan rates
• kallback.com - call back to the States
• gphone.com - calling to Russia

Clark has been playing in Europe for the past week and he and his wife, Lane, had a great time. They rented a car and drove from Germany to France during the trip, and Clark was floored by the cost of gas. It was $5.53 a gallon! In the United States, we’re upset about the $2.00 per gallon cost, but we don’t have it nearly as bad. When you fill up in Europe, they trust you to pay after you’ve pumped. There is no pay at the pump. And the cars in Europe, although very small, go very fast. Clark was going about 100 to 105 mph in Germany where there is no speed limit. People passed him going between 150 and 175 mph, and that wasn’t unusual. In France, the speed limit is about 80 mph or 130 kilometers per hour. People do not drive over the speed limit. Trucks must go 100 kpm, which equates to 60 miles per hour. If they go over the speed, cameras catch truckers and send them a ticket. So, people don’t violate it. As for hotels, Clark was paying about $100 a night in France and a little less in Germany. Clark booked a car to rent before the trip. But he checked again right before they left and prices had dropped. So he got a different car for about $150 for the week. You can also get very good off-airport rentals for a $5 to $6 a day, which is great. You can tool around for the day in a city and it won’t cost you much (aside from gas). Just be sure that you decline the rental car company’s insurance. And, make sure you have a credit card that covers international rentals. Food is much more expensive, with meal prices at between $10 and $15 a person. But there are tons of McDonald’s all over Europe. So, you can get a decent deal if you know where to look.

Has your bank gone through a merger yet? A recent survey shows that customers are not as satisfied when a bigger bank takes over their smaller bank. Many people just take it, but about one in five head for the exit. The claims are that the bank loses its personal touch, fees are much higher and everyone you knew gets the boot. So what should you do? Know what matters to you. If you know that the good personal service and no fees are important, then you want to leave. Or if you like bigger banks and more branches and convenience, then you should be fine. There is a natural hierarchy with banks whereby they will eventually sell out to bigger banks. So, it will happen. But you can choose which kind of bank you want to join. And if you don't want to be a member of a bank anymore, join a credit union. Credit unions offer the best deals, and the best service but the least amount of inconvenience.

Clark recently bashed Charles Schwab, one of the most respected brokerage houses in the country, for starting an underhanded fee schedule that would dupe many Schwab customers. The company went on the air twice to defend its new fee schedule, but the company has now decided to throw out the whole thing and return to its old schedule. Commissions on stock trades have been reduced from $30 to either $10 or $20, depending on your situation. Also, the company started a fee structure that would require most customers to pay $280. Now most people will not have to pay that fee, but they’ll have to open a certain account called the “Independent Investing Foundational Account.” Clark thinks the company has done a nice job realizing that it created a problem for itself. He thinks companies should be able to charge what they want for services, but they should be upfront about it. You may not even be aware that this was going on, so you may have to make a change in what your account is called. As for the market in general, it’s splitting in two. There are either extremely low cost brokerages out there, or those with really big fees and commissions. Apparently, Schwab wants to be one of those low-cost companies. And Clark commends them for coming clean about what they were trying to do.

If you have teenagers and they’re planning to work this summer, it would be a good idea to talk with your teen about the dangers on the job. Teens tend to think they’re invincible, and the topic of injury on the job doesn’t get much press. According to Newsweek, 70,000 teens will end up in hospitals this year because of on-the-job injuries. The government is working on laws that will limit what kind of summer jobs teens can do, so that they don’t get hurt as much. In the meantime, it’s up to parents to get the message through about job safety. Choose your message and the time wisely, but they will listen to you.

You’ve probably heard that car dealerships make huge markups on cars. Usually, they mark-up the financing anywhere from 3 percent to 12 percent. They claim it really took a lot of work to get you that rate when really it was a cinch. This secret is not as well kept as it used to be, so people are going to credit unions more often. Most people just know better nowadays. But for those who don’t, one dealership outside of L.A. posts a daily list of credit scores and the rate those scores will get you. They’re trying to be more upfront with customers who may question the honesty of the rates, and it’s working out for everyone. The dealership is able to get people in and out in less time, thereby earning them more customers. And customers get an honest deal. But most dealerships aren’t that above board. So, you have to do the work yourself. First go to eloan.com and get your score. You can get it for free once. Then go to myfico.com and find out what rate you should be offered. Then, you’re armed with knowledge and can get the rate you deserve.

A massive amount of your tax dollars goes toward education whether you have kids in school or not. That would be fine if schools were performing as they should. But we run our schools like monopolies, and the government decides who goes to what school. It’s arbitrary, thoughtless and wrong. What we need is choice. When you have choice, you create opportunity. One school in Washington D.C., is getting it right. Seed School is a public boarding school that brings in kids who read at a fourth grade level in the seventh grade. The kids are chosen by a lottery and they stay at the school during the week and go home on the weekends. The school is in an area of the country where about five percent of school children go to college. But of the Seed School kids, 100 percent are going to college. That’s amazing. The innovative schooling has given them a chance, and it’s working.