AnnualCreditReport.com - The only truly free credit report!
NFCC.org - Free or low-cost credit counseling resources
CUNA.org - Learn about credit unions that you're eligible to join
Edmunds.com - See the true market value of a car
KBB.com - See the true market value of a car
CarFax.com - Get a vehicle title history report
NotchUp.com - Find out how much a potential employer should pay to speak with you

Several months ago, Clark made a lot of listeners unhappy when he failed to bash Bank of America for charging non-customers a $3 fee for use of their ATMs. Clark defended BoA's right as a free-market enterprise to raise their rates, and he reasoned that non-customers would stop using their ATMs because of the added surcharge. But that's not what happened. In fact, Dow Jones now reports that other banks are following BoA's lead and raising their rates.

We are the ones who have to change our behavior -- not BoA or any of its competitors. They can only rip you off if you allow them to do so. Most every bank and credit union has a network of ATMs you can use for free. You can also shop around for the lowest surcharge before you do a non-customer ATM transaction. BoA and others are raising rates because we're willing to pay! If this sounds like you, your assignment is to go to the website of your bank, credit union or brokerage house and find out where their free ATMs are located. Another option is to use your debit card during a point-of-sale purchase to get cash back for free. If you don't change your behavior, today's $3 rip-off may be $5 or $10 next year!

Longtime listeners know that Clark despises the gift card market. The only exception to this rule is when you get more than what you pay for from a retailer or merchant. Examples of this include getting a $125 gift card for $100 or getting bonus services thrown in during the purchase. Business Week recently ran a story that reinforced why retailers push gift cards so hard. It's like stealing money without a gun; they know a large percent of the cards won't ever be redeemed. You may have heard that Home Depot holds more than $100 million in unredeemed gift cards. But now Business Week has discovered that Best Buy is sitting on a whopping $500 million in outstanding gift card revenue!

States are now wising up and enacting laws that require retailers to turn over unredeemed gift card money after a certain period of time. If people go to redeem the card, they'll have to get their money back from the state. Clark recently was in Austin, Texas, visiting his affiliate station KLBJ-AM. There he spoke to a member of the state legislature who told him Texas enacted its own law after hearing one of Clark's gift card rants. The worst kinds of gift cards are the ones issued by banks, which come with a ton of fees. The federal regulators have not put any rules on the banks as of yet. That alone tells you who they work for -- and it's not you and me.

Several just-released home market stats highlight how stinky the real estate market has become. In the latest session of Clarkonomics, Clark explains how the current market situation is turning some of his long-standing advice on its head. New stats show that home prices in 10 major metro areas are down 8.5 percent from a year earlier. That's the worst number since stats have been kept. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reports that sales of new homes have dropped 27 percent -- the worst since record keeping began 44 years ago. Finally, the National Association of Realtors reports that overall home sales are down 13 percent over the last year. Add it all up and there's no denying that the new home market is in much worse shape than the used home market.

If you read Clark Smart Real Estate, you know that Clark spoke about people putting too much focus on foreclosures; and about how buying used is a better deal than buying new. But that's not the case anymore. Right now, you're better off getting a new home -- preferably one that's an REO (real-estate owned). When a lender takes a house back, they drive it into the toilet because they're not in the business of property management. So REOs quickly morph into overgrown, smelly houses that deteriorate into crummy shape. That's when you can steal a deal, hopefully somewhere in the range of 20 percent below market value. Of course, you'll have a lot of cosmetic work to do.

Congress is currently cooking up some temporary props for the housing market. There's talk of giving people in jumbo loans (above $417K) the chance to refinance at standard rates, not jumbo ones. Keep your credit score as high as possible in preparation for when/if this legislation goes into effect.

Here's an odd one for the job seekers among you. There's a new website that pays you to go on interviews. So far only technology-geared companies are making use of NotchUp.com, which is in beta. Here's the scoop: It's very expensive for companies to use classifieds and online job sites to find new employees. NotchUp.com, however, is free to employers. They find it's cheaper to pay targeted candidates for their interview time than to go the traditional advertising route and have to sort through a ton of unqualified applicants. Will NotchUp.com be around a year from now? Who knows! But if you're seeking a new position, pursuing this opportunity can't hurt you. Meanwhile, Monster.com currently is combating negative publicity stemming from a recent security breach. So beware if you're contacted by an unsolicited "recruiter" seeking sensitive personal info. They may offer to run a background check with the promise of potential employment. But you may fall victim to ID theft if you let your guard down.