MagicJack.com - Unlimited local and domestic long-distance calls for $40/year
Helio.com - Unlimited Internet, calling and texting for $99/month

For many years, the Big 3 discount investing houses -- Fidelity, Schwab and Vanguard -- operated on a simple full service vs. self service model. You could either pay them to handle your investments or you could do it yourself. But now most of those companies offer an in-between option that's like limited service. You could have knocked Clark over with a feather when he learned that Vanguard is offering some level of advice and charging you for it. That's never been their modus operandi, but now this option is available for a charge of less than 1% for those with $500K. It's like the whole investing world has turned on its axis! This new investing model among the Big 3 is really a result of the "dot.bomb" era, when people lost confidence in their financial decisions and never regained it.

There's often a gatekeeper at your doctor's office that won't let you talk to the doctor. They'll make an appointment for you, but they won't let you speak directly to him or her over the phone. After all, doctors don't get paid to just talk, right? Well, now Aetna and Cigna are reimbursing doctors for online virtual visits. You can chat directly with your doctor over the Internet. This creates a market incentive and saves the insurers a ton of money. The fees they disburse for online appointments are less than they'd pay out for an actual visit. Meanwhile, the CDC reports that visits to the doctor are up 20% over the last 5 years. With fewer general practitioners than ever, that's a train-wreck waiting to happen. Clark has long advocated for nurse-in-a-box practices to alleviate the crunch.

The Los Angeles Times recently published a list of the 10 top issues that doctors are most asked about during Internet visits. Not as much fun as a Letterman list, but here goes: No. 1 medications; No.2 sinus problems; No. 3 back problems; No. 4 colds and flu; No. 5 test results; No. 6 coughs; No. 7 follow-up on surgery or another procedure; No. 8 headaches; No. 9 fevers; and No. 10 asthma.

CLARKONOMICS: Clark wants you to take control of your financial future. The problem is that our debt level is not allowing us to be captains of our own ships. We no longer actually pay for things; we've become a nation of payment buyers. Many of us seek instant gratification whether or not we have the money for it. Delinquencies are rising on almost every kind of loan. Clark recently saw a Federal Reserve chart depicting the total debt level of consumers. It's doubled in just 10 years -- and that's after being adjusted for inflation and not counting mortgage debt. We as citizens have changed our relationship with money for the worse.

Clark recently did a series on CNN Headline News where he served as a money counselor. Every single person he worked with had excessive debt. That's becoming the normal American story. The only legitimate reason to take on debt is to make more wealth. Mortgage debt used to be considered good debt, but even that's up for debate nowadays. With cars, people are stretching their loans way beyond the old standard of about 36 months.

If it sounds like Clark is haranguing you, well, he is. If you're on the "debt express," get off the train and get onto another one -- the "cash is king" train. The sad thing is that debt is no longer just a uniquely American disease. The international press is reporting all around the world about debt woes. Humans have a tendency to spend money that we don't have. Think about it: People eat more when they're offered larger portions -- it's human nature. It's hard as humans to be our own enforcers, but think about the freedom you can have if you take control of how you handle money. Next time you get a credit card application in the mail, realize that they're not giving you something for free. They're actually conspiring to take away your financial freedom.

Cell phones are getting cheaper and cheaper to use. Now Verizon -- the most expensive cell phone company -- is offering a bargain of sorts in the form of unlimited nationwide calling for a flat rate of $99. You'll pay extra if you want to include texting or Internet capabilities, but Verizon's move is pretty revolutionary. Think about the value proposition: You can eliminate your home phone, which can easily be a savings of $30 or $40 a month. Meanwhile, the typical cell phone bill is in the high $50s. Add those figures together and you're very near the $99 range, but you also get the added flexibility of a cell phone. Look for the other 3 big carriers -- AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint -- to now respond with lower pricing of their own. Another possible scenario is that this Verizon move will force Metro PCS and Cricket to marry and offer their own economical plan. This is the dawn of a new era in the cell biz!