AnnualCreditReport.com - The only truly FREE credit report
ClimateSaversComputing.org -- Adjust your computer's energy consumption to save money
OCC.gov - File a complaint against a bank
Zillow.com - See national home value trends on an interactive map

The latest stats from the Center for Disease Control show emergency rooms visits are up. Some 120 million of us visited the ER in 2006 -- the last year for which records are available.

Historically, the ER has been for uninsured people. But today, a very large numbers of insured individuals are making the trek -- even for non-emergency conditions in the middle of the day.

What's going on? Well, many people no longer have primary care doctors. So they just go to the hospital. Not a good idea. The wait is very long and you have to be assessed in triage; there's no "first come, first serve" service. The visits are also massively expensive even with insurance.

If you do have insurance, you'd be better off taking the time to pick a primary care doctor. This also allows for continuity of care and easy follow-up visits.

But most people won't get around to selecting a primary care doc. That's why there are alternatives like "nurse-in-a-boxes," which can be found at supermarkets, drug stores, Wal-Marts, etc. Nurse-in-a-boxes usually have a price list so you know how much you'll pay to be seen by a nurse practitioner.

Another alternative comes in the form of Doctor of Nursing Practice programs being offered at some 200 schools. These doctoral-level programs require nurses to take the same qualifying exam as a doctor. Clark loves that the marketplace is developing an answer to the primary care crunch.

One of the easiest ways to lower your electric bill is to reduce the power your computer uses when not in use. In fact, "Dracula" or vampire electronics account for some 5 cents of every $1 you pay for electricity.

Here's the good news: You can reduce consumption by 95% by going through a simple series of tweaks at ClimateSaversComputing.org. This move can save you up to $60/year!

CLARKONOMICS: The Vehicle Affordability Index now shows that cars are the most affordable they've been since Jimmy Carter was president.

That's partly because of the intense competition in the car market that makes new vehicles a real deal at this point.

To arrive at this finding, researchers took the average income and figured out how many weeks you'd have to work to equal the average cost of a vehicle. The result? 23 weeks of work.

But here's the disturbing news: We're snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. First off, the average length of a loan is now 63 months, which is way too long. Second, repossessions have skyrocketed at all levels of car purchases -- partly because of the economic downturn.

42 months is the longest auto loan you should ever take out, according to Clark. If you can't afford the payment on a 42-month loan, then you need to buy a cheaper car. Paying cash upfront for a vehicle is always a good idea too.

Meanwhile, the price of used vehicles is down because there's too much supply. CarMax is among the major used-car sellers that's really taken it on the chin. So in addition to the great deals on new vehicles, there's never been a better time to buy a used car either. As always, remember to get a mechanic to carefully vet any used car before you actually buy it.

In related news, Clark recently read that an SUV purchased today will be worth a mere 30 cents on the dollar in 36 months. That's food for thought!

Clark wants to share some information that could impact those in the housing market as potential buyers of distressed real estate and those trying to sell a home in a neighborhood that has foreclosures.

In economic terms, we're beginning to hear that "capitulation" has come. What that means in plain English is that banks have sobered up and are dropping their prices on REO (real-estate owned) properties, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Previously, the banks had been asking unrealistic prices that were comparable to the outstanding loan balances on foreclosed properties. No wonder they didn't get any bites!

So it may be worth your while to make another offer on REO property right now. The banks are more likely to be humbled after sitting with that house in inventory for this long.

On the other side of the ledger, capitulation means that you should probably have a new target price in mind if you're selling in a foreclosure-riddled neighborhood.

Think about it this way: If REOs sell after banks come down in price, then those lower sale prices become the comps you're competing against in the area. It's incumbent on you as a seller to photograph the sad, rundown foreclosures so that buyers can see exactly why they sold for less than your house. That way you can justify asking a higher price for yours.

Meanwhile, Zillow.com is reporting that roughly 30 percent of people who bought during the last 5 years are upside-down in their homes. Zillow also has a new feature that allows you to see national home value trends on an interactive map of the United States.

Of course, talk of lower home values comes with Clark's usual caveat: Don't worry if you're not selling right now. None of this impacts you. In fact, you can use the decline in home values to contest your property taxes. Check with your local tax assessor for details on entering a dispute.