Clark Howard's Show Notes

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:51:41 UTC

ClarkHoward.com - Clark's investing guide BankRate.com - Search for the best savings rates... (Read more)

New identity theft warning centers on purses left in cars

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:19:15 UTC

RIP-OFF ALERT: Here's a warning about a fast-growing type of identity theft called third level or third-tier identity theft. The speed and sophistication with which it takes place is shocking. Let's say you go to a health club or a movie thea... (Read more) <br /><div align="right">Sponsored by: <a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat6;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat6;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" height=30 width=120 border=0></a> </div>

New stats question the role of cell phone use in accidents

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:30:32 UTC

Requiring drivers to use headsets when talking on their cells has no demonstrable impact on the number of crashes, according to new findings from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI). As an affiliate of the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety... (Read more)

Clark discusses SuperBowl XLIV

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:31:20 UTC

How 'bout dem Saints? The "Aints" ain't the "Aints" anymore! Clark admits to being a lifelong Colts fan going back to the days when they were a Baltimore franchise. But he found himself getting really excited for the New Orleans champs in t... (Read more)

Remember investment horizon to ward off Dow Jones jitters

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:33:32 UTC

CLARKONOMICS: Just days ago, Clark shared news that many people are beginning to feel more confidence about the economy and their own situations. Yet at the same time, people with money in the stock market have been more nervous lately as the Dow... (Read more)

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:27:37 UTC

ImmediateAnnuities.com - Instant annuity quote calculator... (Read more)

Volkswagen earns high marks from Consumer Reports

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:04:29 UTC

With so much negative news about Toyota, and the car market in general, Clark wants to share a positive spin courtesy of Consumer Reports. But before that, a word about Ford. The Detroit giant is now making such great products, many with gre... (Read more)

Clark on national debt, health care and the failure of politics

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:19:45 UTC

The United States is in danger of having its bond rating downgraded, according to credit rating agency Moody's. If this happens, it would be an unprecedented occurrence. So what you say? It means that the United States, which has historically bee... (Read more)

FHA to help homeowners before they get in trouble

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:19:14 UTC

The Federal Housing Administration has announced a new plan that may allow borrowers to seek relief even if they haven't missed a mortgage payment yet. There are three criteria under which you can request assistance. The first is job loss. The... (Read more)

Housing recovery waiting on supply and demand to sync up

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:52:41 UTC

So much media hoopla was devoted to a recent story about U.S. home resales falling off a cliff in December. But the reality is you can't look at a single month when you're considering that kind of statistic. In fact, the trend over several prior mont... (Read more) <br /><div align="right">Sponsored by: <a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat4;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat4;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" height=30 width=120 border=0></a> </div>

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:01:13 UTC

ClarkHoward.com - Determine if your mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac HUD.gov - Find a housing counselor NFCC.org - Find a housing counselor ClarkHoward.com - Clark's guide to selling your unwanted gold jewelry SCORE.org - Service Corps ... (Read more)

Sales of new homes way down in 2009

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:53:35 UTC

New stats show that only seven percent of home sales in 2009 were new construction. The new home market is in an absolute depression -- not a recession, a depression. Millions of people who made their living in the new housing sector now need to find... (Read more)

Manufacturing jobs moving from old industries to new fields

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:05:48 UTC

U.S. manufacturing is currently in the midst of a massive shift away from jobs in old industries like textiles and printing to new fields like semiconductors and communications equipment. A new report from the Federal Reserve shows that, in addi... (Read more)

Jewelers seeing demand drop as gold prices rise

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:26:06 UTC

The Zales jewelry chain continues teetering on the brink of insolvency. A recent Dow Jones report says the company has put a freeze on advertising and is requesting that its vendors buy inventory for cash. The jewelry business as a whole has tak... (Read more)

Earned-income tax credit may apply to more families this year

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:09:43 UTC

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: Many families who would never have considered applying for the earned-income tax credit (EITC) may be eligible to do so this tax season. The EITC is usually aimed at low-income families, but the unprecedented level of unemplo... (Read more)

Websites/phone number mentioned:

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:16 UTC

Mobissimo.com - Search for cheap international fares... (Read more)

Amazon e-book pricing to rise in response to Apple's iPad

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:01:08 UTC

The price of an e-book for the Amazon Kindle is set to take a 50 percent hike because of competition from Apple's iPad business model. Amazon had staked out a very pro-consumer position by using its market-share to force major publishers to sell ... (Read more)

Credit card minimums leave you in debt for nearly 50 years

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:27:36 UTC

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: Beginning next month, when you open your credit card statement, there will be a new box accompanied by the following wording: "If you pay the minimum payment above, it will take you XX number of years to pay off your balance." ... (Read more)

Don't panic over the Toyota recall

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:33:55 UTC

Well, another day, another wrinkle in the Toyota recall story. First, it's important to know that problems with sudden acceleration were talked about internally in Toyota and ignored with a resulting lose of life in a number of cases. Yet thi... (Read more)

Fidelity and Schwab competing in the discount brokerage biz

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:51:00 UTC

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: Recently, Clark told you about two new moves by Charles Schwab to capture more of the discount brokerage business: Offering online equity trades at $8.95 and offering about 10 of their own exchange-traded funds (ETFs) commission-... (Read more)

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:00:38 UTC

Insure.com - Comparison shop for insurance quotes online AVG.com - Free antivirus software Spybot - Search & Destroy - Free spyware/scareware removal... (Read more)

Clark and team recap their annual staff trip to Maui

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:23:50 UTC

Aloha from Maui! Clark and his staffers recently returned from their annual staff trip and this year they opted for the sunny climes of one of Hawaii's most famous islands. See a slide show of some of the beautiful sights we saw! There is one car... (Read more)

Toyota announces details of repairing recalled vehicles

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:55:16 UTC

Toyota has announced details of how it will handle the massive recall of millions of vehicles at risk of sudden acceleration problems. The Japanese auto giant will start with repairs in about a week or so. Owners must wait to get a certified let... (Read more)

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:44:36 UTC

ImmediateAnnuities.com - Instant annuity quote calculator... (Read more)

Check your monthly billing statements for errors

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:00:07 UTC

A new cautionary tale about the importance of checking your monthly statements comes via a story about Dish Network's trouble with automatic debits. First off, there's no way to know if what Clark is about to discuss was an isolated instance or ... (Read more) <br /><div align="right">Sponsored by: <a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat12;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat12;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" height=30 width=120 border=0></a> </div>

Doing Valentine's Day the Clark Smart way

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:03:10 UTC

Valentine's Day is coming up. Are you ready, guys? Ever year Clark sees those guys who haven't planned ahead and must make last-minute purchases at the end of the business day on Valentine's Day. You just know they're getting fleeced on prices! I... (Read more)

Tuition for an M.B.A. may be deductible

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:33:55 UTC

One of the themes throughout this Great Recession has been that of people losing their jobs, worrying about job loss or fretting that their chosen profession is toast and won't be making a comeback when the economy recovers. Clark himself had gre... (Read more)

Major retailers using rip-off tactic during online checkout

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:48:28 UTC

RIP-OFF ALERT: We've gotten several calls from listeners complaining about being ripped off while checking out at many otherwise legitimate Internet selling sites. Typically, our callers report seeing a message during checkout asking if they'd l... (Read more)

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:47:32 UTC

Insure.com - Comparison shop for life insurance QuikBook.com - Discount hotel reservations ClarkHoward.com - Tips on using Hotwire and Priceline for reservations ClarkHoward.com - See if your loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac NAPFA.org - Fin... (Read more)

Consumer confidence starting to look up

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:48:20 UTC

CLARKONOMICS: New findings from pointy-headed organizations like the Conference Board and McKinsey Global Institute both suggest some of the most positive indicators about consumer attitudes toward economic growth that we've seen in quite awhile. ... (Read more)

Maryland county trying to ban fast food

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:26:54 UTC

The food police are at it again, this time in the state of Maryland. State senator David Harrington is trying to ban new fast-food restaurants from obtaining licenses. This is a movie we've all seen before in parts of Los Angeles and other localities... (Read more) <br /><div align="right">Sponsored by: <a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat11;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/cxri.clarkhoward.text/shownotescat11;rr=1;pg=/shownotes/index.xml;mkt=Personalities;sz=120x30;tile=1;ord=1265741300?" height=30 width=120 border=0></a> </div>

Hotel business ailing means deals for travelers

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:48:38 UTC

The hard deals you can drive with hoteliers right now are simply unreal. Why? The hotel business is hurting because there's a tremendous oversupply of rooms. The hotels are in a unique and unenviable position. Airlines can park planes when deman... (Read more)

More teens waiting to get their licenses

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:08:28 UTC

The car market in the United States has really shrunk over the last few years. Historically, we've sold 17 million new cars annually. Now we're down to 10 million each year. Last year, Clark talked about how the Japanese were losing their roman... (Read more)

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:30:35 UTC

BankRate.com - Search for the best CD rates online... (Read more)

Oregon approves ballot initiative to soak the rich

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:04:57 UTC

The voters of the state of Oregon have decided to raise taxes on companies and individuals who have higher salaries. Clark understands perfectly well that right now it's very popular to soak the rich and get them to pay more tax...but that does not mak... (Read more)

Scammers prey on early tax filers with familiar e-mail ploys

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:09:34 UTC

RIP-OFF ALERT: Like clockwork, the scammers are coming out of the woodwork to prey on early tax filers. The IRS has released a warning about a very legitimate looking e-mail in circulation that purports to be an official IRS communication. The e-... (Read more)

Clark responds to the State of the Union address

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:43:49 UTC

Did you see the State of the Union address last night? Most State of the Union addresses are just Christmas trees with ornaments during which the President throws out bones to everybody. Then you always have predictable responses from the opposing pa... (Read more)

Time to get out of money-market funds?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:49:11 UTC

Money-market funds have long been considered just about the safest place to stash cash, with the price of a share traditionally set at $1. During the nearly 30 years of their existence, no one had ever lost a single penny in a money-market fund. ... (Read more)

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:57:47 UTC

IBRInfo.org - Info on income-based repayment plans Ooma.com - Cheap VoIP option NFCC.org - Free or low-cost credit counseling... (Read more)

Clark Howard's Show Notes

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

New identity theft warning centers on purses left in cars

New stats question the role of cell phone use in accidents

Clark discusses SuperBowl XLIV

Remember investment horizon to ward off Dow Jones jitters

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Volkswagen earns high marks from Consumer Reports

Clark on national debt, health care and the failure of politics

FHA to help homeowners before they get in trouble

Housing recovery waiting on supply and demand to sync up

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Sales of new homes way down in 2009

Manufacturing jobs moving from old industries to new fields

Jewelers seeing demand drop as gold prices rise

Earned-income tax credit may apply to more families this year

Websites/phone number mentioned:

Amazon e-book pricing to rise in response to Apple's iPad

Credit card minimums leave you in debt for nearly 50 years

Don't panic over the Toyota recall

Fidelity and Schwab competing in the discount brokerage biz

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Clark and team recap their annual staff trip to Maui

More online job postings hint at a hiring recovery

Toyota announces details of repairing recalled vehicles

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Check your monthly billing statements for errors

Doing Valentine's Day the Clark Smart way

Tuition for an M.B.A. may be deductible

Major retailers using rip-off tactic during online checkout

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Consumer confidence starting to look up

Maryland county trying to ban fast food

Hotel business ailing means deals for travelers

More teens waiting to get their licenses

Websites/phone numbers mentioned:

Oregon approves ballot initiative to soak the rich

Scammers prey on early tax filers with familiar e-mail ploys

Clark responds to the State of the Union address

Time to get out of money-market funds?

Websites/phone numbers mentioned: