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Stories for October 2008
Stories for Friday, October 31
Salons feeling the economic pinch
One effect of the recession is that hairdressers are getting clobbered. People are either trading down from spas to discount chains or they're cutting their own hair! Clark knows a man who cuts his own hair using a Flowbee and he always tries to get the penny-pincher to become a ...
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
LycaMobile.com - Prepaid international mobile service FreeCycle.org - Get free furniture online KBB.com - Find out the value of your vehicle Edmunds.com - Find out the value of your vehicle Nada.com - Find out the value of your vehicle
Ultra-cheap calls to the United States from overseas
Clark is amazed at how quickly the prices on tech items keep dropping. Right now, he wants to shares a historical note that he's actually very embarrassed about. Back in the '80s when he owned a chain of travel agencies, he had a pager that would go off all the ...
Furniture is a steal of a deal right now
This is the best time in recent memory to find amazing deals on furniture. That's partly because there's too much supply; the furniture biz follows housing and the industry is experiencing its own major slump. Many of the best deals are on "scratch and dent" merchandise or floor models. Other ...
In praise of nurse-in-a-box practices
So often, it takes an outside force to generate change. Take the business of medicine in the United States, for example. It's been stagnant for too long, and it doesn't really work for patients or doctors. But a new change is being driven by nurse practitioners. They're the ones who ...
Stories for Thursday, October 30
Half of all investors not shaken by market turbulence
What are you doing with your retirement savings plan? New research from Money magazine show a pretty even split down the middle, with about 50% of investors going to the sidelines and 50% staying in the game. Clark only analyzes his holdings on a quarterly basis. He doesn't react to ...
Stay out of the grocery store to save money
CLARKONOMICS: Federal data now shows that consumer spending has dropped at the greatest rate since 1974. Many adult Americans have no historical frame of reference to gauge things by when it come to that. So this will be the first true belt-tightening that some of us will have to go ...
Federal bailout of homeowners in the works
The banks, brokerage houses, insurance companies and automakers all got theirs, so why shouldn't homeowners? Clark's talking, of course, about the government plan for a federal bailout of some 3 million homeowners who are delinquent on their mortgages. This is the first truly organized attempt to assist those facing foreclosure. ...
New flood cars to deluge the market
RIP-OFF ALERT: In the wake of this season's hurricanes, you can expect to see flood cars deluging the auto market, according to Money magazine. Here's the bottom-line: Dishonest people take flood vehicles into certain states where they can "wash" a car's title. That action removes any evidence that the vehicle ...
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
No sites or numbers mentioned
Stories for Wednesday, October 29
Payday lenders seek to overturn interest rate cap
Clark is a longtime opponent of the payday lending industry. He's privileged to have been able to testify against the industry in state legislative committees. Right now, however, he's horrified by the payday industry's latest tactics in Ohio and Arizona. First, though, a little perspective: The Wall Street Journal reports ...
Consumer confidence low, but the sky is not falling
By now you've probably heard the report that consumer confidence is the lowest ever since surveying began during the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. Clark believes we are in difficult times, but not dire times. Of course, the endless media coverage would convince you otherwise. For example, it's now common to ...
Detroit automakers seeking federal bailout
The Detroit automakers -- already getting $25 billion from the government -- are now back on Capitol Hill looking for more money. In addition, GM and Chrysler want to merge and shift the responsibility for workers' pensions to us as taxpayers. This may sound insensitive, but the reality is that ...
Price-fixing of fuel surcharges a complete joke
Price-fixing on fuel surcharges is something that really burns Clark up. What a joke; the cost of a barrel of oil is lower today than it was a year ago. Yet if you buy an international ticket today, you'll almost certainly get ripped off by these bogus surcharges. A new ...
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
No sites or numbers mentioned
Stories for Tuesday, October 28
Talking about tough financial times with your kids
If your family is facing tight financial times, it's important to talk with your children about the situation. The key is to have an informative conversation with your children -- without engendering fear. Of course, this scenario doesn't always play out the way you'd like it to. Clark recalls hearing ...
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
NFCC.org - Free or low-cost credit counseling CreditCardTuneUp.com - Find the best rewards card FatWallet.com - Listener-suggested substitute for CreditCardTuneUp.com Quizzle.com - Free credit score (not the official FICO score)
Second-hand stores are all the rage
Used clothing stores are experiencing record numbers of sales in this down economy. That includes giants like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, along with smaller boutique-style shops like Plato's Closet. People are also selling their belongings on Craigslist or eBay. Sporting goods are especially popular for sale whenever the economy ...
FDA labeling on children's cold remedies is bogus
Clark is beyond angry about the FDA's actions regarding children's cold remedies. Here's the scoop: For years, the drug companies have been making big bank selling children's versions of their OTC cold and flu remedies for adults. The industry has been allowed to set its own labeling standards for the ...
Credit card issuers jacking up rates for no reason
Clark is getting scattered calls from listeners who are outraged or perplexed by the actions of their credit card issuer. The issuing banks are raising interest rates by 20% or more -- even if the individual has good credit, has never been late or hasn't even had any change in ...
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