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Stories for December 2008
Stories for Wednesday, December 31
Staying in the market is critical in today's climate
Should you stop contributing to your 401(k) or other retirement account and sell everything you've got? That's a question that Clark hears from people multiple times a day. Barron's recently ran a story comparing our current market situation to the 1930s. These kinds of stories create anxiety that is not ...
Make sure your life insurer is financially healthy
Clark doesn't want to create anxiety, but he does want to let you know that a number of life insurers are on financially shaky ground. The insurers are being hit with a double whammy. On one hand, they had some commercial real estate investments on their books that went sour. ...
Debt collectors facing tough times reclaiming money
Debt-collection agencies are reporting big losses, according to The Wall Street Journal. For example, one agency owned by Chase lost $15 million in the last 90 days because their level of collections has dropped. People are tapped out and you can't squeeze blood from a turnip! The Wall Street Journal ...
Deep discounts on cruise cabins coming
Clark has a trio of travel tidbits to share involving cruises, airlines and car rentals. First, look for deep discounts on cruise cabins coming soon. The industry has overbuilt too many giant ships with too many cabins. In fact, the number of cabins will be up roughly 10% year over ...
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
Today's show featured Best Of Clark segments from recent broadcasts.
Stories for Tuesday, December 30
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
ZenniOptical.com - Complete prescription eyeglasses from $8 DiscoverTesting.com - Test your water at home for $20 Tug2.net - Timeshare Users Group Today's show featured Best Of Clark segments from recent broadcasts.
Amazon introduces frustration-free packaging
Have you noticed that electronics and toys are packaged with seemingly indestructible anti-shoplifting packaging? Sometimes it seems like manufacturers get joy out of knowing people struggle to open their packages. In an effort to ease shoplifting concerns, some retailers have taken to locking their merchandise up in a cage. They ...
Christa's brush with a water-testing company
Executive producer Christa recently got a call from a water-testing company claiming she had missed her appointment to test the water quality at her home. At first, she thought it was a scam marketer. But it turns out her husband Mike had scheduled an appointment without telling Christa. Mike is ...
White space spectrum promises free Internet across America
Clark has been annoyed for years that we have monopoly-provided Internet service in the United States. It stifles innovation and creates poor access conditions. In fact, we have a sub-Third World user experience and we pay more than most of the developed world. But there is a ray of hope. ...
Insurers using RBMs to deny coverage for radiological tests
Have you ever had an MRI, CAT scan or other radiological test? The use of such tests has surged by 50% in the last 5 years. Such tests are potentially life-saving, but they're also over-prescribed by doctors afraid of malpractice suits for not running them. This is also known as ...
Stories for Monday, December 29
McDonald's rolls out the McDouble on dollar menu
Restaurateurs at all price points are coping with higher food costs by substituting ingredients, serving smaller portions and offering daily specials based on what's cheap each day. McDonald's has been wrestling with what to do about the lynchpin of their dollar menu -- the double cheeseburger. Many stores were complaining ...
Cable companies lying about upcoming DTV switch
We've been hearing from listeners about a new rip-off being perpetrated by the cable companies. Customers who are on basic cable -- sometimes called analog cable in industry lingo -- are being told they must switch to new more expensive digital cable service, and pay for a box for each ...
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
Hulu.com - Watch TV and movies for free on the Internet Joost.com - Watch TV and movies for free on the Internet Today's show featured Best Of Clark segments from recent broadcasts.
ATM fees up another 13% in 2008
Clark has only paid an ATM charge once in 12 years, back in June 1996 in Moab, Utah -- and it still eats at him! He can practically remember the very day! But most of his fellow Americans don't care if they get ripped off with inflated fees for using ...
Banks to write off 40% of a consumer's debt?!
The number of calls we're receiving from people who are in trouble with credit cards has skyrocketed. Traditionally, Clark advises people about negotiating one-on-one with a creditor; seeking help from NFCC.org; or dealing with a collection agency. But we're on the cusp of a new way that consumers may soon ...
Stories for Friday, December 26
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 ...
Phantom contracts at center of Qwest lawsuit
There was a time when DirecTV and Dish Network had an edge over the monopoly cable companies because they offered great customer service. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. The 2 satellite companies -- along with all 4 major cell phone carriers -- are now infamous for locking customers into ...
Websites/phone numbers mentioned:
No sites or numbers mentioned. Today's show featured Best Of Clark segments from recent broadcasts.
Phishing scams get a new life after bank failures
RIP-OFF ALERT: Scamsters have been getting very sophisticated in their phishing attempts following the numerous bank failures in our nation. Clark himself says he received a phishing attempt that looked very legitimate after the Wachovia collapse. Here's one example of what's been going on: Within minutes of the original plan ...
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 ...
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