01.31.25 Warning: Vacation Rentals / Best Ways To Buy A Vehicle

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast: Episode Summary Release Date: January 31, 2025
Episode Title: Warning: Vacation Rentals / Best Ways To Buy A Vehicle

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Clark Howard, a renowned money expert, delves into two significant consumer topics in this episode: the pitfalls of vacation rentals through platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, and the evolving landscape of vehicle purchasing. With insightful discussions, personal anecdotes, and expert advice, Clark equips listeners with strategies to navigate these complex markets effectively.

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1. Navigating Vacation Rentals: Risks and Responsibilities

Overview:
Clark opens the episode by addressing the growing concerns surrounding vacation rentals. While platforms like Airbnb and VRBO have revolutionized the way people book accommodations, they also introduce challenges related to accountability and service quality.

Key Points:

• Diffusion of Responsibility:
  Clark explains how vacation rental platforms operate as extensive listing services, connecting property owners with renters globally. However, this vast network can lead to a lack of clear accountability when issues arise.

  "These platforms make it possible for you, wherever you are in the world, to list a room and be connected to customers all over the globe. The problem comes when something goes wrong." ([00:58])

• Inconsistent Property Standards:
  Personal experiences highlight the inconsistency in property quality. Clark shares a particularly troubling incident in Hawaii where a VRBO rental was filthy, leading to significant inconvenience.

  "We rented a VRBO in Hawaii that was filthy. The absentee owner wasn't responsive, and we ended up cleaning the place ourselves." ([05:15])

• Service Guarantees Are Vague:
  While Airbnb and VRBO offer service guarantees, Clark emphasizes that they often lack specificity, leaving renters uncertain about their recourse in adverse situations.

  "The service guarantees on Airbnb and VRBO sound good, but they're not specific. Time becomes your friend or your enemy." ([06:45])

• Actionable Advice for Renters:
  Clark advises immediate action upon discovering issues with a rental:

  • Document Everything: Take photos and keep records of all communications.
  • Contact All Parties: Reach out to the platform, property owner, and management company simultaneously.
  • Be Clear About Desired Resolutions: Whether it's a relocation or refund, clearly state your expectations.
  • Avoid Staying Excessively: Prolonged stay can be interpreted as acceptance of the conditions, potentially forfeiting your rights.

    "Right away, document, complain every possible way... If you abandon a property and go stay somewhere else, you may get stuck with the bill from the first place and the second place." ([07:20])

Guest Input:

Krista, Clark’s co-host, shares her consistent positive experiences with Airbnb, attributing her success to choosing highly-reviewed properties and trusted hosts.

"I will only stay in a place that a lot of people have stayed in. There are lots of reviews. I really prefer the hosts that have the special designation." ([07:28])

Clark and Krista discuss the inherent challenges in policing a vast marketplace like vacation rentals, acknowledging that while most experiences are positive, the occasional negative incident can tarnish the overall perception.

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2. Best Practices for Buying a Vehicle in a Challenging Market

Overview:
Shifting focus, Clark addresses the current state of the automotive market, highlighting the dichotomy between consumer-friendly online platforms and traditional dealerships' often predatory practices.

Key Points:

• Current Market Dynamics:
  Post-COVID supply chain disruptions have strained the auto industry. Clark notes that while some online platforms offer transparency, many traditional dealers revert to outdated, less consumer-friendly practices.

  "Buying a car had become less of a grind, but dealers got lazy and practices got messy again." ([14:02])

• Consumer-Friendly Platforms:
  Platforms like CarMax and Carvana are lauded for their transparent pricing and user-friendly processes. Clark reminisces about an interview with CarMax’s founder, who emphasized eliminating common pain points in car buying.

  "CarMax did research on what people hate about car buying and eliminated those pain points." ([15:30])

• Deceptive Dealership Tactics:
  Traditional dealerships often employ tactics designed to wear down consumers, such as prolonged negotiations and hidden fees. Clark warns against engaging in these environments where buyers may end up overpaying or stuck with unfavorable terms.

  "Dealers still live in the world of the grind where they lure you in and work you over into a deal that's terrible for your wallet." ([17:45])

• The Rise of AI in Car Sales:
  Clark discusses the increasing use of AI on dealer websites, designed to capture leads rather than provide genuine assistance. Often, these AI interactions result in misinformation, further complicating the buying process.

  "When you see that AI button, it's a trap. They don't have that car, they don't have that price. It's all about getting you into the grind." ([18:30])

• Innovative Solutions and Hope for the Future:
  Clark points to forward-thinking companies like Tesla, Rivian, and the emerging Amazon Autos as beacons of transparency and consumer empowerment in the auto industry. Amazon Autos, partnering with Hyundai, allows users to view clear pricing, compare options, and complete purchases seamlessly online.

  "With Amazon Autos, you can see vehicle prices right there, everything involved with the transaction, and execute it from your computer." ([19:20])

• Return Policies for Peace of Mind:
  Companies like CarMax and Carvana offer generous return policies, allowing buyers to return vehicles within a set period without stringent conditions. This approach builds consumer trust and promotes long-term loyalty.

  "You can return the vehicle for a full refund within their policies, even if you just didn't like it." ([19:50])

Listener Engagement:

Throughout the discussion, Clark addresses listener questions related to the topics, providing personalized advice and reinforcing his strategies for effective financial decision-making.

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3. Listener Questions and Expert Responses

Proxy Voting with Vanguard:

Renee from New Mexico inquires about handling proxy voting requests from Vanguard, expressing uncertainty about making informed decisions without understanding the issues. Clark and Krista share their approach of disregarding such proxies to avoid uninformed voting, emphasizing that most listeners might benefit from adopting a similar strategy.

"Most people are lame like Krista and me, and just toss those." ([08:46])

Using Trivago for Hotel Bookings:

Jeff from Indiana questions the efficacy of Trivago as a price comparison tool versus booking platform. Clark warns against using Trivago for actual bookings due to poor reviews, recommending it solely for comparisons while advising direct booking through trusted sources.

"Be very, very wary of using it to book rooms. Review sites have low ratings on Trivago." ([09:34])

Securing Lost Retirement Accounts:

Mike from Kansas expresses concern about websites requesting full Social Security numbers to locate lost 401(k) accounts. Clark reassures listeners by endorsing UnclaimedRetirementBenefits.com, a vetted and legitimate resource listed on Clark.com, while acknowledging the inherent risks of sharing sensitive information online.

"UnclaimedRetirementBenefits.com is a legitimate site, not a scam trying to steal your information." ([10:48])

Optimizing Brokerage Accounts:

Gary from Wisconsin shares his experience with Vanguard's Roth account, highlighting the importance of reinvesting dividends to maximize growth. Clark underscores this practice as crucial for long-term financial accumulation, recommending that dividends be automatically reinvested unless in the withdrawal phase of retirement.

"When you're building up money for the future, you want to reinvest those dividends." ([26:32])

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4. Final Thoughts and Upcoming Content

As the episode wraps up, Clark touches on the podcast's scheduling changes, including the periodic absence of the "Clark Stinks" segment, and directs listeners to Clark.com and ClarkDeals.com for additional resources. He emphasizes the importance of accessible, actionable financial advice and encourages audience engagement through newsletters and website resources.

"Our job is to simplify and clarify. That's what we do every day with everything we do." ([29:56])

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Conclusion

In this episode, Clark Howard effectively navigates the complexities of vacation rentals and vehicle purchasing, offering listeners valuable insights and practical advice. By highlighting both the benefits and pitfalls of these markets, Clark empowers consumers to make informed, financially sound decisions.

For more detailed advice and resources, listeners are encouraged to visit Clark.com and ClarkDeals.com.

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Clark Howard]

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[Krista]

I could get money back from last year.

[Clark Howard]

You could. We'll find any mistakes.

[Krista]

Could have really used that two years ago when I dated that mistake for five months.

[Unknown]

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[Clark Howard]

Foreign it's my pleasure to welcome you here to the Clark Howard Show. You know, our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you to make better financial decisions in your life today. Well, same story, different day. Can you say that more issues come up constantly in my reading with VRBO and Airbnb, the question is who's responsible when something goes wrong? When you're renting a place to stay and the finger pointing that goes on. I want to talk about what you need to be aware of. Not to put the k bosh on these sites, but to be aware. And later. The car buying experience right now is at the same time the best it's ever been and the worst it's ever been. I want to tell you how it's going. Two directions at once. And you need to know about tactics dealers are doing that could be dangerous to your wallet. So wow, Day after day after day, the stories that come up about renting principally from Airbnb and vrbo. And occasionally there'll be one for a minor booking site called Vacation Vacation. However you say it, here's the problem these platforms make available. They're basically giant listing services. You think about their design from the ground up. It's very libertarian. They're making it possible for you, wherever you are in the world, to list a room in your place, an apartment Whatever it is, a villa, a farmhouse, a tree house, you name it, that you can list it for rent and be connected to customers all over the globe. It's incredible. It's fantastic. The problem comes when something goes wrong. You can have real diffusion of responsibility where you've got. Often with a VRBO or Airbnb, you have an owner of a property, you have a management company that manages that property for that owner. They may contract out cleaning and all the rest. I've experienced before with using these rental platforms where a place will be just as represented. It'll be fantastic. I'm thrilled to be there. And then other times I get there, it doesn't look anything like the pictures. It could be really dirty. There's one that my family still talks about that we were in years is going to sound so overprivileged. We were on a family trip to Hawaii and we had rented, in this case, it was a vrbo and it was filthy. Filthy. And so it was a absentee owner from California. A management company in Maui called the management company and all I got was a voicemail. And we cleaned the place ourselves. I mean, come on, we were paying real money. I put in a complaint with vrbo, heard nothing. That was just one experience because others I've had have been great. It's so random, though. What's important is that you understand that the service guarantees on Airbnb and VRBO sound good, but they're not specific. So with the service guarantees not being specific, time is your friend or your enemy. You need to immediately when you arrive at a place and things are not okay, take pictures. You need to contact the platform you booked on Airbnb or vrbo. You need to contact the management company or if it's being managed by the owner, the owner immediately and be very clear what it is you want. If, in your opinion, let's say there's mold throughout the place, you need to talk about a relocation. The platforms tend to say, well, we need the owner of the property to say they'll. They'll release you from your obligation. The one thing, if a place is uninhabitable, you need to have one goal, and that is that you want an alternate location and you cannot stay there. It is not safe for you to stay there. Usually that'll be a health thing. In our case, where the property was just filthy and we're capable of cleaning ourselves. We did. We shouldn't have had to, but we did and we enjoyed our week there. But everything you do needs to be documented, needs to be done early. And there's an old thing called you ate the evidence in business and hospitality. If you stay, if you complain, but you stay, it's looked at as you gave up your rights. So right away, document, complain every possible way. Be realistic what you want, and reinforce that when people are not responding in a meaningful way, as quickly as you can, know that if you abandon a property and you go stay somewhere else, you may get stuck with the bill from the first place and the bill for the second place. And that, to me, is one of the core problems with Airbnb and vrbove, that that's why the persistent ones may get satisfaction. If you're not persistent, you may be just stuck. Krista, you and I have argued about this for 15 years because you use Airbnb specifically, you use it routinely for your travel.

[Krista]

I do like it. I mean, I. But with caution. I mean, I use it with caution.

[Clark Howard]

How many times have you had an experience like we had with a place being filthy?

[Krista]

I never have.

[Clark Howard]

Wow.

[Krista]

I've been really lucky, I guess. But I just.

[Clark Howard]

Have you ever ended up at a place that was not as represented?

[Krista]

No, but I really. I will only stay in a place that a lot of people have stayed in. There are lots of reviews. I really prefer the hosts that have the special designation. Like, I just. I get really nervous about it, understandably so. I don't know that we argue. We're probably really thinking the same thing. It's just. I also sympathize with Airbnb trying to figure out why we're owning that business. How would I possibly police all this? It's just much harder than managing a hotel chain, I believe. It's just. It's different when it's a marketplace. All marketplaces face that.

[Clark Howard]

Right?

[Krista]

So.

[Clark Howard]

And they do both. Airbnb and VRBO say we're not a hotel chain.

[Krista]

Right.

[Clark Howard]

That we are different. We're a booking platform. And you have to remember that.

[Krista]

Okay, we'll go to questions. This one is from Renee in New Mexico. I have a Vanguard brokerage account, and I've received two requests to vote for a Vanguard proposal presented in a proxy state statement. Do I really need to do this? I can't make an informed vote because I don't know what the issues are, and I don't feel comfortable just rubber stamping whatever this is. Do you receive this, too? And what are you going to do? And what should I do?

[Clark Howard]

Okay. There may be people that are going to be horrified by this. I never vote any of the proxies in fact, I know what the proxy envelopes look like when they come from Vanguard and Schwab. I don't even open them. I just throw them out.

[Krista]

Recycling bin.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Krista]

Yeah.

[Clark Howard]

Well, yes, Cycle.

[Krista]

I'm not saying you should. I'm just saying that's what I do. They go right in there.

[Clark Howard]

So everybody approaches this differently, but most people are lame like Krista and me, and just toss those. Like you did.

[Krista]

Jeff in Indiana says Clark, you often give us money saving tips on securing hotel and motel rooms. Oh, speaking of Airbnb and hotels, I don't believe I've heard you talk about the Trivago price shopping tool. What are your thoughts about Trivago?

[Clark Howard]

So, Jeff, the complaints on review sites about Trivago are really. Trivago are really, really bad. I think it's fine to use it as a comparison shopping tool. Be very, very wary of using it to book rooms. Now, you're not helping them if all you do is comparison shop there. But if you want to see what I'm talking about, go look at review sites and see how low the ratings are on Trivago. And they advertise a lot.

[Krista]

I seen it in a while. There was that guy who always did their commercials. Really a very handsome man. Yeah, I don't know if he still does them or not.

[Clark Howard]

Okay. Anyway, I don't use that platform, so I can't give you personal experience. But anytime I'm looking at using an E commerce site or anything in the travel industry, I always go if it's new to me and read reviews. And with hotel bookings in particular, you'll see a lot of sites that may have a crazy lower price at a place. And then you go read reviews about that booking site. And I don't walk away. I run away.

[Krista]

Mike in Kansas says, I recently saw an article recommending this website to check for a loss for 1k. I'm concerned since it wants your full Social Security number to do a search. Is this a Clark recommended site?

[Clark Howard]

Yes, it is. Yeah. Unclaimed Retirement benefits dot com. It's one of the ones on our guide to looking for missing or lost retirement accounts. We have an article on clark.com that you can go to. We've reviewed these sites and as best we're able to determine, this is one of the ones that is a legitimate site. You always have the risk anywhere you're asked for your Social Security number. The reason you have to do it with an old retirement account is that's how they have. The databases are all based on your Social Security number. So anytime you put your Social Security number out there, there's risk attached. But this is not a scam site trying to steal your information. It would be a scam or a hacker who would hit their database and get people's Social Security numbers. So looking for a lost or missing 401k this is one of the tools this site, but we have others as well and our article is called how to Find Missing or Lost Retirement Accounts.

[Krista]

And I do mention we link to articles that you mention in the podcast the the episode Notes. Wherever you're listening or watching, you can find the link in the notes because.

[Clark Howard]

We are full service. Yes, at a discount price.

[Krista]

Not totally free because there are ads, but yes.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. So we got the info for you and I hope that you'll report back that you found an old 401k and how much money is sitting there that you're getting back in your life. Coming up, second largest purchase people make is their vehicle and there's a lot of stuff going on in the car market we need to talk about when you're looking for a vehicle to be aware of wary as well.

[Don McDonald]

Did you know the term financial advisor is utterly meaningless? Anyone can pretend to be one, including commission stockbrokers and insurance agents. Are you aware that even professionals trying to beat the market by picking stocks or timing have been shown on average to return less over time than index funds? Are you looking for a podcast that will give you sane, simple, consumer centric advice about managing your Money? I'm Don McDonald and my co host Tom and I invite you to listen to Talking Real Money on this and every podcast service. We promise to tell you the hard truths about money and investing because the truth will set you free to build a better future. We advocate for investors, not the financial industry. Plus we think you'll be entertained in the process. Make Talking Real Money your source of fiscal truth. When you're finished with this podcast, just search for Talking Real Money. You have almost nothing to lose and a secure financial future to possibly gain. Visit talkingrealmoney.com or search for Talking Real Money.

[Clark Howard]

It's funny because ever since the COVID supply chain disruptions, dealing with car dealers has become much less consumer friendly. I had talked about through the tens how buying a car had become less of a grind that had been in the past, but it's like car dealers got lazy and practices got messy again and things are not pro consumer now when you go to buy a new or used vehicle. At the same time, buying vehicles from some places has become extremely consumer friendly. For years and years and years I've talked about CarMax and CarMax.com and more recently Carvana, although they've had their operational issues, but it's completely transparent. And I remember interviewing the founder of CarMax back when it started in, if I remember right, Richmond, Virginia, I did a TV interview with him. He said, what we did is we did research. What do people hate about car buying? And we're going to eliminate all those pain points. And if you think about how CarMax and CarMax.com do things, they've done exactly that for more than a generation. But old habits die hard. And a lot of dealers still live in the world of the grind where they lure you in into their trap, try to keep you hungry, dehydrated, and then work you over a number of hours into a deal that's a non deal that's terrible for you and your wallet. And now you hear so much about AI. And I talk about how AI can be good and AI can be bad. Go to virtually any dealer website now for newer used vehicles. They're going to have an AI kind of thing there. And usually there will be a picture of a really attractive young woman. You click on it and it will carry on a conversation with you. And you'll ask about something. You'll say, oh yeah, whatever it is you want. It's always yes. And all it's about is luring you to the lot and generating a lead. They'll get your phone number or they'll get your email, and then everything the AI told you pretty much is a lie. They don't have that car, they don't have that price. It's all about the game of getting you into the grind. So know that when you see that AI button, it's a trap. Maybe someday there will be dealers who actually use it as a positive for a consumer. But behind the curtain, there are these marketing organizations that go to dealers and say, we're going to help you. It's so hard for you to find new customer leads. We're going to help you get those new customer leads. And they show them the tools. And it's amazing how it lures somebody in. So know that that at least today at most dealers is not real. It's an illusion. And you don't want to be at the dealer making a deal. You're putting all the power in their hands. You want to do it on your turf, at your office computer, your home computer. Most people on Carvana are buying the car on their phone. What's different about CarMax and Carvana. That is something that the rest of the car business stubbornly resists. You can return the vehicle for a full refund within the policies they have that tend to be seven to 30 days. You can return it because you just didn't like it. You don't even have to give a reason and you get your money back. You can't buy a car, drive it coast to coast, put thousands of miles on it, come back before the trial period's up and say, here's your car back. They've prepared for that. But the rest of the car business is not adopting these kind of policies. But I want to tell you that there is hope. And I've talked about the electric vehicle makers like Tesla and Rivian don't know about lucid, but with them, you buy a car right on the app or the website. You buy it there, you know what you're paying. Everything's clear. No games, no gimmicks. It's easy. Amazon looks at this and Amazon's like, we're going to do this. And Amazon set up who knows how much money they've spent on it. Amazon Autos. The only automaker that signed up so far is Hyundai. But you can go in the markets that the Hyundai Amazon thing is in effect. You can go on Amazon Autos. All you do is go to Amazon.com and then put in the search box autos and it'll pop up where you click on the Amazon Autos shopping thing. You put in your zip code and you'll see if there are participating Hyundai dealers near your zip code. And then the vehicle prices are right there. You see what junk fees the dealer charges, you see everything involved with the transaction and you can execute it right there from your computer. You've been looking for a particular, I don't know, Santa Fe or Sonata, whatever the models are, you can go there and pick it out with the equipment you want, the color you want exterior, the color you want interior. The price is already transparent in there. And Amazon from time to time is running promotions where they give you Amazon shopping vouchers or gift card, electronic gift card kind of things for a couple thousand dollars is they try to establish this as a way that people would buy a vehicle in the marketplace. What's great is the transparency and dealers hate transparency, which I just don't get. Because building long term loyalty is what it should be about in business. And why the grind exists is foolish tradition in the car business where instead it should be about what is it you want today. And it should be an honest, clear, clean event.

[Krista]

All right, we'll go to Hope Springs.

[Clark Howard]

Eternal in me always.

[Krista]

Clark colored glasses. You say I have crystal colored glasses.

[Clark Howard]

You do have Krista colored glasses.

[Krista]

Okay. I somehow neglected to put this person's name in here, so I apologize to you. But here's the question. I'm aware of your advice to avoid using ATM cards for purchases, gas, groceries, points of sale, etc, and I'm transitioning from that to using my Chase Southwest card with bonus miles mainly for security reasons. That said, other than obtaining cash or depositing funds at the bank. Atm, in what situation would you use an ATM card? And I also had someone else write in saying, how do I get cash out? People were very confused by your advice on that.

[Clark Howard]

It used to be you could get an ATM card that was just an atm. You would go to an atm, you'd get cash. The banks and credit unions didn't like that. They wanted it to have a Visa MasterCard logo on it. And now with some issuers, you can go into their app and have it be authorized for $0 pos point of sale. If you do that, then it can still only be used at an atm. Some banks and credit unions don't permit that. But what I do is I carry an ATM card that has a Visa logo on it. The only thing I've ever used it for is an ATM here or in another country. That's the safest thing to do with an ATM card with a debit card. Debit cards, because the banks use their lobbying power in Washington to prevent having consumer protections on them that are equivalent to what you have on a credit card. The banks push them so much because you're exposed for various fraud activity and stuff that would happen on a card, not the bank.

[Krista]

Okay. Tara in Virginia says, I'm trying to take your advice and break up my traditional bank. I've wanted to break up with them for years. They are the worst. So I'm taking baby steps. I opened an account with Virginia Credit Union and I've been getting paid from freelance into this account. But when I try to pay bills, I get scared. I have to enroll in bank bill pay and I don't understand why. This is. When I start to get brave and enroll, I have to sign a terms of agreement that is so long, I don't know I could possibly read it all in this lifetime. What's the deal? Why do I have to enroll to pay bills with this credit union? Should I do this? This isn't going to lead Me to Zelle. Is it? It could you might have created a little paranoia, maybe a little.

[Clark Howard]

Well, it's up, right? I guess because big bad sell is big bad sell for a reason. With bank bill pay, something that I use routinely for a long, long time and I use it virtually never. I talked recently, I forgot how few transactions I did in 24, I think it was 14 bill pays through my brokerage account. And what I do now instead is something that years and years ago I told you not to do and now I realize today it's a better thing to do. Is whoever you're paying go to their website, you know, whether it's a credit card company or it's rent or whatever, pay it on their website. So it's directly being paid there. You don't have the intermediary of the bill pay service. I imagine that this credit union you've joined, just like virtually any other financial institution, they're using a third party bill pay service. And when a payment goes missing and let's say you're subject to late fees or whatever, nobody takes responsibility. That's why particularly time sensitive payments like rent, mortgage, credit card payments, anything where, where your reputation and your wallet are on the line pay at the source rather than from the account. So I don't know that I would set up bill pay with the credit union because as long as you've got an account with routing numbers and account number, you can pay bills directly at the organization where the bill is due. For almost all organizations you'd be paying.

[Krista]

I'd feel a lot safer using the credit union bill pay myself than using then going in and putting all my numbers into different websites that could be hacked. I just would.

[Clark Howard]

So you still use bill pay routinely?

[Krista]

I use it for several things, but I pay the ones I can't pay with credit cards. Yes, without a fee. Okay. Gary in Wisconsin says, I recently noticed my wife's Vanguard Roth account had a target retirement income fund that was showing a very low return for the year as compared to the year to date total listed by Vanguard. After further investigation, I discovered that all her dividends and capital gains were being sent to a money market settlement fund. We probably overlooked this option when we made the initial purchase. Unfortunately, her gains on that particular mutual fund were low for two years. I wanted to point that out to your listeners. Check the year end gains on each fund you own and see if it matches the year to date gain listed for the account. We called Vanguard and had the settlement fund money returned to the target retirement income fund and changed all future gains to be reinvested in that fund.

[Clark Howard]

I can't thank you enough for doing this post. This is really important and it's something that never comes up within what we typically do on this podcast. When you sign up for a brokerage account, retirement account, anything like that, you'll be asked a question and it'll be simply reinvest dividends, yes or no. The wording may be more complicated, but the answer is yes, you want those reinvested in the fund. If it's a long term holding it like with a target retirement fund where you're building money for the future. When would someone not want dividends reinvested? There's one circumstance I can think of and it would be if you are at the reverse phase of life where you're in retirement, you're spending money, people may be in dividend heavy funds that they're living off the dividends that the fund throws off and that would be a circumstance where you would not reinvest but anybody in the accumulation phase of life. In other words, when you're building up money for the future, you want to reinvest those dividends, but you have to elect that with the fund provider. And thank you so much Gary for pointing that out because it's one of those things that's kind of in the ether and would never normally be part of our content but is today because of you. And I so greatly appreciate that. And you may be wondering with this being a Friday podcast, why was there no Clark Stinks? Well, you may have heard this explanation the other day, which is why I put it at the end of this podcast instead of the beginning. But because I am now only doing three podcasts a week instead of five, I felt it would tilt the content too much towards recap with the Clark Stinks. And so we're going to try for a while doing Clark Stinks every other Friday, see how that shakes out and then make a decision going forward. And we'll also see based on your feedback if you are really missing Clark Stinks on Fridays. So that's why it's not here for you today on a Friday podcast. And Krista, I'm wondering, have we ever not done a Clark Stinks on a Friday?

[Krista]

It's been a long time.

[Clark Howard]

Very unusual.

[Krista]

Yeah, well, it's a new year. A new year. A new Clark.

[Clark Howard]

So this is the first Friday that I know of we've ever not done.

[Krista]

You want me to tell you something you stink about?

[Clark Howard]

What's that?

[Krista]

I can't think of Anything.

[Clark Howard]

No.

[Krista]

I could give you one if you really want me to.

[Clark Howard]

You could? Without even thinking that hard.

[Krista]

You're the best.

[Clark Howard]

You're the best.

[Krista]

No, you work too hard.

[Clark Howard]

That is true. I accept that.

[Krista]

Even with your new schedule?

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. Because I do so many other things and broadcast and all that. I. Yeah.

[Krista]

You don't want to spend enough time with us at work.

[Clark Howard]

That's what's terrible. I need to spend more time with y'all.

[Krista]

Yes.

[Clark Howard]

It's so funny.

[Krista]

You stink.

[Clark Howard]

I see you. But that's it for Clark Stinks today, Krista's Corner. Anyway, I hope that you have a great, great weekend and know all weekend long, we're here for [e-mail] and clarkdeals.com and if you've never signed up for our newsletters, you gotta get to it because they're wonderful. I mean it. I look at the newsletters that we put together and I'm so proud of our editorial team. Because one thing, that's my rule. We do not waste your time. And I want to give you information in whatever channel we do. This information you can act on in your own life. A lot of things feel like the decision trees are just too complicated. Our job is to simplify and clarify. And that's what we do every day with everything we do. So you want to see our newsletters? They're free. Go to clark.com newsletterornewsletters and know what we're about with everything that you learn ways to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. And we'll be at your service Monday.