
Manage Junk Calls, Texts & Emails / Water Shortage Ingenuity
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Clark Howard
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 you so you make better financial decisions in your life. And remember when spam was something that just came in a can. Now spam is a whole different thing than some kind of pseudo ham bacon kind of thing. It's the annoyance that shows up on our phones, in our inboxes on a daily basis. I got to talk about what you need to be aware of, how you can best manage this stuff. You can't stop it, but you can manage it. And later I have a follow up on something I talked about before, about how water supply is becoming a real issue all around the world in wealthy countries and not wealthy ones, and the promising things that are coming that are going to make water more available and dare I say, ultimately more affordable. So let's talk. We are getting hassled all the time with junk phone calls, junk texts, junk emails. And it's because companies that are legit, organizations that are not legit, and out and out scamsters. No, they're trying to get to us any way they can. One of the big changes is the incredible increase in junk phone calls. They just come one after another after another after another. The junk texts, obviously, and the pretexters. You know what a pretexter is? That's somebody who sends you a text pretending to be your bank, your credit card company, your utility company, Google, you name it. And they're sending you things that look real. Let's start with that. Do not, do not, do not click on links inside text from who you think is a trusted sender, but very well may not be. I do not click on links because you're opening up your world to what could be a virus Loaded on your phone with an email, a virus on your computer. And I've told you before with phone calls, if it's not a family member or friend whose number I recognize, I do not answer. The call I don't answer can later turn out to have been a legitimate call. If it's legit, they'll leave a voicemail if they really need to talk to you. But don't answer that call that comes from who knows where. I mean, it's a plague. Right now with the junk phone calls, with the scammy text and to a lesser extent, the phony emails, much more. The criminals are finding much more effective pathways to mess with us with the junk calls and the junk text. Do you know why the junk calls are so prevalent? Because now criminals using Internet technology can place calls virtually for free from anywhere in the world. And so that's why you can't prevent this stuff now. You can. I mean, you can with your cell phone limit phones ringing only if it's somebody in your contact list and that might be of some help. But again, if it's not family or friend, and I recognize the number from family or friend, I don't answer. And I don't answer calls from businesses because you never know if it pops up on caller id. Is this business that business or the other business? Is it really them? So what are you seeing more, Krista? Junk phone calls or junk texts?
Krista
Phone calls. I get a lot of junk phone calls. Never answer them.
Clark Howard
Well, if you wouldn't sign up for all those sweepstakes, right?
Krista
I know it, man. Someday I'm gonna win. Zach in Texas wrote into you, Clark, and he said, I currently have a United Club card for personal use and a United Explorer card for my business. Yes, the fees are outrageous, but I've done the math and I do come out ahead with the miles whenever I travel internationally, every two to three years. I've heard you talk about the Capital One Venture X and would like to look into switching if that is in fact a better deal. I'm worried about my credit, however, I have a $50,000 limit on the club card and 20,000 on the explorer. How should I go about switching without negatively affecting my 830 credit score?
Clark Howard
Right. So, Zach, first of all, let's talk about whether you should make this change. You're from Texas if you're in the Houston metro area. United dominates Houston along with it Hobby Southwest. If you are a high cost business traveler, you're going to tend to fly United. There are business reasons that might make sense for you to continue to have the United cards. On the other hand, if you're at a point in your life even living, let's say in the Houston metro area, you're a free agent and you're, you're looking for whoever has the best flight, best experience. If you're flying international every couple years using points, I assume you're flying front of the plane on those from the way you wrote this. So you in Houston and Dallas have enormous choice in terms of who might have a really great deal on mileage redemptions in the front of the plane. And that's the advantage of, and particularly with United, American and Delta devaluing their frequent flyer points regularly to where they're just not worth what they were. That's the argument to be made for becoming a free agent with the Capital One Venture X or the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the American Express Platinum that give you the ability, if there's a great redemption on this one or that one, have access to lounges and the rest. Now let's go to your question about credit. It's all about hopscotching. So you apply for the Venture X card, you're then going to have the $395 annual fee that is very easily rebated to you. I mean with ease, you end up with basically net zero cost for that card. You'll have access to their own lounges and the Priority Pass network of lounges and you get 2x points on everything you charge and then you can use those points transferring to different players. Similar kind of scenario with Capital One and with American Express Shift. You don't get 2x on everything. They tend to be more premium oriented travelers and experiences with the card versus the Venture X. And if you are no longer loyal to an airline, any of those, but you apply for that card, they're going to give you a credit limit. As long as you're replacing somewhere close to the 70 grand, there'll be no difference with your great credit score. All right, now let's say they only give you whatever limit and you've got these two United cards. You can downgrade your United cards to ones that have no annual fee cards or puny annual fee cards. Maintain the available credit in your mix even if you sparingly, routinely don't use them, you know, use them rarely, you'll still have that credit available as part of your credit standing, your credit history and your debt ratios.
Krista
And I just want to mention we do have a tool at clark.com, not for travel credit cards. Right now, but we have one if you're looking for a cash back card. And of course we always say, like, as long as you pay off in full every month. But we do have a tool to see which cash back credit card's best for you based on what you spend and what your situation is. Laura in Oklahoma says, I own my home outright and would like to reduce my insurance coverage, but they won't let me. I don't understand why they control how much coverage I have if I own my home free and clear. For example, my personal property is insured for $300,000, but I don't have that much personal property in my home. I don't have any furs or jewelry, but they still require me to carry a certain amount of insurance. If I lost my home, I would not rebuild it to the same size. It's currently 2,500 square feet, and I would rebuild at the size to around 1800 square feet.
Clark Howard
Okay, Laura. Insurance wars. So a lot of people are frightfully underinsured to rebuild the home that you have right now. And so insurers are ending up in these push and pull fights with people about the insured was underinsured, the incident happens, the fire, whatever, the home's destroyed, and then they're fighting about what the insurance company owes. Do they have to pay to rebuild things as they were even though they knew or should have known that you were underinsured? Blah, blah, blah. So insurers now require that you be insured for the real value of a home. We just had an inspection that I've got to appeal all kinds of things. They said that my roof needed to be replaced even though my roof is six years old. They thought it was over 25, things like that. Insurers are doing wellness checks on homes. My insurer gives a wellness score. They only gave my home a 7 out of 10 wellness score and gave me this list of things I got to do. And if I don't, they're going to cancel me. Right. And so the insurance battle is not at claim time, it's before claim time. And insurers are setting tougher and tougher conditions. Your insurer requires a ratio of insuring your personal property in relation to the value of the home. They extrapolate how much of that you have to buy. So, Laura, if you're fed up with them, you want to get quotes from other homeowners, insurers, you might go to an independent agent to get quotes from other insurers and see if there's somebody who will sell you homeowners insurance. That's more along the lines of what you're looking for versus what your current insurer is requiring.
Krista
Joseph in Georgia, says Clark, I recently received a solicitation in the mail sponsored by Southwest Airlines to purchase trip insurance through a third party company. It requires an annual fee and supposedly covers all sorts of travel emergencies, both domestic and foreign, that are not usually covered by regular medical insurance plans.
Clark Howard
Oh, okay.
Krista
Such as emergency medical evacuation via air ambulance, airline tickets home for self and traveling companions and a certified nurse to escort you home after hospitalization, et cetera. Coverage only kicks in after admittance to a hospital, at which time you contact this company to open a case. They have a global response center available 24 7, 365 days a year. The price for one year is quoted at $259 for a member and family. Can you shed some light on the reliability of this company and others like it?
Clark Howard
Yeah, Joseph, My goodness. You go and read reviews. You said Southwest. So they're getting a commission. Yeah, they're getting a commission for every one of these somebody signs up with. And it's very common that airlines have these joint marketing offers. So you go read reviews and you'll be stunned at people who are so polarized. These policies tend after the fact. When somebody's used them to get a five star review and a one star review, there seems to be nothing in between the fives and the ones. And the reason is the terms and conditions for activating the policy and being able to use it are so strict. Like you mentioned, this is one that you have to be hospitalized first for it to kick in. Well, what if the injuries you have or whatever are such that you need medevac right away from the point where the injury occurred, Then it's not covered. I mean, you know, so these policies are so arcane and not what the brochure brags about about. You get this, this, this and this, where you have to look at the terms and conditions and read closely the reviews to see what are the gotchas you might have with this one that Southwest was pitching or another airline or whoever it is who's pitching these policies. These are not traditional travel policies. These are known generally as medevac policies that they provide in the event of a horrific accident, injury or illness that is life threatening, that they get you out of there to a trusted and respected medical facility that is best able to treat the condition or at the appropriate time gets you back to your home. So know that it sounds great. Think about it. If they're doing it for $259 a year, the possibility is remote. But then when it happens, the expenses are enormous. You can see why they don't want to pay when something might happen. Coming up ahead, something that most of us in the US are steadily paying more money for. Water. There are things happening on the waterfront that are really good developments, and they're not pie in the sky things either. I want to talk about how we're going to solve our national water shortage.
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Clark Howard
Water is something that is precious and used to be really abundant. And now over and over again we talk about the water shortages. For those of you who are not familiar with what's been going on in California, where California was in a severe extreme, whatever the highest thing is for drought, and then they had unprecedented amount of rainfall and then they went back into drought. Now they've had enormous rainfall in parts of California that now have taken them out of drought status. But then other parts still are in it. This gets so much coverage because California has so much population and the wildfires. Wildfires.
Krista
I did want to mention drought while you're talking about this. We have had people ask about your daughter Steffi, who lives in la and if she was okay with the wildfires.
Clark Howard
Well, that is very, very thoughtful. So Stephanie had a go bag packed with key documents, her passport, all that kind of stuff, medicines in it, and was given an evacuation order once and then later it was rescinded. She never even had to spend a night away from her rental apartment. Now the danger in her area obviously doesn't exist anymore. Thank you for checking in on her. It was so disruptive for so many people. And then you have the people with the tragic loss of their homes even more tragic, people who lost their lives in the fires. And so talking about water sounds so trite. Following. Christa just mentioned the other thing I'd say about human nature. That's Wonderful. Stephanie had 14 people, unsolicited, reach out to her and say, hey, if you need a place to live, come stay with us. 14 different times people messaged her with that. We hear about the bad in people, we forget the good in them as well. So water is a question mark so many places in the world. And what's different is now the developed world is seeing reliability issues with available water becoming more and more common. And I talked last year about breakthroughs in Spain with being able to take seawater and much more affordably without enormous energy consumption, be able to make drinkable water from seawater, which is something people been able to do for a long time. But it's crazy expensive water. And a lot of places tastes really terrible for desalinated water. But this is a breakthrough kind of thing happening right before our eyes, but the kind of stuff that we're just never going to pay attention to because, I mean, unless we're directly affected by the water shortage, we're not really thinking about it. Well, now I read an article in an engineering publication, trade publication, that researchers at the University of Michigan and Rice University have made key advancements to make desalination much, much, much cheaper. And getting it down to a point that it's affordable for everyday use. You think about how much exposure to the sea we have. We have these massive coastlines and being able to solve any potential water shortage with affordable water from the sea. And to tell you that I have zero aptitude for engineering wouldn't encompass it. I was reading this thing and reading about how this process works, and I have this color graph here explaining how the whole process works. And it's like Engineering for dummies. I cannot explain this process at all that they've developed at University of Michigan and at Rice. But the point is, this is one we're gonna fix. You know, there are a lot of problems that we have as a society, and people treat them as, it's the end of the road, it's the end of the line, it's a dead end. And then there will be things that are very promising that turn out to not work out this one. These things are happening with water and we are, as with so many other things, human beings adapt, human beings overcome. And we are going to do that with having safe, reliable, affordable water supplies. And the developments come from the developed countries, but they end up helping people eventually all over the world. And I am an incurable optimist. But I do believe in my heart and my soul and my head that we do solve problems that seem intractable, that seem unsolvable.
Krista
All right, we'll go to questions.
Clark Howard
You want to explain this?
Krista
No, no way. Michael in Florida says I'm 43 years old and make approximately $125,000 per year. About 12 years ago I was on your podcast then making $50,000 a year and I received some great advice on saving through my company's 401k.
Clark Howard
That's pretty good trend line. 50,000 to 125.
Krista
Yep. Since then I have grown it from roughly 60k to 260k. Two years ago I left my old company and I started at a new place that does not offer a 401k but as a simple IRA plan through Charles Schwab. Since it's a much smaller firm in which I have approximately $45,000, I recently found out I can transfer my old 401k that I have through an insurance company to my new Simple IRA after the two year wait period. I believe the fees are fairly low on the insurance company's account and the Schwab account may be slightly better. But mostly I would like to consolidate. Would it be best to transfer or leave as is or in separate accounts? I'm not sure if there's any downside to doing this. I'm pretty sure I've list to every single podcast since my first call in.
Clark Howard
Wow.
Krista
I have opened a Roth account for myself as well as 529 plans for both my children when they were born. They're now 10 and 7 that are doing exceptionally well thanks to the podcast and your advice.
Clark Howard
Well, first of all Michael, thanks to you taking stuff and putting it in action. You got two kids. A lot of people hear something about somebody saving money so well and having so much money put aside. You've got between the simple and your 401k, you've got over $300,000 you saved already and you should be really proud of what you've done. And you're raising two kids, you got all the expenses with them, you're putting money aside in their 529. You've got a Roth, you've got all this stuff going on now. An insurance company provided 401k like you had your old employer, odds are it will have very, very, very high embedded costs. I to this day have not seen an insurance company provide a 401k that didn't have a very, very high expenses in it. So you need to know what administrative fees you're paying, what expense ratios you're paying on the investments you're in that 401. And I would be shocked if it was not many times more expensive than the investment costs you have in that simple IRA at Schwab. Which then solves another problem. If I'm right that the expenses are really high, then you have a double incentive to migrate the money from the insurance company 401k into your simple IRA that you have at Schwab. And one change with many of these plans, simple SEPs, that kind of stuff, you now have access to Roth versions of those instead of just traditional.
Krista
Sarah Lee in Texas says, I have a Sam's Club credit card that gets me 5% cash back on gas purchases. I have a Walmart plus account that lets me buy gas through their app for 10 cents off per gallon discount or cash back. I don't recall. Can I buy gas at Sam's with my Walmart plus app? I checked and I can use the Walmart plus app to scan the code on the pump at Sam's, then pay with my Sam's MasterCard through the app and get both 5% off per gallon and 10 cents off per gallon.
Clark Howard
All right, so this is not the first rodeo. We've been asked about this and there's even been a debate online about this. I would tell you, be a guinea pig, try to double stack here, stack as they call it. See if you get both discounts and if you do, let us know. Most people say they did not get both discounts.
Krista
The $0.10 per app doesn't end up applying.
Clark Howard
Yeah, so you get the 5% off on the gasoline using the Sam's Club MasterCard, but you don't get the additional 10 cents per gallon that you get with the Walmart plus Apple. And I should, I've not mentioned, and I should mention that I would make fun of Costco with their credit card for so long about here's Sam's club paying 5% cash back on gasoline. Costco is only paying 4. Well, so Costco and their credit card issuer Citibank have made a change. And if you fill up at Costco's gas pumps, you get the 5% cash back instead of 4% cash back. So Everywhere else you buy with a Costco card you get the 4%, but if it is at their own pumps then you go to five.
Krista
You also get 4% on electric vehicle charging with that card.
Clark Howard
Oh really?
Krista
Yes you do. John in Kentucky says, remember when gas was always 10 cents between grades and they all went up proportionally? Why is it that it's 50 cents more or more between grades and if 87 goes down there really is no movement with the other grades making the spread higher for a while.
Clark Howard
John, thank you for asking this. The reason, first of all, the difference between making the different grades is not that huge at wholesale for the oil companies refining the higher grades. But it's a marketing thing and the oil companies learned that people who buy a higher grade either are luxury vehicle drivers or people that are not that price sensitive. So it no longer has any relationship to the cost for the oil company or the operator of the gas station. If it's an oil company branded station. The prices at the pumps as a general rule almost always are set by the oil company itself, not by the station you're at with independent retailers of gasoline. They know that people only follow the price on the regular gasoline price. They don't follow the price that much on mid grade or on premium. So that's why you have the price discrimination because you tend to have less price sensitive buyer buying the higher grades. And it's worked for the gasoline retailers to charge those giant markups on the higher grade of gasoline, the mid grade in the premium than the markup they can get away with in the marketplace on regular. So it's all just what the customer will pay is why the price points are what they are. And thank you so much for joining us today. I hope that the rest of your day is just outstanding. Know that we have for you today, every weekday except holidays, we have free one on one advice available to you. And all you got to do is go to clark.com cac and you'll see how to get that free advice the hours available. It's 30 hours each week that we provide that free one on one advice and guidance and hope that we are able to empower you more that way as well. What we're all about is your empowerment with knowledge so you can save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. Have a great rest of your day.
The Clark Howard Podcast: Managing Junk Calls, Texts & Emails / Water Shortage Ingenuity
Episode Release Date: February 26, 2025
Introduction
In the February 26, 2025 episode of The Clark Howard Podcast, Clark Howard delves into two primary topics: managing the pervasive issue of junk calls, texts, and emails, and exploring innovative solutions to the global water shortage. Throughout the episode, Clark addresses listener questions, providing expert advice on personal finance and consumer protection.
1. Tackling Junk Calls, Texts, and Emails
Clark Howard opens the episode by addressing the modern nuisance of spam communication. He emphasizes the prevalence of junk calls and texts, highlighting their impact on daily life.
"[...] companies that are legit, organizations that are not legit, and out and out scamsters. No, they're trying to get to us any way they can."
— Clark Howard [02:52]
Key Points:
Increase in Junk Communications: Clark notes a significant rise in junk phone calls and texts, attributing this surge to criminals leveraging internet technology to place calls virtually for free from anywhere in the world.
Pretexters Defined: He introduces the concept of "pretexters" — individuals who send misleading texts posing as reputable entities like banks or utility companies. Clark warns against clicking on links from such sources to avoid potential viruses or phishing scams.
"Do not click on links inside text from who you think is a trusted sender, but very well may not be."
— Clark Howard [04:15]
"The call I don't answer can later turn out to have been a legitimate call. If it's legit, they'll leave a voicemail if they really need to talk to you."
— Clark Howard [04:55]
Listener Insights:
Krista, the co-host, confirms that junk phone calls are more prevalent than junk texts, reinforcing the urgency of the issue.
"Phone calls. I get a lot of junk phone calls. Never answer them."
— Krista [05:14]
2. Listener Questions and Expert Advice
Clark Howard dedicates a significant portion of the episode to addressing listener inquiries, offering tailored advice on various financial and consumer topics.
a. Switching Credit Cards Without Hurting Your Credit Score
Listener: Zach from Texas
Query: Zach holds a United Club card and a United Explorer card but finds the fees outrageous. He considers switching to the Capital One Venture X card but is concerned about the impact on his excellent credit score due to high credit limits.
Clark's Advice:
Clark analyzes Zach's situation, considering his frequent international travel and the benefits of switching to a more versatile card like the Capital One Venture X or Chase Sapphire Reserve. He emphasizes the importance of “hopscotching” — strategically applying for a new card before downgrading the current ones to maintain credit history and minimize impact on the credit score.
"It's all about hopscotching. So you apply for the Venture X card... There'll be no difference with your great credit score."
— Clark Howard [05:56]
He also suggests downgrading the United cards to those with no or minimal annual fees to preserve available credit and maintain a healthy credit utilization ratio.
b. Reducing Home Insurance Coverage
Listener: Laura from Oklahoma
Query: Laura owns her home outright and wishes to reduce her insurance coverage since her personal property does not warrant the current $300,000 policy. She is frustrated by insurance companies requiring a certain level of coverage.
Clark's Advice:
Clark explains that insurers often require coverage to match the real value of the home to ensure adequate rebuilding costs. He advises Laura to shop around and obtain quotes from different insurers, possibly through an independent agent, to find a policy that better aligns with her actual needs.
"If you're fed up with them, you want to get quotes from other homeowners, insurers, you might go to an independent agent to get quotes from other insurers..."
— Clark Howard [09:55]
He emphasizes the importance of understanding the insurer’s requirements and finding a policy that provides sufficient coverage without unnecessary extras.
c. Evaluating Trip Insurance Offers from Airlines
Listener: Joseph from Georgia
Query: Joseph received a solicitation from Southwest Airlines to purchase trip insurance through a third-party company, costing $259 annually for comprehensive coverage. He seeks insight into the reliability of such offers.
Clark's Advice:
Clark cautions Joseph about the fine print associated with airline-solicited insurance policies. He points out that these policies often come with stringent activation terms and may not cover immediate medical evacuations post-incident.
"These policies are so arcane and not what the brochure brags about. You get this, this, this and this... read closely the reviews to see what are the gotchas."
— Clark Howard [12:37]
He advises conducting thorough research, reading reviews, and understanding the terms and conditions before committing to such insurance products.
d. Consolidating Retirement Accounts
Listener: Michael from Florida
Query: Michael has grown his 401k from $50,000 to $125,000 and later to $260,000. After leaving his previous company, he wishes to consolidate his old 401k with his new Simple IRA at Charles Schwab but fears potential downsides.
Clark's Advice:
Clark commends Michael on his successful savings journey and explains the benefits of consolidating retirement accounts to reduce administrative fees and simplify management. He highlights that insurance company-provided 401k plans typically have higher embedded costs compared to Simple IRAs.
"You've got between the simple and your 401k, you've got over $300,000 you saved already and you should be really proud of what you've done."
— Clark Howard [22:45]
Clark recommends transferring the old 401k to the Simple IRA at Schwab to benefit from lower fees and better investment options, ensuring a more efficient growth of his retirement funds.
e. Maximizing Gasoline Discounts with Credit Cards and Apps
Listener: Sarah Lee from Texas
Query: Sarah holds a Sam's Club credit card offering 5% cashback on gas and a Walmart Plus account that provides a 10-cent per gallon discount. She inquires if she can combine these offers when purchasing gas at Sam's Club pumps.
Clark's Advice:
Clark suggests experimenting to determine if both discounts can be applied simultaneously, a practice known as "double stacking." However, based on common experiences, he anticipates that only one of the discounts will apply.
"Most people say they did not get both discounts."
— Clark Howard [25:22]
He also shares an update about Costco's MasterCard, which now offers 5% cashback on gasoline purchases at Costco pumps, up from the previous 4%.
f. Understanding Gasoline Grade Price Differences
Listener: John from Kentucky
Query: John observes that the price difference between gasoline grades has widened, with a 50-cent spread in some cases, and seeks clarification on this trend.
Clark's Explanation:
Clark elucidates that the varying prices between gasoline grades are primarily driven by marketing strategies rather than significant differences in wholesale costs. Higher grades cater to less price-sensitive customers, allowing retailers to implement greater markups.
"It's a marketing thing and the oil companies learned that people who buy a higher grade either are luxury vehicle drivers or people that are not that price sensitive."
— Clark Howard [26:20]
He clarifies that the substantial price gaps are a result of retailers capitalizing on consumer willingness to pay more for premium fuel, rather than substantial differences in production costs.
3. Water Shortage Ingenuity
Transitioning from personal finance to global issues, Clark Howard discusses the escalating water shortages affecting both developed and developing nations. He shares optimistic developments in desalination technologies aimed at making seawater conversion to potable water more affordable and efficient.
"Researchers at the University of Michigan and Rice University have made key advancements to make desalination much, much, much cheaper."
— Clark Howard [16:58]
Key Highlights:
Technological Breakthroughs: Advances in engineering have significantly reduced the costs associated with desalination, making it a viable solution for everyday use.
Accessibility: Clark emphasizes the potential for these innovations to provide reliable and affordable water supplies, particularly leveraging the vast coastlines available for seawater access.
Optimism for the Future: He expresses confidence in human ingenuity to overcome large-scale challenges like water scarcity, highlighting the role of developed countries in pioneering solutions that can eventually benefit the global population.
"Human beings adapt, human beings overcome. And we are going to do that with having safe, reliable, affordable water supplies."
— Clark Howard [20:00]
Conclusion
Clark Howard wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of consumer empowerment and informed decision-making. He encourages listeners to utilize available resources, such as Clark.com, for personalized financial advice.
"What we're all about is your empowerment with knowledge so you can save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off."
— Clark Howard [26:25]
The episode offers a blend of practical advice on combating spam communications and insightful commentary on potential solutions to one of the world's pressing issues — water scarcity. By addressing listener questions with expertise and optimism, Clark Howard continues his mission to empower individuals in their financial and personal lives.
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Clark and Team Clark:
For personalized advice and more insights, visit www.clark.com or follow The Clark Howard Podcast through your preferred podcast platform.