03.27.26 Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / Avoid Two Costly 401(k) Mistakes

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast — Episode Summary
Date: March 27, 2026
Episode: Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / Avoid Two Costly 401(k) Mistakes
Host: Clark Howard | [Team Clark]

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Overview

This episode features two main segments: the popular "Clark Stinks," where Clark addresses listener criticisms and feedback, and a crucial discussion on two costly 401(k) mistakes. Clark’s signature style—accessible, humorous, and blunt—shines as he clarifies, corrects, and celebrates personal finance wins, while offering actionable investment and retirement advice aimed at increasing financial security for all.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. "Clark Stinks": Listener Feedback & Clark’s Responses

[03:12–19:15]

The Format

• Listeners submit critiques, corrections, and questions (“Clark Stinks”), with Clark responding openly.
• Team Clark joins in occasionally, maintaining a conversational and often humorous tone.

Highlights & Insights

• Travel Content Fatigue
  Robert from Alabama laments frequent travel segments:

  • “Do a weekly or bi monthly show of nothing but 100% travel questions so folks like me can skip it.” (03:23, Robert)
  • Clark acknowledges travel is popular with listeners, confessing his own airport enthusiasm:

    “My wife feels like there is something wrong with me because I’m the only person she’s ever known who loves being in an airport.” (04:45, Clark)

• Walmart Plus Delivery & Logistics Complaints
  Kate in Florida is frustrated by Walmart's gig-driven delivery mishaps:

  • E.g., “Shipping has become one of the most frustrating experiences that has me ready to cancel my membership early.” (06:09, Kate)
  • Clark agrees the logistics are complex and less reliable than Amazon’s, noting that delivery mechanisms from local stores (even with employees after their shifts) cause inefficiency and inconsistency.

    “It is just the weirdest thing. There will be stuff that shows up in an hour. There’ll be stuff that doesn’t show up for two and a half weeks.” (06:46, Clark)

• Credit Card Interest Oversight
  Jason in Idaho notes that while many don't know their credit card interest rates, that's only an issue if you carry a balance:

  • “I pay my cards off monthly, just like some financial guy on my favorite podcast suggests.” (08:55, Jason)
  • Clark:

    “I don't know what any of my interest rates are either because I'm a net payer like you… what you don't know really hurts you [if you carry a balance].” (09:16, Clark)

• Car Wash Advice in the Snow Belt Larry in Idaho calls out Clark for not mentioning the importance of underbody wash to avoid snow-melt chemical corrosion:

  • Clark admits oversight:

    “I washed my own car back then and never did a good job washing underneath... I 100% say Larry, you're right on this.” (10:45, Clark)

• Where to Sell Physical Gold Patrick in Oregon notes Clark failed to answer about how to sell physical gold.

  • Clark concedes and points listeners to a detailed guide at clark.com:

    “There is no easy button for selling physical gold like Costco has become for buying gold.” (11:39, Clark)

• Fidelity Debit Card ATM Fee Distinction Greg in Georgia shares confusion over Fidelity’s different debit cards; only “cash management” cards reimburse ATM fees, not brokerage accounts:

  • Clark learns this in real time:

    “I did not know till right this second the distinction with an important difference that Fidelity has two debit card products and only one of them comes with a waiver of ATM fees.” (13:33, Clark)

  • Bonus tip: Always choose "local currency" when withdrawing abroad to avoid ~10% junk fees.

    “You always want processed in local currency.” (14:44, Clark)

• Job Board Scams & Safer Application Tips Kelly from North Carolina encourages listeners to apply only via company websites to avoid scams; Clark agrees and thanks her for sharing actionable solutions. (16:31–16:39)

• Online Lenders for Mortgages – The Downside for First-Timers Vicki in Missouri warns that online mortgage lenders can cause delays and lack personal touch, especially for first-time buyers:

  • Clark's admission:

    “When you’re originating a mortgage on the purchase of a home, you want... an experienced person.” (17:25, Clark)

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2. 401(k) Tips: Avoiding Two Costly Mistakes

[23:54–34:12]

Main Theme:

Rising 401(k) balances are good news, but Clark warns listeners about two common pitfalls: not taking advantage of Roth 401(k)s and withdrawing funds prematurely.

Key Points

• Roth vs Traditional 401(k): Why Roth Usually Wins

  • Most workers still pick traditional 401(k)s, but Clark says choosing Roth is best for almost everyone except ultra-high earners:

    “I want you doing the Roth version unless you're making money like you're... Daddy Warbucks.” (24:50, Clark)

    • For singles, only switch to traditional at very high incomes (hundreds of thousands $/yr); for couples, >$500K.

  • Why Roth?

    • “Your tax rates are... crazy low compared to historical.”
    • Roth distributions later are tax-free and don’t affect Medicare surcharges (IRMAA), unlike traditional accounts.

  • The looming federal deficit may mean higher future taxes—another reason Roth wins for most.

• Pitfall Two: Premature 401(k) Withdrawals

  • Vanguard found a record number of Americans are tapping 401(k)s for emergencies: “One out of every 16 did so last year.” (26:38, Clark)
  • Clark warns this hurts long-term savings and often reduces future contributions.

Listener Q&A Highlights

• (28:46) Airline Pilot’s Retirement Savings Dilemma

  • Carlos’ company provides a 17% direct contribution to his 401(k), plus his own 8%.
  • Clark: It’s fine to reduce your contribution slightly to handle financial strain since you are way ahead of most—so long as you resume saving when able.

• (30:59) Teacher’s Insurance & Estate Planning Question

  • Dan, a 43-year-old single teacher, asks if he needs life insurance or a will.
  • Clark: No need for life insurance if no financial dependents. Continue using beneficiary designations and keep them up to date; a will is less important for now.

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3. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “When a new terminal opens or a new gate complex, I can’t wait to go and see what they did with the design. I know there’s something wrong with me.” (05:02, Clark)
• “There is no easy button for selling physical gold like Costco has become for buying gold.” (11:39, Clark)
• “You always want processed in local currency.” (14:44, Clark)
• “So thank you to each and every one of you who take the time to post a Clark Stinks.” (18:52, Clark)
• “Roth, Roth, Roth. Get it in your mind and get it into action that if you are a typical income earner, your tax rates are... crazy low compared to historical.” (25:23, Clark)
• “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” (34:12, Clark, on getting credit card late fees waived)

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4. Bonus Segment: AI Customer Service Works!

[33:14–34:12]

• Listener Craig recounts being pleasantly surprised as an AI agent instantly reversed his $25 late credit card fee after a missed payment.
  • Clark: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” Suggests auto-pay as a backup.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:12–19:15] – Clark Stinks (listener feedback & corrections)
• [23:54–28:46] – Avoid Two 401(k) Mistakes (Roth vs Traditional, premature withdrawals)
• [28:46–34:12] – 401(k) Q&A: Listener retirement dilemmas
• [33:14–34:12] – AI customer service: getting late fees waived

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Final Takeaways

• Roth 401(k) > Traditional 401(k) for almost all, due to tax rates and future uncertainty.
• Don’t use your 401(k) as an emergency fund—withdrawals are costly in more ways than one.
• Use online resources and trustworthy guides (like Clark’s) for tricky issues (e.g., selling gold).
• Engage with your bank, card issuer, or employer when in doubt—a simple ask can save fees or headache.
• Listener feedback powers the show, keeping advice honest and comprehensive.

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Clark’s Parting Message:
“Every hour of the day, every day of the week, every day of the year is you, with empowerment available through knowledge so you can save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off.”

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Listen to future episodes or submit a question at: clark.com/askclark

Transcript

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[Clark Howard]

I'm so glad you're with us here on the Clark Howard Show. Our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you to make better financial decisions in your life. One decision that I'm so glad we made 10 years ago tomorrow was to start the Clark Deals website. Can't believe it's already been 10 years. And the Clark Deals website is something that from the very get go was all about not wasting your time. It was about deals that were real deals. Because so often deals are non deal deals. Save, save, save. But you're really saving. That's what we put our heart and Soul [e-mail] and then of course we have Clark Deals newsletters. You sign up for it at clark.comnewsletters along with our regular Clark newsletter.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

And congrats to the whole Deals team. Kara, Sarah, Theo, work their tails off. They work so hard. And Danny and and Jen, we really appreciate everything everybody does at the Deals team. Carys lives for the deals like she is so passionate.

[Clark Howard]

She and I were going over strategy because Amazon apparently is going to move prime days to June. From July is the rumor in the financial industry because they're trying to beef up their second quarter numbers so they're going to move it earlier and at the same time they catch other retailers unprepared who are expecting it to be when it usually is when they all jump on the bandwagon and all have sales. But however it is, whenever it's done, we're going to be there to serve you. And coming up later in this podcast, after you hear Clark Stinks, we talk about the good and bad of 401ks. I got some stuff to Talk about with that coming up later today. But right now it's time to find out how much I never encouraged you to speak.

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You must think I'm pretty stupid.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

You should be ashamed of yourself. Well, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Clark Howard]

Maybe you're right, pal.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Okay. Robert in Alabama says, clark War Eagle, you stink like my pile of shrimp peels after a July boil. I can't take it anymore. I know you used to be a travel agent. For those in your audience like me that hate, detest, abhor, vilify or otherwise just dislike traveling, do a weekly or bi monthly show of nothing but 100% travel questions so folks like me can skip it. And I hope Robert's not a Alabama Roll Tide person after you did that, because he's going to be even more mad.

[Clark Howard]

Well, of course I had to do it. I mean, both our sons go to Auburn.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Yep. Anyway, you want to respond to the tr. He doesn't like the travel.

[Clark Howard]

So we know that overall in the audience there's intense interest in travel. We just know that based on the number of travel questions we get. And I'm really sorry, when you hear travel travel questions, they're a turn off. And everybody's got to do with their lives what they enjoy. And we try to respond to the general tone the marketplace, which is people do seem in our audience to want the travel information.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

I think it's kind of also because you're so enthusiastic about travel and you love it so much and finding deals on travel that you get the audience even more interested. So I think there's, you know, it's sort of just the way it is. Okay, all right.

[Clark Howard]

But I gotta say something to you, Rob. Robert, my wife feels like there is something wrong with me because I'm the only person she's ever known who loves being in an airport.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

I second that. Absolutely. You're like a little kid in the airport.

[Clark Howard]

When a new terminal opens or a new gate complex, I can't wait to go and see what they did with the design. I know there's something wrong with me. And Robert is fully identified and he is Alabama fan. Now he knows something else that's really wrong with me.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Kate in Florida says, does Clark stink or does Walmart stink? In part due to Clark's suggestion, I subscribe to Walmart mostly use it for grocery pickup from the store, which seems to work well and is free regardless of being a Walmart plus member. But regularly items are not available for pickup and have to be quote unquote shipped to me, I say ship because they don't come via FedEx or UPS. Instead, the items are usually delivered by a gig driver from a local store seller, sometimes shipped from a Walmart distribution center to a local store for delivery by Walmart's. Shipping has become one of the most frustrating experiences that has me ready to cancel my membership early. Often I would order multiple items in a single order, but they are split into two or three different deliveries to my house by different drivers. In addition to being extremely inefficient, I really don't like so many drivers coming to my home at all hours, often late at night. I went back and looked at my order history and I've placed 10 shipping orders in quotes since January. Of course, two were lost and had to be refunded. Another two were delivered days late. That's a 40% failure rate. Often I just end up ordering a similar item from good old Amazon. Clark, what is going on? I can't imagine it's cost effective for Walmart to send three people to my house to deliver a $20 order. Is this just growing pains or possibly a local issue for me?

[Clark Howard]

No, I mean the logistics of Walmart. Walmart sales about 20% now are delivery and roughly 80% are traditional in store, either at store pickup or in store. And their logistics system is so unbelievably complicated. I'll order. I'm Walmart Plus. I'm also Sam's plus and I'll order from either of them. And it is just the weirdest thing. There will be stuff that shows up in an hour. There'll be stuff that doesn't show up for two and a half weeks and everything in between. It comes so many different ways. And it's just the way Walmart and Sam's that they own have set up how their deliveries work very heavily. Particularly for Sam's deliveries come FedEx and those are they okay, I hate to say it, they've not been reliable in terms of the delivery cycle. So this is an area that Amazon has a clear market advantage over Walmart and Sam's is they've been much better at being reliable with delivery. Now Amazon, you may be aware in a lot of their big urban markets has delivery in as little as an hour for an extra fee, but is very heavily trying to push people to accept slower delivery. Have you noticed that on Amazon? And so you're going to see more and more where you'll have a delivery from Amazon now that they're reducing what they do with the postal service, they're Reducing what they do with UPS that Amazon is going to be, I hate to say it to you, their delivery is going to work more like Walmart and Sam's to try to lower the cost of delivery using every possible method for delivery. And you know, with Walmart, your delivery could come from one of the store employees at the end of a shift is like, hey, you want to pick up some extra money and drop this off on your way home? And they do that. Okay.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Jason in Idaho says Clark, you don't stink. But I have to point out an oversight when you shared that a majority of Americans don't know the interest rate on their credit cards. I agree with you because I don't. However, I pay my cards off monthly, just like some financial guy on my favorite podcast suggests. Cheers and thanks for starting my day and morning commute with positivity, Jason.

[Clark Howard]

Thank you. All right, so true confessions. I don't know what any of my interest rates are either because I'm a net payer like you when I talk about this with interest rates. Here's the problem with credit cards. It's a behavioral economics thing. When people get a credit card, they think they're going to use it and pay the bill when it comes. But a meaningful percentage of people, let's say depending on the month of 40%, half of people, whatever, don't pay it in full. And then what you don't know really hurts you. And what do I mean, what you don't know hurts you. Okay, if up front you knew there was a possibility that you wouldn't be able to pay a card in full, you would shop for credit cards like you do for anything else based on the interest rate that the card charges. But because psychologically we don't expect to run balances we don't know and don't pay attention to what those interest rates are. And just as a shortcut, the average credit union credit card charges half the interest of the average bank card.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Larry in Idaho says Clark doesn't really stink, but he has obviously never lived in the snow belt. His answer to the caller asking about which car wash to purchase, he no surprise answered the cheapest. If you don't upgrade to the underbody wash in many parts of the country, the chemicals used to melt snow will destroy the car that Clark wants you to drive forever.

[Clark Howard]

So, so when I lived in the snow belt for five years, I washed my own car back then and never did a good job washing underneath and then was so surprised when I started having problems. And so I 100% say Larry, you're right on this.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Patrick in Oregon says Dear Mr. Howard, oh, I was eager to hear your suggestion on where to sell physical gold. As the title of the podcast indicated. Instead you recommended buying metal fund ETFs instead of owning physical gold. You then indicated Costco was a good place to buy physical gold due to the lack of markup. You never actually made any suggestion as to where or how to sell physical gold. Your suggestion to buy a fund or having to secure actual gold bars is valid, but you never gave the advice that I needed. Thanks for your and your team's efforts.

[Clark Howard]

Okay, so dial back to what I said about being flaky recently. So yes, I forgot to talk about what I was going to talk about, which is how difficult it is to sell physical gold. And the shoe leather. Nobody wears leather shoes anymore. The tennis shoes you wear out going place to place that buys gold getting prices. So it is a problem. We have a [e-mail] on how to sell physical gold because it is a constant question we have and there is no easy button for selling physical gold like Costco has become for buying gold.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

And in the episode description that you're listening or watching right now, if you scroll to the description, we'll put the link to that article in there.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, because that was my fail that I'll just go off on a tangent and I'll forget I was going to talk about a particular thing and it's just okay, everybody's had to live with that in my life that you've got

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

a lot, a lot of information you're throwing out. Greg in Georgia says after hearing from Clark about Fidelity and Schwab debit cards covering ATM fees for so long, I finally got one from Fidelity before going to Rome for a transatlantic cruise. I decided I should try it out before leaving, only to find the hidden truth and that it was too late to correct it. I didn't understand that Fidelity offers two very different debit cards, one for cash management accounts which I didn't have, and one for a regular brokerage account. Sadly, they only cover ATM fees on cash management debit cards and it was too late to get one. So before Clark completely retires, I want my $9.63 back for the ATM fees I had to pay for some walking around money in Europe. I finally opened a cash account and I'm tested it and I'm ready for next time. Thanks for all the correct knowledge over the years and all the help you've been. Keep up the great work.

[Clark Howard]

All right, so Greg this is why we do Clark stinks because I did not know till right this second the distinction with an important difference that Fidelity has two debit card products and only one of them comes with a waiver of ATM fees. And I have not heard that before. So now let me give you a bonus that may make up the $9.63 in country after country after country and now common across Europe. When you go to an ATM to withdraw money, they're going to try to trick you into withdrawing the money in the local currency, but processing it as if you made a dollar withdrawal. And then they charge you extra fees, roughly 10% of the money you pull out in junk fees. When you say, oh yeah, that sounds so nice, just take it out in dollars, but give me the euro or give me the pounds or whatever, Swiss francs. And when I was in Europe just recently, about 80% of the time the terminal when I was buying something with my phone would default to processing the charge in dollars instead of euro. And you had to press 2 on most of the machines to override that. If you did not hit override, they process the transaction with a 10% add on junk fee. Processing it in dollars instead of local currency. You always want processed in local currency. So speaking of which, hopefully if I prevent that from happening to you, every time that happens, I'm saving you more than the 963 hour it cost you. Sorry about that.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Kelly, North Carolina says I could never say Clark stinks, but as a regular listener noticed, sometimes he focuses only on the problem and not on possible solutions. A caller mentioned he'd nearly been scammed during his job search. Clark acknowledged this is a big problem in the job market and warned his listeners against sharing personal information. What then in this cutthroat job market is a person to do? My son recently entered the job market following his graduation from college and I advised him to use the job boards for searching but to only apply on the company websites. If a job isn't listed on the company website, it's most likely either an expired position posting or a scam. There were only a handful of opportunities in which he could not apply directly on the company website. I'm sure some of the smaller companies don't always update their sites with job postings, but they typically at least have an email address listed where one could send a cover letter and resume. Good news for my son. He starts an amazing new position with one of your three favorite children later this month. Keep up the good work and please try to remember to advise your listeners of possible alternative solutions for the problem problems they're facing rather than just acknowledging there's an issue.

[Clark Howard]

Thank you and you just did it. And congratulations to your son and I hope that one of my three favorite children treat him very well.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Vicki in Missouri says, Clark, you stink like my cat's litter box when I forget to clean him out every day.

[Clark Howard]

That's the number one people post.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

That's the second one we've had recently for sure. A first time home buyer asked about sources for mortgages, including online lenders. Although you answered several parts of his question, you ignored the online lenders. They are notorious for failing to close a mortgage on a specific date, which is important in an initial home purchase. In addition, first time buyers often need extra handholding, which you're not going to get from an online lender with their army of telephone reps. Better to stick to a local lender in this case. Online mortgages are better suited for refinancing when it's not as important to close on a specific date. And you've gone around the block with getting a mortgage before.

[Clark Howard]

Everything you said is 100% correct. And that would have been an oversight on my part part that I did not mention that when you're originating a mortgage on the purchase of a home, you want a human. You're dealing with an experienced person. And as you pointed out so perfectly, first time homebuyers, you always want someone who is a knowledgeable person who you are able to reach on the phone by text or email and you are on the money that often the greatest hardships that come into people's home purchasing process is when they're dealing with a high volume online lender. Great advice. I appreciate you providing that information because I forget the context but my failure to say it in that context was a failure and failed to serve people as I should have. And this again, this is why we do Clark stinks. Because in the moment answering something, I'm going to forget details. I, you know, I'm just a guy and I'm going to forget things or I'll leave something out or I'll miss something that you working in an industry know to be so very important. So thank you to each and every one of you who take the time to post a Clark stinks. Coming up ahead, I want to talk about the goods and bads of 401ks. There's some warning signs that are flashing I want to talk about with you.

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[Don McDonald]

Talking Real Money is an educational, podcast, hosts or affiliated with a registered investment advisor. For disclosures, visit talkingrealmoney.com this episode is

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[Clark Howard]

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[Clark Howard]

Okay, couple of things. I am so excited that the average 401k balance over time keeps going up, up, up up and more and more people as I shared with you recently who work for smaller companies now for the first time have access to 401ks at more and more smaller companies. Because truth be told, you know I'm the man from Roth. I love the Roth ira but people don't effectively save as much normal person if they have access to an IRA as when they have a 401k, because 401k is automatic pilot. The money just comes out of your check and builds up money for your future at a much faster rate with both the limits that you're allowed to contribute and the fact that it's automatic where it's harder for people to get around to doing the ira. But in terms of automatic, there's something that people are doing automatically that for the overwhelming percent of people is the wrong strategy for long term. And to this moment. Remember, I am the man from Roth. People overwhelmingly are putting their 401k money into a traditional 401k, even though almost all employers now offer the Roth version. I want you doing the Roth version unless you're making money like you're. What's the old expression from forever ago, Daddy Warbucks. Unless you just got money coming out your ears making so much. What kind of money am I talking about? For a single individual you should be making, barring some specialized circumstance, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year before you would switch from doing a Roth version to traditional married couple. We're talking past 500,000 a year. How many people make that kind of money? Professional athletes. Right. Anyway, so Roth, Roth, Roth. Get it in your mind and get it into action that if you are a typical income earner, your tax rates are. It probably doesn't feel like it, but they're crazy low compared to historical. And by the way, do you know what kind of accumulated federal deficit we have now? Is it 39 trillion or something? I mean, it's monstrous. And we keep spending money we don't have. So at some point, and nobody knows what that day is, there will come a financial crisis and we will be forced as a country to start dealing with the deficit. And you can't cut, I mean, you can't even cut 100% of spending and deal with the deficit right now. It's so large. So it means that that dirty word, it's a three letter dirty word, tax, that taxes will have to go up to deal with the deficit. It's gonna happen and it's gonna happen at the worst possible time for us as a country, because we're ignoring the problem of the deficit. So that's why taking advantage of these low tax rates and putting money into the Roth version of a 401k is so key, because that money will not be taxed and it will not cause you additional tax when you start receiving Medicare at age 65, where you get hit with a huge penalty. If you got Too much money you got to pull out of your IRA or 401k to live on. That's traditional. That's not subject to this tax called IRMAA that you have to pay if you got a lot of money in a traditional 401k or IRA. Now, the other thing, Vanguard just reported that a record high percent of people are pulling money out of their 401ks prematurely. One out of every 16 did so last year. And there are certainly people who end up in a situation where your back's against the wall, you're out of other options to pay a bill, pay for a medical thing, whatever. There are circumstances like that. It's also true that there's a psychology that's taken hold that there's a certain percent of people who look at the money they see in their 401k statement as, oh, that's their rainy day fund. But money, once pulled out, people tend to reduce their future contributions to a 401k and that money loses time in the market that you're having to pay back the loan on. So, yes, it's good. There's the safety valve for absolute emergencies, but that's what they need to be. Krista.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Okay. Carlos in Washington says, am I investing too much into my 401k? My company gives me a crazy retirement contribution. 17% direct. No match.

[Clark Howard]

No, that's the opposite.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

I think he's getting a 17 match without putting money in, right? Yeah, I'm reading what he wrote, but I think that's right. I'm an airline pilot. I save 8%.

[Clark Howard]

But I was Alaska Airlines. We're talking about. I don't know any other airline that has a 401k that works like that.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

So they actually match 17% of your salary without you even contributing a penny. All right. And Carlos puts in 8%.

[Clark Howard]

Carlos says a quarter of his pay, effectively.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

I was thinking about taking it down to 4%. My partner's currently between jobs and I could use some extra cash to pay down student loans or to throw at our mortgage, which isn't at the best rate. I also invest 10% of my income into the employee stock purchase program, and I hope to have Team Clark on board one day. Wouldn't that be fun?

[Clark Howard]

Well, now that Alaska, I'm assuming Carlos here, Alaska, you're from Washington state, too. So that even more makes me think Alaska, with all these new international routes, you've got some kind of great introductory deal. I'll be there on those brand spanking new seven, eight sevens that have you seen the new livery they're painting on the 78 7. I'm just joking. You don't even know that's going on.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

No.

[Clark Howard]

Okay, so right now you're saving effectively 25% of your pay. You'd be saving 21. Okay. So money's tight in the household right now. If you take that money and put it to work paying down the student loans, which, if they're not at a great rate, the mortgage. You'd only do that if the interest rate was somewhere mid sixes or above. And doing one of those things where you're putting money towards existing debt. That sounds fine to me because you start where nobody else does with an employer popping 17% into a 401k. That's absolutely great. And look forward to seeing you on an Alaska air jet someday. What if I'm wrong and it wasn't Alaska?

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Well, that would be okay. Dan says, I'm a single male teacher, age 43. No dependence. I'm in good health. No doctor visits last year, not even on any prescriptions. I only started retirement savings about two years ago, and I have $50,000 invested, Roth and 403B combined.

[Clark Howard]

Wait a minute. Didn't start till 41 saving and now has 50 grand in two years as a school teacher. Okay, so don't ever say something, Dan, like, well, I didn't even start till I was. I mean, you're doing fantastic. So focusing on saving that money.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Okay. Roth and 4th would be combined there, by the way, to make sure you heard that. Along with a pension that started when I started teaching 16 years ago. I have a mortgage on my home. I. I owe $70,000, but it's worth 160,000. Yay, Midwest prices and buying before COVID I'm not really planning on getting married currently, as I'm pretty happy in the single life. Should I get life insurance and do I need a will? I have beneficiaries set up on all my investment accounts and a shared document with all account numbers and where thereto. Beneficiaries and insurance information shared with my brothers and parents.

[Clark Howard]

So you don't demonstrate a need for life insurance right now because you're not the financial support at this point in your life to anybody else, however, looks like if you were to unfortunately prematurely leave the earth, you're developing these habits of really developing wealth saving money. You got the value of the home, you got the retirement accounts, a will. As long as you're really good at checking your beneficiary designations regularly, like, let's say on Your birthday once a year is when you check all the beneficiary designations, make sure every pile of funds you have, everything you've got, you have done a proper beneficiary designation, then the will is not as important in your case at this point in your life and that you've shared this information with others is great. So I think you're doing the right things. I think you're okay.

[Clark Howard Show Co-host or Producer]

Craig in Utah says, I had a surprisingly positive experience with AI customer service with my credit card. To pay my cards in full each month, I use manual bill pay from my credit union, paying each about a week before they're due. But I recently missed a payment by one day and I was hit with a $25 late fee. I called the number on the card, prepared to do battle with whoever answered. After verifying everything under the sun about me, the AI voice asked, what can I do for you today? I said, cancel my late fee. And the voice said, I understand you'd like to cancel your late fee. Is that correct? Yes, your late fee has been canceled. Is there anything else I can help you with? I muttered a surprised nothing else. Thank you. And I was speechless. My request had gone so much easier than I ever expected. And the late fee really was removed. It wasn't just some AI glitch. AI can be frustrating, but I guess it can also go out of the way to help.

[Clark Howard]

Okay, that is the funniest story, Craig. And you don't ask, you don't get. It's like we talk about. If you don't like your interest rate with your credit card, call them and ask for a lower rate and more than half the time they'll agree to lower your interest rate for a while. In this case, you were one day late and I guess their system was like, okay, well we'll do this one time. And if I was trained to do that, that's really great and I want to thank you for taking the time to share it. And I do have an alternative for you with your bill pay is that you set up with the card issuers directly where they automatically debit at least the minimum due every month. And I don't use my financial institutions bill pay anymore. I pay all the bills at the websites of organizations where I cut out a third party bill pay out of the system and I control it with paying them. I just find that that's more reliable now than third party bill pay. Just a thought for you, but I love that AI was your friend this time. That's really great and I hope that you have an absolutely great weekend in front of you. Days are getting longer. Some parts of the country it's finally gotten warmer. I hope that gives you an opportunity to go outside and enjoy yourself in some way this weekend. And know what we're devoted to. Every hour of the day, every day of the week, every day of the year is you, with empowerment available through knowledge so you can save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. I hope this is a great weekend for you.

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