04.13.26 Self-Storage Savvy / Heir Apparent: Plan & Preserve Your Estate

Summary

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The Clark Howard Podcast | Episode: 04.13.26

Self-Storage Savvy / Heir Apparent: Plan & Preserve Your Estate

Date: April 13, 2026
Host: Clark Howard | Co-host: Krista

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Overview

This episode of The Clark Howard Podcast is devoted to two major personal finance topics:

1. Self-Storage Units: Clark exposes industry “bait and switch” practices, offers actionable advice for renting, insuring, and securing storage units, and shares his own personal experiences.
2. Estate Planning: Clark emphasizes the importance of proactive estate and inheritance planning to prevent family discord, outlines practical steps to preserve assets, and answers listener questions on generational wealth tools, insurance, education financing, and secure digital account access.

The episode weaves in Clark’s consumer-first mentality, emphasizing open communication, skepticism of industry tactics, and simple, actionable financial wisdom.

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1. Self-Storage Savvy

(Begins at 01:05)

Why Talk About Storage Units?

• Clark has rented storage units three times over the past decade, joining the "1 in 5 Americans" with units.
• He reveals that his awareness of storage unit problems (theft, rodents, floods, bait-and-switch pricing) originally came from consumer reporting and was supercharged by personal experience.

Major Issues and “Bait and Switch” Pricing

[01:35] Notable Quote — Clark Howard:

"It is a bait and switch business. You're lured in with a price on a unit...then three months in, usually at most five or six months in, you get a notice of your new rent rate. That can be three times what you signed up for. Yeah, three times."

Key Insights:

• Initial Prices Are Traps: Storage companies bait customers with attractive intro rates, then jack up prices 2-3x after a few months, knowing the hassle of moving will deter customers from leaving.
• Clark’s “Move 4 Doors Down” Story: When his storage rent spiked, he threatened to move out. The manager offered him the original rate if he shifted his stuff a few doors down. Later, paying a year upfront secured the rate, but Clark warns there’s risk if ownership of the facility changes.
• U-Haul Price Locks: Some companies, including U-Haul, now offer a one-year price lock, which Clark endorses.

Practical Advice for Renters

[05:37] Clark’s Checklist:

• Insure Your Contents:
  • Do not rely solely on homeowners insurance; consider a separate policy.
  • If the unit offers insurance, read the fine print about coverage, exclusions, and how payouts are calculated.
• Document Your Belongings:
  • Do a thorough “walk and talk” video inventory to prove ownership if you ever need to claim insurance.
• Be Ready to Walk:
  • Have a backup storage provider in mind; sometimes threatening to move, or even moving, gets you leverage on price.
• Avoid Claims on Homeowner’s Insurance:
  • Filing claims can increase your future premiums or even risk cancellation.

[07:30] Notable Quote — Clark Howard:

"It is a game where they've always got your number and my number and you got to know going in. That's how it works."

Audience Call-to-Action

• Clark invites listeners to share their storage unit tips or challenges via clark.com or through the show’s question form.

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2. Listener Q&A: Consumer Finance Topics

(Starts at 08:01)

Bulk Diapers at Costco

• Emily (Illinois): Frustrated with online order delays for Huggies and skeptical of Kirkland diapers.
  • Clark's Response: Try Kirkland—if you dislike them, Costco's return policy has you covered. Always call customer service for missing orders. “Turn adversity into an opportunity.”
  • [08:24] Clark Howard:

  "I would love for you to look at this adversity as opportunity and do an experiment. Buy a box of the Kirkland Signature..."

Home Insurance: Admitted vs. Non-Admitted Carriers

• Joe (California): Forced into a California FAIR plan due to wildfire risk, but broker suggests a cheaper ‘non-admitted’ insurer.
  • Clark’s Caution: Non-admitted insurers are not part of state guarantee funds, so you're on your own if the insurer fails. Ensure your mortgage lender accepts non-admitted coverage to avoid pricey, lender-placed insurance.
  • [11:09] Clark Howard:

  "You're getting a lower premium, but you're hoping that they are going to be solvent. When there is a claim, it's not a scam, it's just an additional potential risk."

Paying Off Debt vs. Savings

• Austin (Alabama): $56k in savings earning decreasing interest; contemplating paying $18k left on a truck loan at 6.51%.
  • Clark’s Advice: If employment is secure, pay off the truck, then rebuild savings with the freed-up monthly payment. Eliminating high-interest debt trumps low-yield savings in the long run.

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3. Heir Apparent: Plan & Preserve Your Estate

(Begins at 17:57)

The Stakes of Aging & Inheritance

• With 11,000 Americans turning 65 each day and $100 trillion in assets, inheritance issues are set to soar.
• Not just a “rich people” problem: Clark shares stories of average families torn apart over modest assets.

Preventing Family Conflict

[18:50] Notable Quote — Clark Howard:

"So parents tend to be really, really quiet about what they have and they don't really share with their kids what their intentions are...one of the legacies you don't want to leave is your kids getting sore at each other, not even talking to each other anymore."

Clark’s Estate Planning Rules

• Keep Wills Up to Date: Update regularly, especially if your assets or wishes change.
• Open Communication:
  • Hold ongoing (not one-off) conversations with heirs about intentions and practical details.
  • Avoid secrecy to minimize surprises and hurt feelings.
• Asset Lists: Create and share clear inventories of accounts and locations.
• Healthcare Directives:
  • Assign a durable power of attorney (or advance directive) for medical decisions.
• Clarify Beneficiary Designations:
  • These override a will for items like retirement accounts and insurance. Double-check to ensure wishes match documentation.
• Couple’s Planning:
  • Ensure both partners are on the same page; compromise when necessary.

[22:30] Notable Quote — Clark Howard:

"Whatever's in your will is overridden by beneficiary designations that you've put on bank accounts, brokerage accounts, retirement accounts...the will is one thing, but that beneficiary designation overrules it."

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4. Listener Q&A: Estate & Generational Wealth

(Starts at 23:44)

Infinite Banking & Whole Life Policies

• Tyler (North Carolina): Interested in using overfunded whole life insurance and trusts (“infinite banking”) for generational wealth.
  • Clark’s Reality Check: It’s not a “no-brainer”—the upfront costs are high, benefits limited in early years, and missteps can lead to family friction or IRS trouble. Consult a specialist estate attorney before considering complex strategies.
  • [24:46] Clark Howard:

  "The idea is you way overfund a whole life insurance policy...It is not a no brainer because this requires some serious thinking..."

Financing an MBA

• Timothy (New Jersey): Balancing savings/investing with paying for a part-time MBA.
  • Clark’s Strategy: Temporarily reduce 401(k) contributions to just the employer match and pause Roth IRA contributions to free up cash, but keep contributing to an HSA for future tax benefits. Resume heavy retirement saving once the MBA is done.
  • [29:59] Clark Howard:

  "If you reduce your contribution to your 401k up to the match, I would support that...Stop doing the Roth, keep doing the HSA."

Chromebook for Secure Financial Access

• Karen (Connecticut): Uses Chromebook for financial accounts—should she use it for her Social Security account?
  • Clark’s Security Pick: Yes, Chromebooks are less virus-prone than Windows PCs, ideal for sensitive access.
  • [31:54] Clark Howard:

  "I'd use the Chromebook...Using your Chromebook to access your My Social Security account...is absolutely fine."

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On self-storage pricing games:

  "Once they feel they have you as a captive, they're going to eat you up." — Clark Howard, [06:18]

• On estate secrecy and conflict:

  "Think through what your plan is, why your plan is what it is, and have ongoing conversations with your kids about what your intentions are." — Clark Howard, [19:32]

• On complex insurance-based wealth products:

  "The planning for this should start with your estate attorney ... You pay an experienced expert at estate law because you tell them what the goal is." — Clark Howard, [27:29]

• On using adversity as an experiment/opportunity:

  "Turn adversity into opportunity.” — Clark Howard, [08:44]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:05 – Intro to storage unit issues and Clark’s experiences
• 04:14 – Bait-and-switch pricing and how to fight back
• 05:37 – Insurance tips for storage units
• 08:01 – Q&A: Costco diapers, insurance, and debt payoff
• 17:57 – Estate planning intro: why it matters and common pitfalls
• 19:32 – Clark’s family approach to open estate conversations
• 22:30 – Will vs. beneficiary designation—what really matters
• 23:44 – Infinite banking & whole life insurance for generational wealth
• 29:59 – MBA financing strategy
• 31:54 – Secure digital access tips (Chromebook vs PC)

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Summary Takeaways

• Storage units can be traps: Know the bait-and-switch tactics, always insure your stuff, and document contents. Don’t be afraid to negotiate or move for a better deal.
• Estate planning is crucial for every family: Clear communication, updated documents, and explicit beneficiary choices prevent family rifts—act before it’s too late.
• Complex financial products: Don’t jump into “infinite banking” or advanced insurance products without expert legal and financial guidance.
• Optimize savings & debt: Weigh interest rates and job security when managing debt versus holding cash.
• Digital security matters: For important accounts, use the most secure, virus-resistant devices available.

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Clark’s constant refrain: “Save more, spend less, and never, never, never not ever get ripped off.”
Empower yourself with information—and keep your family out of financial (and emotional) hot water.

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Transcript

[Host/Announcer]

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[Clark Howard]

It is an honor to share. No, it's our honor. It is our larger honor.

[Krista]

No, really, stop.

[Clark Howard]

You can really feel the respect in this battle.

[Host/Announcer]

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[Clark Howard]

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[Clark Howard]

I'm so glad you're with us on 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. Okay, we have a storage unit, something I didn't think I'd ever have in my life. But over the last, like, eight or 10 years, we have had had three different occasions where we've rented a storage unit. One in five Americans has one right now, apparently. So it's a lot of bait and switch in the storage unit business. I want to talk about that straight ahead. And you may have seen the really sad, disturbing stories about how Jimmy Buffett's family is in a donnybrook fight about his estate. This is something that you read about or hear about with famous people, but it's happening with people every day now across all walks of life that may have decent assets, not necessarily a huge amount, but they fight about it. I want to talk about how to prevent those fights later in this podcast, but right now I want to tell you, I didn't know anything about storage units other than the problems people have when a unit gets broken into or a unit has a rodent infestation or a unit, a lot of them are in floodplains. And you think, wow, I'm getting a good deal in that storage unit. And then a flood comes along and everything you have in it is ruined. Theft problems are rife. So this is where My real knowledge had been in my TV work, the stories I do with people whose stuff had been stolen or something else like that. Until I started renting storage units myself, I wasn't aware about how the pricing works. Now I understand completely. It is a bait and switch business. Oh, I should. Before I get into bait and switch, I should say what I learned over the years and the stories I did on television is you got to insure that baby, you got to have insurance on the things you have in that storage unit. And you need to, just as I tell you when you rent a car, how I want you to shoot that video, you need to do a walk and talk in that storage unit, what you have in there because of the stuff stolen. Even if you have insurance, you got to prove to the insurer what you had. And depending on if you have renters insurance, you may be able to buy policy protecting things in the storage unit from whoever sells you your renter's insurance. Be careful with your homeowner's insurance because if it's part of your homeowner's insurance policy, I don't want you making a claim on your homeowner's insurance for the things in a storage unit. So you may want to buy a separate policy from somewhere else for that. And if you do have one offered to you by the storage unit facility for you, sign up for it. You need to read that and see how the coverages and exclusions and limitations work. And most important, how do they depreciate out the value of the things in that storage unit? So let me go to the price thing. This is how the business works. You're lured in with a price on a unit, and then you rent a truck or you use your own vehicles, whatever, and you load up that storage unit and everything's fine and you're paying them for it. And then three months in, usually at most five or six months in, you get a notice of your new rent rate. That can be three times what you signed up for. Yeah, three times. Because what are they counting on? They got you, you're their prisoner. You have your stuff there and are you going to go rent another truck and load it up and move your stuff to another place and then three to six months later, they do the same thing to you. So I learned this right away. First time rented one, four months in, they went up on the rent two and a half times. So what did I do? I called up and said, well, with this rent increase, we're going to have to move out at the End of the month I found another place down the road that I checked online was actually cheaper than what I was paying there originally. And the person said, well, you know, if you'll come here. It was the suggestion of the manager and you move to a unit on the same floor three doors down. I can give you that one at what you were paying. It was the same size unit. So my wife and I went over there and we lugged the stuff basically four doors down on the same floor and got that price. And then she said to me, how long are you going to need this other unit? I said for me, I'd like it for one minute. For my wife, I don't know. And she said, well, if you pay us up front for a year in advance, we'll charge you that and you'll have it for a whole year. And I was like, okay. Sure enough, we kept it for another 15 months and we had an increase those last three. But the point is the game is a puzzle and you got to know that once they feel they have you as a captive, they're going to eat you up. And you may have seen the story that U Haul, that owns a lot of storage facilities is now offering at most of their locations a one year price lock. And I like that. Now, interesting thing happened, Krista, you may not remember this anymore when I paid that year, halfway through the place changed ownership and I was worried we were going to lose those months. I prepaid. Fortunately that didn't happen. That could have happened.

[Krista]

Oh boy.

[Clark Howard]

And then I would have felt dumb as a box of rocks, right? Having prepaid that year. And not everybody can afford to do that. But just understand that it is a game where they've always got your number and my number and you got to know going in. That's how it works. And we may have some suggestions from people that I'd love to hear from you. You think what I said was lame? You go to clark.com clarkstinks or just

[Krista]

or just post post in our questions form if you'd like any tips you have and we'll read them. Okay, we're going to go to some questions now. This one's from Emily in Illinois. Clark, my husband and joined Costco after having our five month old son.

[Clark Howard]

Congratulations on the birth of your child and it was really great that you named your child Kirkland.

[Krista]

It's been amazing to buy our Huggies diapers in bulk. However it appears they are no longer stocking them in stores. I ordered the Huggies online and they never shipped could you tell me where I can complain and provide feedback? The Pampers don't work well and I've heard horror stories about the Kirkland signature diapers.

[Clark Howard]

Stab me in the heart. Okay, we got a couple of things talk about. I mean I saw when I was at the pharmacy the other day they had Huggies on the end cap, you know, heavily displayed. And so I don't know if they had sold out at your location that you would normally buy Huggies or what and I would always ask the store manager. Now as for Costco.com the Huggies going lost in space. You should be able to call Costco.com and they'll actually answer the phone and they should figure it out and they'll send you the Huggies. But I would love for you to look at this adversity as opportunity and do an experiment. Buy a box of the the Kirkland signature because you'll save so much money over time if what you've heard from other people that they're a horror and

[Krista]

if you don't like them you can return.

[Clark Howard]

You return them.

[Krista]

Not the used diapers. Thank you box.

[Clark Howard]

Thank you. I was going to say you don't need a price guarantee from me that I'm going to refund the money. You just try them and if, and if I'm an idiot and the KS diapers are no good, you take the remaining ones back in the box and they will give you your money back for the whole thing and then you can continue to buy Huggies. So just a thought but the problem with the shipment going missing Costco is usually really on top of that if you talk to customer service and it's real customer service, normally not customer no service.

[Krista]

Okay. Joe in California says I'm a longtime listener and really appreciate all the help you've given me over the years. Now I finally found something that isn't covered in one of your articles online. I recently moved to a high fire risk area in Southern California and could not find any home insurance companies so I had to sign up with the California Fair plan. My renewal just came up and my insurance broker suggested switching to a quote non admitted company. I've researched the basics of this but I'm not sure what the real risk is using a non admitted versus an admitted insurance company. The premiums are roughly 20% lower for non admitted. Thank you for any advice and information you can share on this.

[Clark Howard]

So non admitted is a generic term with it usually does apply to homeowners and what it means is that if you had a fire or whatever and you had a claim for your home as a non admitted insurer, they are not part of of the California guarantee. What happens is if an insurer goes insolvent, other insurers are assessed to make up the money for that claim. That's the idea of an admitted insurer. If you hire a non admitted, they're not having to pay into that guarantee fund and you're getting a lower premium, but you're hoping that they are going to be solvent. When there is a claim, it's not a scam, it's just an additional potential risk. And if you have a mortgage on your home, you need to make sure that your mortgage company permits you to insure with a non admitted insurer. Because of the risk there. You have to have the homeowner's insurance and you don't want them to do what's called force placed where they put in force a horrifically awful insurance policy that will be marked up five to 10 times in cost as a profit center for the mortgage company because the contract may not permit a non admitted insurer.

[Krista]

Austin in Alabama says my wife and I had $56,000 sitting in a high yield savings account earning 3.75%. The interest rate has gone down over the years and we view this money as an emergency. Our only debt is our house and my truck which has 135,000 miles on it. I still owe $18,000 at a 6.51% interest rate and I absolutely hate having a car payment. Would you recommend going ahead and paying it off or paying a substantial portion and continuing with the monthly payments? Paying it off would leave us with roughly $38,000 in our savings. Thank you for everything you and your team do.

[Clark Howard]

So if your job situations feel secure, Austin, I would take the money from your savings and blow out the remaining balance of the vehicle loan. You're talking about an interest rate on savings that could continue to trend down as the economy has gone into a bit of a slump. And you're going to save so much money blowing it out. And then what you do is every month, if you have this discipline, which you obviously must because you had built up this 56,000 and rainy day every month going forward you pay what the monthly payment was on your vehicle back into the savings account and start to beef it up again. But I think it's a very smart thing since you have no other debt other than your mortgage to get rid of this loan at six and a half percent. I like what you're thinking because you're still going to have a decent amount of money in savings that you're going to steadily be able to rebuild. Go for it. Coming up ahead. Oh I hate it when families fight over money. It just happens and people will really who are into this kind of stuff or really enjoy reading the stuff about a famous person like Jimmy Buffett having family fight about his estate. But it ain't so funny when it's in your own family. I want to talk about that.

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[Clark Howard]

Who's Got all the Money? Well, actually, if you look at any analysis of who's got money in the United States, it skews so heavily older and we're an aging society and I saw an item in USA Today that 11,000 people turn 65 now every day and those people have over $100 trillion that they may try to decide what they're going to do with someday. A good problem to have. Nobody has 100 trillion by themselves except Elon Musk, I guess. But anyway, people are going to decide, hey, we want it to go to this kid or the kids or the grandkids or go to this charity or whatever it is, okay? Hurt feelings galore. Anger, lawsuits, lawyers all come up with stuff where people have a certain expectation as parents about what they're going to do and they never discuss it with their kids. The most important thing to do in this process is first of all to be up to date on what you're doing with your will. If you are someone who's in a position where you have the kind of assets that people are going to fight about, it doesn't even have to be a mega dollar kind of estate. There are people who fight, and I was asked a lot of questions recently by someone about it where they were fighting over not a lot of money and now two brothers aren't talking to each other anymore and all that. And so parents tend to be really, really quiet about what they have and they don't really share with their kids what their intentions are. And so this is something That I want you to rethink because one of the legacies you don't want to leave is your kids getting sore at each other, not even talking to each other anymore because they feel like, well, you gave her more than you gave me, or why did she get this? And he get that and on like that. Think through what your plan is, why your plan is what it is, and have ongoing conversations with your kids about what your intentions are. Our three kids know that my goal is to give money to charity when I go to the Great beyond, and we've talked to him about that. Now, my wife is likely to live a lot longer than I am. She is more balanced with that about what goes to charity and what goes to the kids. But we have had these conversations with them, and we prepared asset lists so they know what accounts we have and all that and where to find it when we pass away. And so all I'm asking you to do is don't be quiet with your kids. Tell them, first of all, tell them what you want to have happen. If you end up in a hospital and you can't communicate your wishes, you need to have a durable attorney for health care. Durable power of attorney for health care. I'm sorry. In many states, it's called an advanced directive. But more common now is you have both a message, what you want, and a messenger who you've appointed. Then, if you got meaningful assets, you want to have a will. If you have minor children, you want to have a will, even if you don't have two nickels to rub together. And know that whatever's in your will is overridden by beneficiary designations that you've put on bank accounts, brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, accounts, accounts. So the will is one thing, but that beneficiary designation overrules it. So imagine the kind of fight you can have in a family where you say in the will, you want an equal share of this to go to the. The kids, each kid. And then at work, you did a beneficiary designation, that the money all went to one kid. Hurt feelings and fights. But I'll tell you, almost always that beneficiary designation is going to win out. Conversations. It's not a conversation is ongoing conversations that you have. And you need to have them with your spouse or partner, because what you want may be very different than what they want. And life requires accommodation, compromise and understanding. But the big problem when it comes to death is people don't want to talk about it. But as best I know, we're all going to die someday. And it's a conversation ongoing you need to have because you don't want to be fighting with your sister. Krista, I don't want to be fighting with my brothers and my sister but people do it all the time.

[Krista]

Yeah, my sister and I would not fight. But yes, no. And I know my parents have also, you know done their wills and all those things and it is important to talk about. I'm talking to my kids about it. Okay, we'll go to some questions. Tyler in North Carolina says I've been reading lately about the infinite banking concept or family banking a part of which utilizes high cash value whole life insurance with paid up additions to help secure perpetual wealth for the family and allow you to borrow against your own money without the opportunity cost of taking loans out from a typical financial institution. I understand you're not a huge fan of anything but term life, but my family may be in the unique position of being able to fund policies like this as a part of our overall portfolio. If structured correctly under the appropriate trust and underwritten with the correct insurance company, it seems like a no brainer. My wife and I are in our early 30s with a toddler and would like to take advantage of our to build generational wealth. I'd love to get your opinion on whether this is worth pursuing.

[Clark Howard]

So you said seems like a no brainer. Right. So Tyler, this is something that pops up from time to time is like something there's buzz about. I think I first heard this as something someone asked me about at least 30 years ago. More than 30 years ago. So the idea is you way overfund a whole life insurance policy. A whole life insurance policy is an insurance policy that has a death benefit and has a built in savings account. It is not a no brainer because this requires some serious thinking because you will in the early years you will have paid in a lot of money and have no real benefit from it because you're you start off in a whole life policy, particularly a mega one, way upside down in the value of it versus what you've paid in second. These are tax advantaged kind of things, not tax free. I worry because a lot they're pushed by life insurance salespeople as as you said a no brainer is a way to build generational wealth that avoids estate taxation. The reality is this is a potential tool that works rarely as an efficient way to move wealth generation to generation. And the planning for this should start with your estate attorney. And if you've got the kind of wealth you believe you're building in your life even though you're really young. You need to be with an estate attorney, that's a lawyer who all he or she does is wills, estates and trusts and the conversation with that lawyer. And they're expensive, by the way, to hire. They may be the most expensive of all lawyers other than corporate lawyers, but you pay an experienced expert at a state law because you tell them what the goal is. Exactly what you told me, that you want to build generational wealth moving forward. Now if you do proceed on this path of building your wealth through an overfunded whole life policy, know that particularly you have one child now, you could end up with several. This goes back to the prior thing. You have to set up clear rules when money will be lent to one of your children for various purposes. And the loan terms need to be written and need to be enforced because the IRS can come along later and say that really wasn't a loan, that was a transfer and that's taxable. And so that's where the estate attorney comes back in, is that if you do an overfunded life insurance policy, you have to make sure that the rules of engagement of using it, who can use it, when and how and how's it paid back, has to be all stated up front for it not to blow up. So this is a tool that is used not very often, but it is a tool used. But you got to know that the cart's before the horse here. It all starts with proper generational based estate planning, wouldn't you say?

[Krista]

Like if you took all that money you're paying for those premiums which usually go up and up and up.

[Clark Howard]

No, they don't. I mean the premiums, the whole idea of overfunded whole life policy, the premiums are set based on the actuarial risk you represent at the time you buy the policy. Okay. You say it was healthy, you medically underwrite and you own this monster policy, you have to demonstrate an insurable need that goes beyond what you're financial needs are and what your earnings are at that point. So there's a lot involved in this. That is a product that insurance agents are selling to people who've got money but not necessarily should be bought by people.

[Krista]

Right. And those.

[Clark Howard]

That's where the. Right, that's where the lawyer comes from.

[Krista]

Okay. Timothy in New Jersey says, Hi, Clark. I'm 25 years old and have been employed out of college for almost two years. I'm considering pursuing a part time MBA starting in the fall. My question Is is what can I do to help finance grad school? My company offers $3,000 a year of reimbursement program, but the rent is nearly 30% of my monthly income to the payment. I'm also already contributing enough to max out my Roth IRA, HSA, and 401 up to the match to pay for an MBA. I'm afraid the money will really be tight unless I stop contributing. Thanks for all you do.

[Clark Howard]

Okay, so getting the MBA is clearly part of your future income stream. And so if you think of yourself as a hybrid, you're both a worker and a student, you're going to be in that MBA program probably 18 to 24 months based on what I usually see with these. And for the, let's say up to two years you're in the program. If you reduce your contribution to your 401k up to the match, I would support that. I would want you to continue contributing to the HSA because the financial advantage over the years is enormous. And discontinue. You're doing the max in your Roth. Discontinue doing the Roth at all right now. So I do the two cuts. I'd reduce the 401k to just company match. Stop doing the Roth, keep doing the hsa. You free up more money for paying for that mba, get that mba. Hopefully it'll lead to more career opportunity and flexibility and over time, more money. And once you're done paying for the mba, then you step back up the contributions regardless to the Roth ira. And you're an industrious person to work full time and go get that MBA at night. It is a tough road.

[Krista]

You know that because you did that.

[Clark Howard]

I did. I worked full time and did the MBA full time. And that was too much. I was just too ambitious, too driven.

[Krista]

Karen. And yes, really not worked out for you. Karen in Connecticut says, hi, Clark, at your suggestion, I have a Chromebook that I use exclusively for accessing my financial accounts for security purposes. Would you recommend I use the Chromebook to access my Social Security account online or should I use my PC, my Windows laptop?

[Clark Howard]

I'd use the Chromebook just because Chromebooks fundamentally are less subject to the possibility of viruses. And using your Chromebook to access your My Social Security account, Social Security.gov I think, is absolutely fine. And even if you're years and years and years and years from retirement, I want you to set up a My Social Security account@Social Security.gov so you can make sure that the income that you're earning each year is being reported properly. You're getting proper Social Security credits because down the road it really matters. And as has been discussed many times on this podcast, I waited to get Social Security till I turned 70. I tracked my Social Security over the years using a Chromebook to access it, a superior choice to Windows, as my son keeps saying. When am I going to talk about why people should only buy the new MacBook I talked about recently instead of buying a budget Windows laptop? I'm just going to lay the question out there, Grant. I'm not going to answer it because I'm not smart enough. But anyway, I hope you have a great week. And did you know that we offer one on one advice for free? Something we've been doing now for this, our 34th year of offering free one on one advice. And if you want to have that opportunity, go to clark.com cac for the team Clark Consumer Action Center. You'll see how to get that free one on one advice, guidance and information. Have a great day and I hope something empowered you today so that you can save more, spend less and never, never, never not ever get ripped off. See you Wednesday. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail]

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