05.11.26 Real Estate Investing In Today’s Market / Job Market Update

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast — Episode Summary Episode: 05.11.26 — Real Estate Investing In Today’s Market / Job Market Update
Date: May 11, 2026
Host: Clark Howard

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Overview

This episode of The Clark Howard Podcast dives deep into two central topics: real estate investing in the current market, and a comprehensive update on the job landscape, with a special focus on opportunities for teens and recent grads. Through listener questions and Clark’s trademark no-nonsense financial advice, the episode covers the risks of home flipping, challenges for reluctant landlords, strategic decisions for homeowners, job prospects for young people, key credit management tips, and busts myths about recent gas price increases.

Clark’s tone is pragmatic, encouraging, and peppered with practical examples, humor, and a consistent message: make informed choices to protect and grow your personal finances.

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Real Estate Investing in Today’s Market

[00:46–14:57]

The Flipping Dilemma & Rental Market Realities

• Clark’s Opening Thoughts

  • “Buying right now as an investment is probably not your best idea. There can be certain circumstances it works, but generally not.” (00:46)
  • Factors making investment difficult also make it tough for first-time buyers—home price increases since COVID have outpaced wage growth.
  • The lucrative days of home flipping have passed for now; successful flips generally now require hands-on work and expertise, especially in early-stage gentrification areas.

• Comparison: Then vs. Now

  • Clark: “Used to be, I think, about 28…the average age of a first-time homebuyer. Now it’s 40.” (03:52)
  • Storytelling: TV home-flipping glamorized a practice that’s now high-risk in most markets.

Listener Q&A: Real Estate Case Studies

1. Selling a Condo After Only Two Years
   Tony in Georgia
   (05:08–09:26)

   • Purchased condo for $500k cash, considering selling after 2 years due to life changes.
   • Dilemma: Minimal appreciation, realtor commission would eat up existing equity; uninterested in becoming a landlord.
   • Clark’s Take:
     • “If what you would lose is 6%...it stings…but you’d be done…So that’s option one. Option two, you do become an involuntary landlord. That’s what they call it in the trade.” (05:55)
     • Rent must justify holding (aim: 1% monthly return on price). Full-service property management could eat into profit.
     • If rent isn’t high enough (~$5k/mo for a $500k condo), best to sell and accept the loss as a learning experience.

2. Stay, Sell, or Rent After Life Changes?
   Maria in Georgia
   (09:26–12:47)

   • Bought a home for $601k, put in $150k in repairs, now facing tough financial circumstances. Considering: stay and build equity, sell, or rent out (not thrilled to be a landlord).
   • Clark’s Analysis:
     • “That’s not enough difference for you to sell the property and then have to go rent somewhere else. …If you hate the place you moved…then we’re talking about not dollars and cents and you bail, but if you enjoy where you live...I would stay.” (10:39)
     • Key factors: Current rent vs. own costs, emotional comfort, potential for recovery as housing market normalizes.

3. Should I Pay Off My Low-Rate Mortgage in Retirement?
   Wayne in Delaware (12:47–14:57)

   • Owes $49k at 2.86% after retiring.
   • Clark’s POV:
     • “The reason you would pay this off is it feels great, retirement, owning your place free and clear…But it is more psychological than it is practical since your money, even in a simple savings account or CD, can earn more than what the mortgage rate is.” (13:07)
     • Financially, there’s no rush to pay off unless for peace of mind; don’t use emergency funds.

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Job Market Update: Teens & Recent Grads

[17:43–21:59]

Teens: The Best Time in Years to Get a Summer Job

• Clark’s Encouragement
  • “Jobs for teens are more lucrative than normal and widely available for this summer. So no sitting on your rear end.” (14:54)
• Key Trends
  • Restaurants and hospitality especially need workers due to labor shortages from immigration changes and industry shifts.
  • “The jobs are out there. ...They may not be something you’re excited about doing. But the jobs are there. And what you will be excited about is what the jobs pay.” (17:43)
• Life Lessons
  • “My requirement…was that all three of my kids had to have a traditional summer job the summer they turned 15. ...They all three learned so much…” (19:00)
  • Jobs are crucial for learning responsibility and the realities of work.

Recent Graduates: The Outlook is Brighter Than Predicted

• “If you are someone who is graduating from college this month, I want to tell you that people are finding jobs more easily than expected.” (17:47)
• While the overall market feels sluggish, opportunities exist, especially for the persistent.

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Listener Questions: Finance & Consumer Protection

[21:59–29:16]

Credit Scores and Authorized Users

Mark in Illinois
(21:59–25:09)

• Dispute: Will making a family member (with lower credit) an authorized user on your card put your own credit at risk?
• Clark’s Ruling:
  • “She is right.” (23:55 referring to Mark’s wife)
  • Only the card’s history appears on the authorized user’s report; your other credit actions won’t hurt them.
  • Advice: “Make your brother an authorized user, but do not give your brother the card or the number.” (24:31)

Credit Freeze vs. Fraud Alert

David in Kentucky
(25:09–28:02)

• Does adding a fraud alert on top of a credit freeze add meaningful protection?
• Clark’s View:
  • “A fraud alert is something that you don’t want to do in addition to a credit freeze.” (25:42)
  • Credit freeze is superior and more practical; fraud alert can create hassles without adding much real protection.

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Notable Quotes & Insights

• “If what you would lose is 6%...it stings...but you’d be done…” (05:55)
• “If the rent you can get is not what would be considered to be a good return on the money...I would just take your lumps, sell it as long as the market would support selling it for pretty close to what you have in it and just say oh well, I bought a car that I don’t get to drive and move on.” (06:53)
• “My requirement...was that all three of my kids had to have a traditional summer job the summer they turned 15...They all three learned so much...” (19:00)
• “Credit freeze is really, really important because if somebody does use your identity to get credit, the hassle you go through, it ain’t worth it…” (26:31)

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Hot Tip: Managing Digital Wellness

(28:02–29:16)

• Clark recommends using built-in smartphone tools (“digital wellness” on Android, “Screen Time” on iPhone) to monitor and restrict screen time for a healthier tech/life balance.

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Gas Prices: It’s Not a Conspiracy

(29:16–31:30)

• Clark addresses viral conspiracies about gas price spikes (especially after world events):
  • Rising prices are “just sheer market forces in psychology. So...there is a psychological factor, but there’s also fundamentals.” (29:16)
  • U.S. leverages domestic oil production, so prices are relatively lower compared to much of the developed world.
  • Warehouse clubs, discounters = big price differences, so be proactive in seeking the best deal.
• Clark’s Principle: “From the point at which your tank hits half, you want to really pay attention to prices and fill up.” (31:00)

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Useful Timestamps

• 00:46 – Clark’s opening, real estate climate
• 05:08 – Listener Q&A: Selling after short ownership vs. renting
• 09:26 – Homeowner dilemma: stay, sell, or rent
• 12:47 – Paying off mortgage in retirement
• 14:54 – Job market preview for teens
• 17:43 – Summer jobs, labor shortage insights
• 21:59 – Credit authorized user debate
• 25:09 – Credit freeze vs. fraud alert
• 28:02 – Smartphone screen-time management
• 29:16 – Gas price myths debunked

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Final Advice

Clark’s closing message is consistent with his trademark ethos: “Be a cheap person and look for better deals for gas... And we will be at your service on Wednesday with our next edition.” (31:00+)

Empower yourself—educate, compare, and, above all, don’t get “burned” by the trends or by hype.

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For more savings tips, questions, or to submit your own, visit:
www.clark.com/askclark

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

I'm so glad to welcome you here to the Clark Howard Show. You know, our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you to make better financial decisions in your life. Now in today's episode, real estate prices on so many people's minds right now. I personally know several people who've been burned in the past trying to flip houses and I'm going to tell you why. Buying right now as an investment is probably not your best idea. There can be certain circumstances that it works, but generally not. Also, if you've got a teen and you want them working this summer, oh man, you're going to be in luck getting them working and at higher rates than in the past. Even though the overall job market is sluggish, jobs for teens plentiful, sorry, kids. So home flipping is something. There have been, you know, the TV shows, you'll go to a doctor's office and they're looking for something to just put on the TV that nobody's going to object to. And so they'll put on these home flipping shows that just play one after another. And it was quite a thing, was like really lucrative 15 years ago, 12 years ago, maybe even up to seven years ago. Today buying a home to flip, you really get burned. And buying a home is an investment that you rent out. It's much tougher to make the money work. I mean, you know, we talk so much in society and on our podcast and YouTube show about the difficulty for a first time homebuyer buying a home. The same factors that make it very difficult for a first time homebuyer here. I mean, pretty much everywhere in America is because of the fact that the price of homes escalated over a multi year period starting about the beginning of COVID at a rate far in excess of people's incomes rising each year. So, so the inflation in home prices, as you know, went crazy for several years now. If I'm a home flipper, the idea is I buy a home that's a mess, I fix it up and then I put it back on the market. That was very, very lucrative when home prices were depressed or even when they were a lot cheaper than they are now. But the math just very rarely works. Now there are people who can spot an opportunity, let's say in a neighborhood that's transitioning from being down and out and is going through a process early in the gentrification stage. Somebody can buy a beat up home, fix it up. But usually you have to be capable of doing a lot of the work yourself, not hiring contractors, and then either turn that property into a rental or do it as a flip. But the easy days of doing either are over for now. So the time will come again. And you know how you'll know that times come back when first time homebuyers are also able to buy a home like they used to be able to. Average age of a first time homebuyer now is 40. Used to be, I think about 28.

[A]

Okay, I've got some questions relating to

[B]

homes for you, showing how different home prices were. How old were you when you bought your first home?

[A]

I would have been 28.

[B]

I think I was the exact average I was talking about. Yeah, I was 22.

[A]

Yeah, well, you're not average.

[B]

Below average.

[A]

No, you're above average. Okay. Tony in Georgia says after a divorce, I purchased a condo for 500 and I paid all cash.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

The expectation was that I would live alone in the condo for the foreseeable future. Lo and behold, remarriage may well be in the future in the next year.

[B]

Congratulations.

[A]

It's two years since I purchased the condo. The problem is that since I will have lived in the condo for only about two years, I don't have much equity and whatever exists will be eaten up by 6% in real estate commission. Can you recommend options so I don't take a financial bath by selling the condo two years after purchasing? I suppose one option is to rent it out, but I've never been a landlord and not too interested in becoming one. Though I suppose I could hire a company to handle the entire process. Do you have a sense on how much in fees to expect if that's the best route besides this option, I would love to hear what creative ways you may recommend so I don't end up losing money on the transaction.

[B]

Right. Well, Tony, first of all, congratulations to you. You went through a tough chapter in your life. You got really exciting things to look forward to. And you own the condo free and clear, which puts you in so much better a position than people who bought a property and in a couple of years need to sell it and took out very heavy financing, maybe 97% of the purchase price, something like that. So you are in a position where your options are really totally up to you. So let's take them door number one, you sell the place. There's been no real appreciation and, and it's true, a lot of real estate has just kind of hung out there for the last couple of years after the big run up. That's what will create part of the conditions that will make housing more affordable for people who are first timers moving forward is that incomes will catch up with where home values are. That's why it's so hard for sellers to find buyers right now. Because buyers are like, I'm not doing that. So you can test the market. And if what you would lose is 6% of what you have in there, it stings, right, because you'd lose 30 something thousand dollars, but you'd be done with it and you'd have all the rest of your cash. So that's option one. Option two, door number two is you do become an involuntary landlord. That's what they call it in the trade. You don't want to be a landlord, but you feel like you got to be. So whether that would make sense first depends on what you think you could get in rent. If the rent you can get is really not what would be considered to be a good return on the money, which would be if you go with the simplest back of the envelope thing. To really make it a smart rental property, you'd have to be able to get rent of about five grand a month based on what you paid for the property. If you hire a professional to manage it changes depending on what local tradition is. But you might pay half the first month's rent and commission to whoever manages it, and then maybe 7% a month. Or you might pay a little bit lower fee up front, but more each month. And anytime it needs repairs, instead of calling you, they call that company and then they mark things up. So it's expensive to hire the third party. But I would make the door number two decision on what is a realistic rent. Let's say as an example, you could only get like 3,000amonth for it and you paid 550. In that case, I would just take your lumps, sell it as long as the market would support selling it for pretty close to what you have in it and just say oh well, I bought a car that I don't get to drive and move on. So don't fear so much that loss because in your case the loss is just like an oh well, because you paid cash for the property and nobody wants to lose money on any investment. But in this case, you're getting a whole new life in front of you and this chapter is closing sooner than you expected.

[A]

Maria in Georgia has a dilemma as well. She says please help. I usually know what to do based on your suggestions, but I'm lost on this one. I bought a house for $601,000 in May of 24 and then she spent $150,000 in repairs.

[B]

750.

[A]

The mortgage is at $275,000 at 6. And after a separation and layoff I now have a job making less 90,000 a year. Now I'm considering my options. One, stay in the house a few years to build some equity, but with low cash flow. 2. Sell, giving up future appreciation and principal pay down the comps average 650 to 670k nowadays. Or 3 rent it. I'm not thrilled about being a landlord.

[B]

Another one, a reluctant landlord is a constant phrase.

[A]

Yeah, rent would average 3,000 to $3,500 a month. If I sell or rent, I'll be renting a townhouse or condo for around $2,700 a month. I do have retirement accounts. I fund my Roth every year and have a year's worth of emergency savings.

[B]

Fantastic.

[A]

My goals are to improve my long term financial position, simplify my life and possibly retire in five years. Which path do you recommend?

[B]

Okay, so I'm going back to what you said. You've got the figures here, Krista. Principal, interest, taxes, insurance, 20428 with the HOA, 3200amonth. You're talking about going and renting somewhere else for 2700. That's not enough difference for you to sell the property and then have to go rent somewhere else. You have an enormous amount of equity in this property as well. Particularly if the 150,000 in repairs you had to do took it up to market value and you had bought below market. You said you're expecting that. It didn't. That you would lose 100 grand with the money you put in plus what you paid. So the difference. If you were telling me that's costing you roughly 3,200amonth to live in this place and you're going to pay 1500 living somewhere else. I'D say, well, that math pretty good. You know, you could sell this and take your lump selling it, whatever that would be. Probably the loss of the improvements and you're out. And you're paying much less moving forward to rent. But that's not the numbers you supplied. And if the rent is that close to what it is, owning a property that hopefully over time will at least rise with the inflation rate, I would stay in the property. And here's the other side, the human factor. If you hate the place you moved, are you really not enjoying it? Then we're talking about not dollars and cents and you bail, but if you enjoy where you live and you fixed it up like you like with the 150 you put into it, I would stay. And if a year from now you're really feeling financial stress, then you say, well, Clark, you wasted a year of my time. I'm selling now.

[A]

Wayne in Delaware says, my wife and I are recently retired. Congratulations. We currently owe $49,000 on our mortgage. Our interest rate is 2. Is the best option to pay off the mortgage or continue to make the monthly payments? What are the benefits of paying it off and what are the benefits of continuing to pay it?

[B]

So, Wayne, I don't know the value of the property, but I assume that in Delaware it's worth quite a bit more than $49,000. So your mortgage is likely very small versus the value of your property. The interest rate, incredibly low, 2.86%. People just are so jealous of you who are paying, you know, more than double that. So the reason you would pay this off is it feels great, retirement, owning your place free and clear, not having to worry about that. And it is more psychological than it is practical since your money, even in a simple savings account or CD can earn more than what the mortgage rate is. There's not an advantage to you paying it off even as interest rates may fall in the future, then it's a toss up. But right now I would say there is no hurry to pay this off unless you can afford. Wouldn't put you in a issue where you didn't have enough rainy day money. And you then can say, I own this home free and clear. So that would really be the reason. All right, teenagers, what you want to do after this segment is you want to go to clark.com clarkston because what I'm going to tell your parents right now is that jobs for teens are more lucrative than normal and widely available for this summer. So no sitting on your rear end. Straight ahead.

[C]

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[A]

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[B]

Sponsored Jobs this year there was a lot of talk about how this spring's college graduates. We're going to have an impossible time finding jobs. And if you are someone who is graduating from college this month, I want to tell you that people are finding jobs more easily than expected. And so if you go into this discouraged, I want you to really give yourself a booster shot that you're going to be able to find a decent possibility of employment after you graduate. Now let's talk about teens. So this summer, jobs are much more readily available in restaurants and hospitality. Part of it is because of the immigration crackdown and part of it is long term factors that have made it really, really hard for the restaurant industry and hotels to attract and retain workers. So two of my three kids worked in restaurants in high school and they learned a lot in those jobs. They learned a lot about treating people well and being treated well and many times not being. And so it is a really valuable experience for a high schooler to work during the summer. My requirement, I'm just a terrible father. My requirement was that all three of my kids had to have a traditional summer job the summer they turned 15. And they all three learned so much from those jobs that they had. And a lot of times teens don't work anymore in the summer or after school or whatever. And I think that's a lost opportunity because there is so much you learn about life in a job that you work. And you also understand when you work a summer job, it's hard to make money and it's hard as a business owner many times to make money. So know that the jobs are out there. You're going to see. Gosh, the other day I was walking in the a place that really treats its employees really, really well. It's a restaurant that never, in all the years I've been going there, never has had a help wanted sign. They've never needed one because they keep employees, it seems like, forever, but guess what? They had a giant help wanted sign on the door. Because the labor shortage in hospitality and restaurants is real right now. Retail, not as much as in the past, but you go where the opportunities are and they are in hospitality and restaurants. So no excuse for you. If you're a teenager, you can't get away with telling your parents, I can't find any jobs. They're there. They may not be something you're excited about Doing. But the jobs are there. And what you will be excited about is what the jobs pay. Do you remember what you got paid at your first summer job?

[A]

Oh my gosh.

[B]

Per hour?

[A]

Well, I had, I babysat when I was 11.

[B]

I'm not talking about that.

[A]

I don't remember what they paid me.

[B]

Job, Job.

[A]

I'm trying to remember what it even was because I, I was like a camp counselor.

[B]

And I was a camp counselor too. That does not pay well. But it was fun.

[A]

Yeah. Tons of baby. Yeah. My first retail job, I don't even remember. I mean, I think I got it during the school year and then did it all summer too, but it was nothing. And I spent all my money on clothes when I worked in retail stores, so that was bad.

[B]

My first job was working in a warehouse.

[A]

Oh wow.

[B]

$10 an hour. Which only tells you how old I am.

[A]

Wow. And then I, I worked in dining halls in college. I mean, I did a lot of different jobs. Okay. Mark in Illinois sent this one in. Clark, mediator. Clark, I know you hate these, but my wife and I need your expertise to settle our disagreement. You know I love these. Clark, I always make sure you answer these.

[B]

You do?

[A]

I love it.

[B]

So one or the other is going to hate me. So let's go for it.

[A]

As you know, my wife is always right. But in this case, I think she's mistaken.

[B]

Oh boy.

[A]

We want to make my brother, who has a 690ish credit score, an authorized user on the credit card with our highest available credit line. As our score sits at around 810, my brother wanted to make sure that he could not mess up our credit if he has a late payment or some mistake. And I assured him that it does not work that way. I told him it's a one way street and that we could mess up his credit. But the opposite cannot happen. So here's the rub. I told him that if we were late on payments or defaulted on our other obligations, except for this one card, I was using an extreme hypothetical. Our score would drop significantly, thereby affecting his score negatively as well. So he should not worry about that scenario. The boss lady strongly disagrees. She says that our then tanking credit score would not be factored in for him at all as we only need to lend him this one very large line of available credit credit on that card and keep it below 10%. Her position is that aside from this one credit card, if we default on all of our other obligations, it would not affect his score at all. She believes that simply keeping that Available credit on that credit card at or below 10% would be the only way to improve his credit and our subsequent low credit score due to any ever the default would be immaterial. Please help. The winner gets to pick our next dinner outing. Clarky Mark. Can I tell you what I think?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

I think his wife's right.

[B]

She is right. Oh, not even. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Clarky Mark ex Clarky Mark on Ella. No, she is right. Okay. So when you make somebody an authorized user on one of your cards, it's only that card that then configure in their credit. So your other stuff, if you mess up on something else, no impact on your brother. Now impact on you make your brother an authorized user, but do not give your brother the card or the number.

[A]

I don't think they're planning on that.

[B]

Well, I mean. Well, there was a point where you said if he charges on doesn't make a payment.

[A]

No, like they were just saying if it would. They're not. I'm positive they're not giving him a card.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

He was just worried that he wouldn't mess up their credit if he has a late payment or mistakes in his other.

[B]

Oh, no, no.

[A]

Right. Like not on this card.

[B]

Thank you. Yeah. So only the card reflected and for it to benefit your brother, many issuers will give you the option of including your brother's Social Security number. Only if you include the Social Security number will it help his credit.

[A]

Make sure you use a credit card that gives you good cash back when you go out, take your wife out to dinner. David in Kentucky says, I'm a longtime listener and have followed your advice to freeze credit with all three bureaus as a primary defense against identity theft. I'd like clarification on whether it makes sense to also add a fraud alert on top of an existing credit freeze. In other words, if credit is already frozen with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, does an additional fraud alert provide meaningful extra protection or is it redundant and I should just maintain the freeze and strong monitoring?

[B]

Okay, thank you for asking this question. Because a fraud alert is something that you don't want to do in addition to a credit freeze. And this is why, in theory, what happens with a fraud alert is that when you apply for credit, it's going to slow the process down because they're like, oh, this person's worried about identity theft. We need to do additional steps before we grant credit. So the fraud alert doesn't really work as well as credit freeze. Not even close. But in your Case it becomes a negative. Because let's say you decide, well, I got to get that new cash back card. Krista was just talking about whatever one it is for a restaurant. And I go, I thaw my credit and then I apply for it, and then it doesn't go through, at least right away, because I've also got that fraud alert there. That's a hassle. So credit freeze is what you want. Fraud alert is not. And for people who just have fraud alert, even though I just said it can gum up the works, it's not enough because a lot of issuers don't pay any attention to the fraud alert. You want the credit freeze, which we were talking about at one of the TV stations I work in. They were polling reporters and they said, okay, you ever heard Clark talk about credit freeze? One of the producers was asking around in a meeting and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you? How many of you have done it? And people started shifting in their seats. So one of the problems is that we may hear it again and again, but we don't get around to doing it. Credit freeze is really, really important because if somebody does use your identity to get credit, the hassle you go through, it ain't worth it. Credit freeze is free, simple, and easy to set up, and when you need to apply for credit, easy to thaw temporarily, and it affects none of your existing credit you already have. Go to clark.comcreditfreeze to see how amazingly easy this is to set up.

[A]

Paula in Washington says on a recent podcast, you shared that you have an app on your phone that tells you when you're using it too much. What app are you using? And are there others that you research to help with limiting screen time?

[B]

So I'm an Android guy, and I'd have to ask someone who's an iPhone person.

[A]

IPhones give you your screen time too.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And you can break it down by app, what apps you're using. I think they both do that.

[B]

So on an Android, there's a setting called wellness and wellness and something else for kids. Anyway, you go to that digital wellness and you can turn it off or on. So I have it on to remind me when I get that report every week that, dude, you're spending too much time on your phone. I mean, I. I see that, and it's like, I got an F on a report card. So I find it's really helpful. Is like true serum that I'm spending just way too much time on the phone. So the digital wellness on an Android and no idea what it's called on

[A]

an iPhone, screen time. Screen screen time, we're told.

[B]

Okay, so having that weekly report card, I think it is valuable if you're someone who has a tendency to spend too much time on your phone. And at the end of this podcast, I want to mention that there's been a lot of conspiracy theory stuff floating around about gas prices and that there's some kind of secret cabal that as soon as combat started in Iran, that prices just went up. And it was a conspiracy. There was no conspiracy. It was just sheer market forces in psychology. So the thing about gas prices is there is a psychological factor, but there's also fundamentals. That's why you'll hear me talk about how much difference there is in price from one gas station to another, a warehouse club versus an independent discounter versus an oil company gas station. And even in terms of zip codes where there'll be such difference in pricing. And so you and I have such an influence here. Gasoline is something that up to a point is what's known as demand and elastic. What that means is that a certain amount of driving we have to do and then other driving is optional. If gas prices stay high enough, long enough, the market corrects itself because people say, well, you know, that trip's not worth it. I'm not going to do it. We're not there yet with gasoline prices. But the marketplace will reset because the reality is there's now more capacity to extract oil out of the ground and then in turn refine gasoline than we've had in so long versus the underlying demand in the market. And so when supplies resume at normal flows, prices will come back down. And retailers are always reluctant, once they've raised a price, to lower it. And it is true that gas prices tend to gallop up and crawl back down. That again, that is human behavior. That is not a conspiracy. So it's gonna happen that prices will normalize, but there's a lot of hurt along the way, obviously. If misery loves company, though, the only thing I can say is that compared to any other developed part of the world, our prices and the Canadians also benefit from having significantly lower prices from other places, because our neighbors of the north and us produce such enormous amounts of energy beyond what we need for our own domestic market. And we are sending a lot of oil overseas right now because the oil companies can make more money sending it overseas than keeping it here. And that does put some price pressure. So that makes even more imperative that you be a cheap person and look for better deals for gas. From the point at which your tank hits half, you want to really pay attention to prices and fill up. So that having been said, I hope you have a great rest of your day. And we will be at your service on Wednesday with our next edition of the Clark Howard Podcast and YouTube show. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying Big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint.

[A]

You can get premium wireless for just

[B]

$15 a month, of course, if you enjoy overpaying.

[A]

No judgments.

[B]

But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway.

[C]

Give it a try.

[A]

@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees [e-mail].