06.23.26 Ask An Advisor With Wes Moss & Clark

Summary

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The Clark Howard Podcast

Episode: "Ask An Advisor With Wes Moss & Clark"

Date: June 23, 2026
Host: Clark Howard
Guest Advisor: Wes Moss
Moderator: Krista Dibiaz

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Clark Howard Podcast delivers a comprehensive session of "Ask An Advisor," featuring both money expert Clark Howard and financial advisor Wes Moss in tandem. Together, they dive deep into listener questions covering the hottest investment topics—index fund concerns in a tech-heavy market, personal finance dilemmas (especially around mortgages and retiring), and the balancing act between growing wealth and keeping it secure. The conversation is friendly, candid, and seasoned with humor as they explore both the numbers and the psychology behind personal financial decisions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Index Fund Investing in a Tech-Heavy Era (Starts ~03:58)

• Tech Dominance in Indices:

  • Clark and Wes discuss concerns about the concentration of tech stocks in core indices like the S&P 500 and total stock market funds (approaching 40–50% tech exposure).
  • Quote — Clark (04:42):
    “It's at least 40, if not 50% of the S&P 500 and the Russell 1000.”

• Historical Context:

  • Wes references lessons from the dot-com bust, questioning whether today's high concentration could backfire for index fund investors.

• Indexing Analogy – The Art Collector (06:00):

  • Clark relays a story about Heinz Brugger, an art collector whose success came from owning "the market" (a vast collection), not picking winners—analogous to index investing.
  • Quote — Clark (06:09):
    “To some extent that is what index investing is. It’s owning the market not knowing what few companies will drive it, but knowing that a few companies will drive it.”

• Diversification as Risk Management:

  • Both advise that as retirement nears, investors must intentionally diversify beyond market-cap-weighted indices to avoid overexposure to one sector.
  • Quote — Wes (08:24):
    “If I'm under 45, just leaving it on autopilot in index funds is all going to work out… But if I'm pushing 60… this is where what we're talking about becomes concerning.”

• Staying Wealthy vs. Getting Wealthy:

  • Clark emphasizes that once you’re near or in retirement, portfolio preservation matters more; big drawdowns hurt more when you’re withdrawing, not accumulating.
  • Quote — Clark (09:02):
    “There’s a topic I like to talk about once in a while. It’s getting wealthy versus staying wealthy.”

2. Listener Q&A

Q1: Does 401(k) Momentum Prevent Market Corrections? (10:15)

• Key Point:
  401(k) auto-investing helps smooth the ride but can’t stop bear markets. Clark and Wes dispel myths about retirement accounts endlessly propping up markets.
• Quote — Clark (11:47):
  “We do have a net amount going in… but not that dramatic and it certainly will not prevent big corrections.”

Q2: How Do I Know If I’m Ready to Retire? (13:42)

• Scenario:
  Rob, 54, has $1.2M, no debt, pensions to cover half his spending, and is burned out from a stressful job. He fears losing structure in daily life after retiring.
• Wes’ Guidance:
  • Money is only half; the other half is having meaningful “core pursuits” (deep hobbies/social activities).
  • Warns that without planned structure, retirees may face mental health and purpose issues.
• Quote — Wes (15:27):
  “You will go insane if you don't have at least five core pursuits in the world.”
• Clark’s Emphasis:
  • Socialization and community are critical; having "hobbies on steroids" is a must.
  • Quote — Clark (17:44):
    “Steps two and three in the retire sooner method … Number two is about these core pursuits, and number three is about the socialization and the community side of it.”

Q3: What To Do About an Expiring ARM? (24:58)

• Scenario:
  Tammy in Nevada’s 7/1 ARM (3%) is expiring, current mortgage is $475K on a $1.8M home. Panic about rising rates.
• Advice:
  • Don’t panic or rush to refi while rates are high.
  • Let the ARM reset to see the actual rate; consider short-term resets before committing to a fixed long-term loan.
  • Only consider a 15-year or credit union products if refinancing.
• Quote — Wes (25:52):
  “Don't panic. You've done so much, you've got so much equity… I wouldn't be panicking.”

Q4: Move Overseas—Sell or Rent Home? (29:58)

• Scenario:
  Tom in Georgia and wife move to Scotland for missionary work, debating whether to sell their almost-paid-off house or rent (possibly to someone in need).
• Debate:
  • Clark leans toward not selling—rental offers eventual home return and some cash flow.
  • Wes is wary of long-term absentee landlord risk, especially renting to someone “in need” without a property manager.
• Compromise:
  • If renting, use a property manager and rent at market rate.
  • Reassess after a year or sell for peace of mind and clarity.

Q5: Should I Invest Extra Cash to Pay Off My Mortgage? (33:19)

• Scenario:
  David, in his 30s, has a 2.75% mortgage and invests extra cash monthly in index funds to eventually pay off the home early.
• Tax Considerations:
  • Only sell investments after holding >1 year for long-term capital gains rates (0–15% for most).
• Strong Advice:
  • With such a low rate, don't rush to pay off; “crazy as a fox” to keep investing for long-term growth with favorable tax treatment.
• Quote — Wes (36:39):
  “...The carry cost of that mortgage at 2.75%… is lower than what you can earn on a simple savings account.”

Q6: Target-Date Fund vs DIY Index Investing? (37:25)

• Scenario:
  Paul in DC, age 48, has $1.2M in a Vanguard 2045 Target Date Fund, wonders if he should move to VTI and gradually add bonds himself for more growth.
• Analysis:
  • Target date funds are a “7 or 8 out of 10”—solid, if sometimes slightly conservative but highly diversified.
  • VTI alone would reduce diversification (less in international/small caps).
  • If going DIY, use 3-4 funds for full diversification—not just VTI.
• Quote — Clark (41:08):
  “If you're going to make a switch, I don't know if I'd get less diversified than the Target Date Fund.”

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Indexing and Tech Bubbles:

  • “A few companies will drive it… that handful made his overall collection the most valuable, and that’s what index investing is.” —Clark (06:09)

• On Retirement Purpose:

  • “You create your purpose. And a lot of that has to do with your core pursuits and your community.” —Wes (15:33)

• Mortgage Strategy in Low-Rate Era:

  • “You have below market cost money lower than what you can earn on a simple savings account.” —Wes (36:41)

• Fun Banter & Personality:

  • “Give us a Braves win!” —Krista requests of Clark, hinting at his sportscaster-mic and cheapness, leading to playful ribbing (02:32)

• On Core Pursuits:

  • Clark’s ‘hobbies on steroids’ outlined: work, fitness, travel (cheap!), time with family/friends, and community volunteering—building and sponsoring 106 Habitat for Humanity homes (19:05).

• New York Dining Tip:

  • “If you're going to New York as a tourist, do not eat in the tourist areas… go to a locals’ neighborhood.” —Clark (44:34)

• Apple Ratings Segment:

  • Lighthearted moment as Clark and Wes compare their favorite apples (“Cosmic Crisp,” “Honeycrisp,” “Pink Lady”), debate the merits and cost, and enjoy light teasing (48:14–50:04).

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:58 | Index fund concentration & technology sector debate | | 06:00 | “Art collector” analogy for index investing | | 08:24 | Investing by age: under 45 vs. near retirement | | 09:02 | “Getting wealthy vs. staying wealthy”; withdrawal risk | | 10:15 | Can 401(k)s prevent bear markets? | | 13:42 | Deciding when to retire—finance & psychology | | 24:58 | ARM mortgage expiration: refi strategy? | | 29:58 | Rent or sell home for extended overseas mission? | | 33:19 | Investing to pay off a low-rate mortgage | | 37:25 | Target date fund vs. DIY index fund investing | | 42:30 | Episode wrap-up & New York dining tips | | 48:14–50:04 | Apple debate: Cosmic Crisp vs. Honeycrisp vs. Pink Lady |

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Additional Noteworthy Insights

• Diversity Awareness:
  Both hosts stress that a simple index fund may seem “diversified,” but can mask sector risk. DIYers should include global and small cap.
• Behavioral Investing Matters:
  Many comments highlight that financial plans succeed as much due to mindset, discipline, and planning for human needs (structure, community).
• Mortgage Strategies:
  At historically low rates, math often favors keeping the loan and investing, but peace of mind is valid too.
• Renting Property Overseas:
  Good intentions (helping someone in need) need to be matched with solid management to avoid costly landlord pitfalls.
• Retirement “Core Pursuits” Concept:
  Wes and Clark urge listeners to list their own “hobbies on steroids” well before retirement—anchor points to personal joy and social engagement.

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Character & Tone

The conversation is highly accessible, often playful (“Braves win!”, “Crazy as a fox”), yet stays grounded in practical, actionable financial wisdom. Both Clark and Wes combine deep experience with relatable anecdotes, candid disagreements, and actionable takeaways.

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For Further Questions

• Ask Clark: clark.com/ask
• Ask Wes: wesmoss.com/ask

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This episode is an essential listen for anyone navigating modern investment dilemmas, retirement transitions, or simply needing a steadying voice amid economic “mania.” The blend of tactics, philosophy, and lively debate makes it one of the podcast’s most informative and engaging entries.

Transcript

[Krista Dibiaz]

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[Wes Moss]

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[Krista Dibiaz]

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[Wes Moss]

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[Krista Dibiaz]

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[Wes Moss]

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[Clark Howard]

We're gonna take this city back over

[Wes Moss]

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[Krista Dibiaz]

They're hunting us. It's time we started hunting them.

[Clark Howard]

I can work with them.

[Krista Dibiaz]

This should be tons of fun.

[Wes Moss]

Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again. Now streaming only on Disney pl.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Welcome to Ask an Advisor. I'm Krista deviaz here with Wes Moss and Clark.

[Wes Moss]

How are you? Why am I here today?

[Krista Dibiaz]

You're here because both of you have talked about recently the IPO, going with SpaceX and index funds and you mentioned Clark. It'd be great for you guys to kind of talk through some of this index fund investing in a tech heavy world. And I think it'd be great for everyone to hear that. And there's high demand for the two of you to answer some questions together again. And I have several for you from the audience which I know in this

[Wes Moss]

era of combat with everything people talk about, are we supposed to be punching each other?

[Krista Dibiaz]

No.

[Wes Moss]

And calling each other stupid or anything.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Never.

[Clark Howard]

I just saw a clip on, I think it was Instagram of a David Letterman show where a professional wrestler intentionally got in a fight with Andy Kaufman and he had a neck brace on and they had this big. And Letterman thought it was real. So we could always stage a.

[Krista Dibiaz]

You could. I could also bring up the fact that you've said opposite things on where you think taxes are going in the future. But we can save that for another show.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, we've been semi opposite on private Equity. I didn't. Yeah, maybe on taxes, but I bet you we're going to be somewhat in line here on this one.

[Krista Dibiaz]

And I'm Clark. I wanted to put you in a great mood from that start. Start from the jump. So if you're watching the YouTube video, Cork's beloved headset sportscaster Mic is back on his head.

[Wes Moss]

The reason is because I'M so cheap. I won't pay for three of these fancy mics. So when there are three of us on the mic, I get to have my sportscaster.

[Clark Howard]

Can you give us one? Can you give us a Braves win? Braves win. I don't think I can because the Braves can't win.

[Wes Moss]

No, they, they're, they're good this season.

[Clark Howard]

I know. I, I like a little sportscaster line from you. If you just throughout today, maybe, maybe you throw that in.

[Krista Dibiaz]

How about some of the NFL?

[Wes Moss]

Well, I mean, NFL training camp coming up in just weeks.

[Clark Howard]

Exciting.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah. How those men go out there for those two A days and that heat. I don't know how they do it.

[Clark Howard]

I'm excited for, for NFL because I watch a little bit of the, whatever that other league is. Have you seen ufl? Is it ufl?

[Wes Moss]

Xfl? What's it called?

[Clark Howard]

I think it's, I don't know what it is.

[Wes Moss]

Spring football league.

[Clark Howard]

And I was trying to figure out why it's so less good. And I guess it's just because you don't have any affiliation to the team. It's got to be 90% of it is that you care if the team wins and you're watching still great football. I mean, these guys are all pro football players or just were pro or should go to the be in the NFL, but so the football is pretty good. But it's so unenjoyable to watch because you're just like.

[Wes Moss]

It's like watching a preseason game.

[Clark Howard]

It's like the Winnipeg, you know, Warrior Chucks. It's like, who's this? Anyway, all right, what are we talking about?

[Wes Moss]

Well, okay, what brought this up is IPO mania right now with the AI companies and SpaceX and all that. And the valuations are crazy. I mean, SpaceX to justify the value would be larger than probably the GNP of the world in, in, I don't know, 10 years. So a friend of mine has been texting me manically because he's totally drunk. The index fund, Kool Aid, which I'm totally into as well. He's, what am I going to do? I mean, look how much these tech stocks represent. I mean, what is it, 40, 50?

[Clark Howard]

It's at least 40, if not 50% of the S&P 500 and the Russell 1000.

[Wes Moss]

And then you look at the total stock market and you're still at like 37% or something, right?

[Clark Howard]

Call it 40% almost on any of the broad indices.

[Wes Moss]

So somebody who's been around long enough to remember the dot Bomb bust. And how those valuations were crazy and Wall street analysts were pumping them up and saying, well, this time's different and it wasn't different.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Wes Moss]

And, and it wasn't that the Internet wasn't going to be huge in E commerce, but the valuations put on those stocks was crazy. So the question my friend is posing to me, what do I do as a die hard indexer?

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Wes Moss]

And, and obviously I've been making great money being in indexes and if I'm with Vanguard, I'm basically paying nothing. Or if I'm in variety ETFs, I'm paying essentially nothing to invest. And now it's so heavily weighted in this speculative tech sphere. What do I do knowing that a lot of those are going to flame out and the value of that index is going to drop.

[Clark Howard]

What'd you tell them?

[Wes Moss]

What do you think?

[Clark Howard]

Well, it's funny. Remember the story of Heinz Brugger, the art collector? This was Morgan Housel talked about this.

[Wes Moss]

I don't know this.

[Clark Howard]

Let's just say he was the wealthiest art collector in the world, the most successful of all time. And evidently he actually did not have a good eye for art. So all the art collectors went around and were trying to identify the next best artist. Right. What Heinz Brugger did is just, he just bought up every painting he could find from all over Europe. And what happened is that he had this big collection of a bunch of crappy paintings of artists that we've still never heard of, but he ended up with a couple Picassos and he had a couple Monets and that handful of art made his overall collection the most valuable one in the world. And the point of that is that to some extent that is what index investing is. It's owning the market not knowing what few companies will drive it, but knowing that a few companies will drive it. So if you're a pure index fund investor, you say those are the companies to some extent that have been growing and in this particular last three to five year phase, actually growing earnings. Except for some of these. Now, the IPOs are separate. The IPOs are very separate because they are not earning anything. They're losing billions of dollars. Billions of dollars they're losing. But the big companies have been driving the gains for the most part are companies that do have free cash flow. They are really earning. So if you're a pure index fund investor and you and you continue to subscribe to the the art collector story, which is really very much what the s and P500Is, then you you say, well, is it tech heavy or is the world really. Is that just part of the economy? And it's okay that it is tech heavy. Now in my opinion it's, I'm not comfortable with it. So I don't, I personally do not have everything in the S&P 500 or the Russell 1000 which by the way are almost identical when you look at the performance. So to me I think it's super important to have some of these and it's very easy to diversify away from tech. And I think that that is a really helpful thing particularly for folks that are getting closer to retirement so that you're not 50% just in tech.

[Wes Moss]

I want to thank you for the last thing you said because that's what I've been waiting to talk about is part of the answer this age bands that like if I'm under 45, just leaving it on autopilot in index funds is all going to work out in the wash over the decades. But if I'm pushing 60. Yeah, let's leave the 45 to 59 year olds. Yeah, in their own category, I'm pushing 60 or even beyond. This is where what we're talking about becomes concerning with the imbalance of how much of the value is tied up in a few. Right.

[Clark Howard]

There's a topic I like to talk about once in a while. It's getting wealthy versus staying wealthy. And if you're in your 50s or early 60s or whenever you're ready to stop working and you're having to withdraw and you're distributing money, it's a different formula because you're taking money out and you don't have the opportunity as a 30 year old does to have your overall index go down by 35%. You're still adding, you're still adding and

[Wes Moss]

buying lower dollar cost averaging.

[Clark Howard]

It's the reverse when you're 60 because you're taking and your mark, if you're 100% stocks and your portfolio is down 35% then it's doubly worse. And I think that's why it's so important you get to that staying wealthy phase. It doesn't mean you quit on equities. It doesn't mean you stop investing and put everything in CDs. It just means I think you have to be way more mindful of a balance and I think today more than ever. And these big companies that are ipoing in, let's call it 20, 26, they're going to be part of the major indices pretty quickly. You're going to add some non profitable

[Wes Moss]

companies about 12 months from now probably.

[Clark Howard]

I mean literally within the next three to six months.

[Wes Moss]

Okay.

[Clark Howard]

They'll be added. I'd be careful.

[Krista Dibiaz]

I have a related question from Rod. Ron says it seems to me that a big percentage of workers have 401ks. So there's a lot of money buying into the market like the S&P 500. This supports market growth. Can the market still tank or. Correct. And why.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah, the market can absolutely tank and it does in cycles. But the thing about 401ks and automatic contributions to Roth IRAs is I briefly said dollar cost averaging. My wife Lane says that should be a name of one of our dogs someday. I'm so obsessed. DCA with dollar cost averaging because it is a psychological crutch is fantastic for investors who would freak out if they had just put a big lump sum in and the next month, you know, there's huge decline in the market, bear market, whatever. So if you're in a 401k, the money in 401ks does give a little bit of momentum to the market. But in addition, the market is so large that we're still going to have corrections, we're still going to have bear markets. And the beauty is when the market is down. The irony of it is because you're putting in contributions every month, every pay period, whatever. Ultimately that could make you more money over time because the market goes up on average 2 years down 1. Is that what it is over long periods of time?

[Clark Howard]

I look at it as just. It's averaged about 12 with 10% corrections every one to two year, 20% corrections every three to five and then every seven or so the big ones on average, the 35 percenters. My simple answer to this one, Clark would just be. And I've tried to do the math because I've thought about the tailwind of just so much money going in. Is that enough to prop up markets? And the answer is no. We do have a net amount going in from which I've tried to figure this number out. It's hard to get a global picture of the United States, but let's call it a $2030 trillion market with a net 2 trillion in. That's a little bit of a tailwind, but not that dramatic and it certainly will not prevent big corrections.

[Krista Dibiaz]

All right, this came in from Rob in New York. My question is intended for Wes, but I'm interested in Clark's thoughts too. How does one decide when it's truly the right time to pull the trigger on retirement. I'm 54 years old with about $1.2 million in investable assets. I've managed to get to the point where I have no debt, my home and cars are paid off and my kids college expenses are fully covered. Between my wife and me, we also have pensions that will cover 50% or more of our annual spending expectation. Annual spending Expectation is around 150k depending on how much longer we choose to work financially. The math seems to work if I hang on a little longer. But it's the personal side that I'm stuck on. I have a high paying, demanding job that I just don't enjoy anymore. My days off are great. I spend them working out, walking the dog in the park and generally taking it easy. But I worry about the long term reality. Is there a risk of quite a quote unquote going crazy without the daily structure of a high pressure career? I'd appreciate your perspective on how to tell the difference between being ready to retire and just being ready for a long vacation.

[Wes Moss]

So we got, we got the money side and we have the psychological side.

[Clark Howard]

Great question.

[Wes Moss]

And you're so big on both pieces being equal.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Wes Moss]

Making the decision.

[Clark Howard]

Clark. I love these questions and I love thinking them through. It's the ultimate question and it makes it hard when you have just for Rob, he feels like he pretty much has enough and he's particularly worried about going kind of stir crazy because he's at a really demanding job and it takes up all your time.

[Wes Moss]

He doesn't have any joy in it anymore.

[Clark Howard]

He hates it. Right. And I hear that all the time. I've heard that for my entire 25 year working career. 25 year plus. I hear it even more now. And I think the economy is like a pressure cooker. The job market just continues to squeeze us. And he's high paying, he's been rewarded, he's in the money green zones the way I look at it. But here's the one thing you're going to have to think through, Rob. Absolutely. You can go crazy because you are used to really working your tail off and having very little time to fill. You need what I consider step two, after you have the money side, which it seems like you're probably fine on,

[Wes Moss]

except I want to go to one thing about money. How are they going to have health coverage?

[Clark Howard]

That's another one to get.

[Wes Moss]

Because he's 54. You got 11 years, Rob, that you have to figure out how you're doing health care. And that's really tough now. But that's the only money thing. Everything else, you're right. I mean, when I was listening to Krista, reading the question, it's all on that other side. Yeah, the happiness when you're not doing that routine.

[Clark Howard]

So you will go insane if you don't have at least five core pursuits in the world.

[Wes Moss]

You say that to a New Yorker,

[Clark Howard]

you will go insane.

[Wes Moss]

Our prices will drive you insane. Crazy Eddie.

[Clark Howard]

You've got to have five or more super activities, hobbies on steroids. And they need to be social and you have to have a community. When you stop working because you lose all that interaction. You may not even love your coworkers, but you probably have some friends and you've got a lot of interaction and you lose it and then you've got all this time and you're going to go stir crazy and drive your wife crazy because you don't have five core pursuits, hobbies on steroids. You do not want to stop working and try to figure those five things out. I think you want to get those five things, at least the structure of them before you stop working. Because you need to be doing these almost 20 hours a week. And that creates your new schedule. Because in a retirement for folks that have the money, purpose is not found. The skies don't open and you're delivered this genie box that says, here's your new purpose in life. That doesn't ever happen. You create it. You create your purpose. And a lot of that has to do with your core pursuits and your community to keep socialization. So, Rob, I would just say do not sleep on those two major things because you will go crazy if you don't have those two.

[Wes Moss]

And you know this empirically from all the years of working with the retirees. I know it subjectively over and over again with my contemporaries that if they launch into retirement or get pushed into retirement, you know, by companies age, discriminating and they're pushed out of the workforce, if they don't have, as you call them, the five core pursuits, their mental health and quality of life actually deteriorates. Could I say that word better? Deteriorates. Because this is important. I mean, for most people, it's like, gosh, if I won the lottery today and I won $5 million, I'm quitting, I'm never going back to that job. And then if they don't have their purposes in life, they don't have their friend group socialization, they're miserable.

[Clark Howard]

Steps two and three in the retire sooner method, which is again really a happiness formula. Number two is about these core pursuits. And number three is about the socialization and the community side of it. And the research shows to your point that if you don't have those two pieces, it's really hard to end up being a happy retiree. Now I have a quick question for you.

[Wes Moss]

Sure.

[Clark Howard]

Can you please give us. And the audience wants to know what are the top five Clark Howard core pursuits, which are hobbies on steroids, things you don't just do once in a while but you love to do besides work?

[Wes Moss]

I don't know. I've never thought about it because I've never thought about not working because I enjoy working so much.

[Clark Howard]

I'll give you work as one of them because it totally can be. If you're working for fun and not because you have to. It totally is a core pursuit. So you have one work I love.

[Wes Moss]

I don't know if this counts. I love fitness. I don't know if that counts.

[Clark Howard]

You're famous for cheap

[Wes Moss]

travel.

[Clark Howard]

Travel. Yeah, travel.

[Wes Moss]

Cheap travel.

[Clark Howard]

Travel slash cheap travel.

[Wes Moss]

And then I don't think this counts. But spending time with family and friends, it does count.

[Clark Howard]

Particularly if, if it is adventure oriented. I, I would say yeah, of course.

[Wes Moss]

All right, so the big one for me is community involvement and volunteering.

[Clark Howard]

You've. How many habitat houses have you built?

[Wes Moss]

106.

[Clark Howard]

That's not just a once in a while.

[Wes Moss]

I've been a volunteer. I'm far more than that. But, but my wife and I have sponsored 106 homes. So I mean I, I will continue no matter what till I'm not physically able. I will spend significant time in my life volunteering and being involved in community.

[Clark Howard]

Well, that gives us five.

[Wes Moss]

But one of them is really weak. Right?

[Clark Howard]

The family is, everybody has family because. But it's funny, a lot of the.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah, but a lot of people don't want to be with their families.

[Clark Howard]

Not, not every.

[Wes Moss]

I.

[Clark Howard]

Not. No, I'd say a lot. The majority do. One of the questions I've done in my latest research study was just open ended. It was what it, what brings you the most joy in retirement? And it was a lot of Costco. So it was like Costco surprisingly didn't show up. But it was. Think about this. It was.

[Wes Moss]

That would be the dork reader. You want to be able to tell people, hey, we have great clearance items right now on men's and women's clothing. Remember, look for anything that ends 97 cents. Because when I was in Costco just recently and I went through the clothing section, man, we have to be between seasons in retail because it was like Almost everything was a 97. So if you need to update your wardrobe and not spend the kind of money you usually do, Wes, you can go with me to Costco. We're going to get you all outfitted for a fraction of the cost.

[Clark Howard]

I think personal Costco shopper could be a corporate suit Personal Costco shopper. But Krista, I think he's got easily five. But on those responses of things that bring me the most joy, it was a lot of activities. It was walking, biking, hiking, running the Harley, music with someone, friends with, volunteering with my friends. So I think you're there. But I want you to keep thinking about this list because I Bet you have seven to 10 of these hobbies on steroids. So keep thinking about that. And a cool question for you as our listeners to ask your friends the people you care about. It's a really important question. It's fun. Nobody's going to get mad at you for asking that question.

[Wes Moss]

So Lane says I shouldn't ever retire from work because she says all I'm going to do is be talking to her all day. Hey listen, I found this incredible deal and by the way, do you know this new scam that's going on? She said go tell other people.

[Clark Howard]

Poor Lane.

[Krista Dibiaz]

I love it. I think Clark is always, always busy. You've always got a lot going on. I think you're going to be just fine. But nobody wants you to retire anytime soon for sure. So we're going to take break.

[Clark Howard]

He's already a happy retirement.

[Krista Dibiaz]

When we come back, I'm going to challenge you guys to get through four more listener questions.

[Clark Howard]

That's a lot. Okay, lightning round, see if we can do it.

[Krista Dibiaz]

We'll be right back.

[Clark Howard]

Investing with Schwab is like spending a Saturday at a great farmer's market. You can fill your reusable tote with

[Wes Moss]

a bit of everything.

[Clark Howard]

Maybe you go for some free range self directed investing or perhaps you pick a few farm fresh trades while you peruse. You can even get help from a dedicated advisor. That's full service wealth management. Mix, match and change your mind whenever you want. Because at Schwab you can invest your

[Wes Moss]

way no matter your goals or appetite.

[Clark Howard]

For investing, Schwab has everything you need all in one place. Visit schwab.com to learn more. This episode is brought to you by AT&T business. For business owners, connectivity is key.

[Wes Moss]

If you are starting your business today, that would be your first concern and your first decision.

[Clark Howard]

Reliable connectivity is essential to launching whether

[Wes Moss]

you're local or national.

[Clark Howard]

For a business owner, it's a decision that pays benefits every day and in

[Wes Moss]

every aspect of your operation. Make the right decision.

[Clark Howard]

Choose ATT Business AT and T Business is a reliable provider for business owners powered by AT and T Business built to work. Get AT AND t [e-mail]

[Wes Moss]

this episode

[Clark Howard]

is brought to you by Fox One.

[Wes Moss]

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[Clark Howard]

The FIFA World cup, streaming live on

[Wes Moss]

Fox One, offers a subject to change. See fox.com for complete terms and conditions.

[Krista Dibiaz]

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[Wes Moss]

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[Krista Dibiaz]

Welcome back to Ask An Advisor. I'm Krista Dibiaz here with Clark Howard and Wes Moss, our advisor. But today we are asking both Clark and Wes questions. So I'm going to get right into it.

[Wes Moss]

So hopefully you love this when we do this.

[Krista Dibiaz]

I do well because I think the listeners and viewers love it. So. Okay, okay. Tammy in Nevada wrote in with this one.

[Wes Moss]

I said it again. Nevada.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Nevada. I'm in full panic mode. We took out a 71 ARM back in 2019 at 3%. We were waiting to score one of those great under 2% mortgages but didn't pull the trigger fast enough. And now our ARM expires in August. We have 800 credit scores. We owe $475,000 on a house worth $1.8 million.

[Wes Moss]

Wow.

[Krista Dibiaz]

I know. Our AGI is 400k with a debt to income ratio of less than 15%. Current mortgage payment is 2370, but we pay 2500amonth with the extra going toward the principal. Should we refi into another seven. One ARM and keep hoping rates go down or go into another 30 year and just pay it off as fast as we can. We really want to pay it off in the next 10 to 15 years. I am 56 and my hubby is 46. Help.

[Wes Moss]

So part of the answer to this question, and you may have a different perspective on it, is how does the 71 arm reset? What does it go to the next year? The current rate, 3%. Depending on what your contract calls for. It may go to one point higher in the eighth year. It may go two points higher in the a year point and a half. So you don't want to do anything right now with rates so escalated because of three factors. A lack of trust that the Federal Reserve is going to continue its inflation, fighting the federal debt and budget deficit, and underlying inflation right now in the economy. This is a terrible time for you to refi. And so I would. Here you are seven years in and you're in panic. Don't panic. You've done so much, you've got so much equity, you've been paying extra. The balance of Your loan is 25%

[Clark Howard]

of the value, 15% debt to income.

[Wes Moss]

I mean, in terms of the, you

[Krista Dibiaz]

said the, the, the loan is 425 and the house is worth 1.8.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah. So 25%, 20 or 47% debt as your equity is fantastic. Ride it one more year at least. Especially if it's a step up of one point. You've got the luxury of two more years that you can let it step up from three to four, four to five. If it jumps two points, hopefully in the next year or so, mortgage rates will come down some, you'll have an opportunity to refi well, and it may

[Clark Howard]

just reset to prevailing the sofa rate, maybe even plus. So it could go up to six

[Wes Moss]

or more and it all depends on that contract language.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, could go up to six, six and a half, which you'd end up with. You'd be paying an extra 1300 bucks a month approximately.

[Wes Moss]

Still less than what market is right now on interest rates.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, So I would. Yeah, I wouldn't be panicking. I think, I think it's a no panic situation. Let it reset, see where the rate goes. And if it feels extraordinarily high, you can always. I can tell that Tammy in Nevada is a judicious saver. Anybody that's paying an extra 200 bucks, 150 bucks a month extra, she's got some room. So if she needs to eventually get into a 30 year fixed, if she needs to Then I bet you're going to be paying this thing off in 10 or 15 anyway.

[Wes Moss]

So I would say the way they handle money that I would only be looking at a 15 year. Yeah, am refi they can do it is. You got a point lower on that and that will help.

[Clark Howard]

That's a good. I would do the 50.

[Wes Moss]

And if you're a credit union member and credit unions are very prominent in Nevada, you may be able to do one of the credit union 10 year AMS if you can afford it because then the cost of money is lower and then in turn the interest rate you end up with is more favorable.

[Krista Dibiaz]

All right. This is from Tom in Georgia. My wife and I are 62 and 61 respectively. Within the next two years we will be moving to Scotland for mission work for an undetermined period of time, but at least three years. We have a house that will be paid off either right before we move or shortly after. We will fund our support mostly from our retirement, but may also receive support from others in churches. I'm considering two options regarding our house. Rent it to someone in need whom we know at just enough to pay the mortgage and cover potential issues, or sell it. Renting it might keep us from having to sell or store stuff while we're away and then we have our house when we return. It could also provide a bit of cash flow to provide us with support. The downside is not being able to make sure people are taking care of it as we would. Selling would allow us to bank the proceeds and potentially earn interest or have it grow in the market while we're in Scotland. The downside is having to find another home when we come back. I would appreciate your insights.

[Clark Howard]

My gut here, My gut is to not sell real estate in general. And I know now it's really hard to figure out how you can maintain a home if you're that far away. But it sounds like to me that Tom has almost a friend or someone he knows and trust someone in need.

[Wes Moss]

So they're going to provide below market

[Clark Howard]

rent, which that's someone in need that they know if they're friends with them. Well, I don't know why.

[Wes Moss]

He's also worried how that person is going to take care of the place. I. I'm feeling alarm bells. You're not feeling. I'm nervous about this.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Wes Moss]

And I just worry you're gonna be all the way across the ocean, literally and you're going to be out of touch. I wouldn't want you to come back to a mess. I mean I. I love the spirit of wanting to help that individual. If you're going to be gone for minimum. Yes. You said three years. Three years.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Wes Moss]

I'm. I'm really in opposite land from you on that I would feel more comfortable selling the house and investing or saving the proceeds because you don't know. You may get to Scotland, you may spend three years there and you're like this is. This is home.

[Clark Howard]

You may want to move.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah. So you just don't know. And, and you didn't indicate in your question that you had that overseer person who could really watch out for your property.

[Clark Howard]

I think it's a good question. Yeah. But I got from that that that's a person they know and trust and somebody they know and trust. Maybe were you. Maybe I'm too optimistic about how well they'll take.

[Krista Dibiaz]

No. Think it's someone they know who is in need but they are concerned about the house being taken care of. They said that was one of the downsides.

[Clark Howard]

So that friend in need doesn't sound like a caretaker. We can try potentially not.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Sounds like there's.

[Wes Moss]

That freaks me out just because I've been a landlord forever and tenants turn properties back in different conditions.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Clearly Tom and his wife are very giving. They're going on this missionary mission and they want to help people in need which is great. And so maybe. Yeah, that doesn't sound like it's.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. Sometimes if you're overly helpful and your. Your entire livelihood is let's help and need help and need help and need sometimes to. To the detriment and a three year clock on someone who maybe is in need. It won't take care of the property. Yeah, you have a good point.

[Krista Dibiaz]

You could get a. I'm being maybe

[Clark Howard]

too optimistic about that person And Krista said.

[Wes Moss]

What she just said was you could hire a property manager. You do that then they're going to have to be the bad guy. Let's say this friend in need just

[Clark Howard]

stops paying or get another renter. But the property management company can do that.

[Wes Moss]

That is an alternative. That would. I think you're right Krista, that that would be the compromise but I had every alarm bell going off in my head at once.

[Krista Dibiaz]

When you were reading get a property manager and you rent it for market rent to make up for that. And if this person's in need it would give you some money to help them out in some way or whatever

[Clark Howard]

or, or just see how it goes for a year. I mean come back to America, see how the place is. If it's below expectations, then you put it on the market. Okay, that's a wishy washy answer. Clark.

[Krista Dibiaz]

One more mortgage Related From David in South Carolina. My wife and I are very blessed to have purchased our first home in 2021 and locked in a 2.75% oh, congratulations. Being debt free is an important goal for us. So from the time we purchased our home, we've been investing in small but consistent amount of money each month into the stock market. Eventually we'll sell these stocks and use the funds to pay off our mortgage. Since the expected rate of return for the stock market is higher than 2.75%, my conservative estimate is that we'll have enough in stocks to pay off our mortgage in a decade and a half, which is 10 years earlier than our 30 year mortgage schedule. As info, my wife and I are in our 30s, our mortgage does not have a penalty for paying it off early, and our investments are a mix of VT and VTI funds. My question relates to when the day finally arrives that we have enough stocks to pay off our mortgage. And since we'll be drawing a large sum of money out of the stock market at once, are there any tax implications I should be aware of? I know that long term gains are taxed differently than short term gains, so should we wait a year after we purchase the last stock to sell it in order for it to be counted as a long term gain? Are there any other things I should watch out for? Thanks so much.

[Clark Howard]

You want to short term anything in my opinion. I don't usually like to say the word never, but you if you're going to sell at anything that's in a non IRA account, which again you don't want to pay off your mortgage. You do not want to pay off your mortgage with your retirement account money because that's ordinary income. The most favorable rate we have in America is long term capital gain and it can be 0% depending on your income it can be 15% and you've got to be a super high earner for it to be 20%. So it's going to be anywhere from 0 to 15 when you make those sales into the future. Yes, the last few purchases we're talking about a bucket of money. That's a 1015 year bucket of money. I wouldn't be worried about the last year's worth of contributions because 95% of that should all be long term capital gains. So just watch your long term capital gain bracket where you get that extra 3.8% the net investment income tax I think that's over 250 grand in income. So just be careful about that. But this is a tax management income management situation to keep yourself in the long term capital gain bracket that you'll be able to finish off the rest of that mortgage.

[Wes Moss]

And my perspective is actually crazy. I would say you'd be crazy as a fox to just keep putting the money in stocks like you are for the long term and not pay off that mortgage in 10 or 15 years. Because the carry cost of that mortgage at 2.75%, your balance is steadily going down as you move more years into it. More is going to principal than interest. But because you're at 2.75%, most of what you're paying every month compared to somebody in a normal interest rate is going to interest, not principal. You're not in that situation at 2.75. So I would not. As much as psychologically, it's phenomenal to own your home free and clear in your circumstance, you have below market cost money lower than what you can earn on a simple savings account.

[Clark Howard]

Right. Even a savings account is more than.

[Wes Moss]

So I would say your question, technically you know, everything you said, obviously you know about not having to worry about the long term capital gains, but I would look at the long term efficient advantage for financial independence in your life is to keep that mortgage in place and keep investing in the market like you are. And then eventually you have a lot of money that has a favorable tax rate when you start selling things and you're paying off the home at such low cost money that it's worth it to leave that mortgage in place.

[Clark Howard]

And there's going to be a huge amount of it paid down by the time he's 40 as well.

[Wes Moss]

Right.

[Clark Howard]

So. And then you've got even more optionality.

[Krista Dibiaz]

All right, we're going to go to Paul in District of Columbia. Paul says I'm having an existential Crisis. Target date versus DIY. I currently have all of my $1.2 million in retirement savings rollover IRA, Roth IRA and Roth 457B in the Vanguard 2045 Target Date Fund. I'm debating exchanging all of it for VTI. And then in seven years when I'm 55, manually adding bonds and increasing the bond allocation every year. I'd like to retire in 12 years at age 60. It seems like this DIY approach would maximize growth, which is what I'd like to do. I do have the discipline to manually rebalance every year, so that is not of concern to me. I also have a Relatively high risk tolerance, at least for now, at age 48 and an uncanny ability to ignore the headlines and stay the course. What do you think? Is DIY a good idea or should I stick with what I know, the Target Date Fund?

[Wes Moss]

Well, you know, I look straight at you because it's investment allocation. It's, it's in your blood.

[Clark Howard]

It's funny, we were just talking about total stock market today and we had a discussion about how weighted that is to one thing and it's all weighted to tech. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, a target date fund is a 7 or 8. To me it's good. It's not like the best thing to do, but it's pretty darn good. Especially if you, if you have a low cost version and a 2045 fund, I'd have to look it up, but I would think that 70, 80% of that is in equities. It's probably, yeah, you could probably figure it out.

[Wes Moss]

Look it up.

[Clark Howard]

Here's my guess is 24, 25. It's probably 78% in stocks and most of that is us. There's a little bit of international and a little bit of small cap. That's my guess. So that may be a little bit Conservative for a 48 year old and I get it. But I go back to wanting a little bit more diversification outside of a total stock market that's going to still be weighted heavily too.

[Wes Moss]

So it's 90% stock.

[Clark Howard]

Okay.

[Wes Moss]

It's 25 years out from retirement, so it's already starting in 2020. It's goes on a gradual glide path.

[Clark Howard]

So where is it today, this year? You know, it started at 95.

[Wes Moss]

AI didn't answer that for me. Oh, you keep talking. I'll look.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, the, the Vanguard page will show it, but it's. Yeah, you're probably 80% in equities, which is probably enough. But you also said, Paul, that you are behaviorally, you have a high risk tolerance and you're immutable when it comes to rebalancing. So you could do this yourself. I think that what's one step better on the continuum? If you're going to really do it, why not have your own three or four different stock ETFs that make up your 80% or whatever it might be and then the rest would be bond that you control yourself. How we doing?

[Wes Moss]

All right, so it's 81% stocks, 18% bonds, 6% short term reserves and the stock portfolio. The overall is essentially 50 total stock market, 33% international stock market. And then the bonds are 13% U.S. total bond market and 5% international. And that rounded some. If you're doing math on me, and it didn't quite add to a hundred percent, just a couple over, a couple under. That's because to make it easier for people to hear, Instead of doing 38.3, you know, it's round. Yeah, you got to.

[Clark Howard]

I think that what you're essentially doing here, Paul, by doing this is you're getting more undiversified. If you just say, I'm just going to put it all in vti, you're just. And then eventually start adding in some of these areas. Remember the, the Target Date Fund, Clark? Like you said, it has international equities. So it's got some more diversification. It's not hard for you to do that on your own if you're a disciplined investor. So if you're going to make a switch. I don't know if I'd get less diversified than the Target Date Fund. And when I say less diversified, I mean you're just going to go to one US stock fund versus having us some international. I think there's a real place for small companies in mid cap for a percentage that the S and P doesn't do a good job of doing. So I think you can do it. I just wouldn't take it over and get less diversified. That's my.

[Wes Moss]

So if you said the Target retirement fund is 70% of the way there, or 80, whatever you said before, you're

[Clark Howard]

80, it's what, 81.

[Wes Moss]

No, I mean in terms of how you feel about it.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Wes Moss]

What he's thinking of doing, you would put below that because of the lack of diversification.

[Clark Howard]

It would.

[Wes Moss]

Okay, so revote Target Retirement Fund 2045 from the greatest company ever in the history of the investment world, Vanguard.

[Clark Howard]

Yes.

[Krista Dibiaz]

This has been super fun. Thank you, Clark, for joining us. It's like hanging out with my two brothers all at once. And it's been really fun hearing you guys go back and put it on.

[Wes Moss]

Who's the fun brother? Who's the Disney brother?

[Krista Dibiaz]

You're both the best.

[Clark Howard]

The Disney brother. That's probably Clark.

[Krista Dibiaz]

I would say if I was going out to lunch, it might have to be west because he'd probably pick a restaurant that didn't dip in my meal. In a paper bag with a staple. Just kidding. Both of you.

[Wes Moss]

Is there anything else other than a meal in a paper bag or the staple? Think about it. The only smart restaurants to go to are ones that have menu boards that you look up at and you order at a terminal or from a person because that's efficient. You love these fancy places you go to west and that Krista wants to go to. Think of all the additional overhead. It's like going to a mall instead of going to a discount store. Because I no wonder you love New

[Clark Howard]

York City so much. Because I bet because there's so many of those little quick bodegas where you're boom, in, out, you probably do. You like those little

[Wes Moss]

bodega person lane does that more. But I mean, the restaurant choices are just bonkers. Okay, so I have a tip for you. If you're going to New York as a tourist, do not eat in the tourist areas. Go into a more locals neighborhood. Even if your whole trip is in Manhattan, there are locals neighborhoods all over. Small tend to be family owned restaurants. A lot of them look like hole in the walls, but they're good food. What I look for is a restaurant where a regular comes in and the owner comes up and is giving them a hug and giving a piece of candy to one of their kids. I mean, that's what you want. You go to the tourist areas.

[Clark Howard]

Nah, couldn't agree more.

[Wes Moss]

I love sounding like a New Yorker.

[Clark Howard]

Oh my goodness.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Wow.

[Wes Moss]

You're a native New Yorker, Chris.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Not New York City, though. I'm from a small town upstate.

[Wes Moss]

I am 61 miles from the city.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Right. But still there's people who live in New York. There's New York City and then there's everything else is upstate. Well, if you have a question for brother number one, Clark Howard, you can go to clark.com ask. And if you have a question for brother number two, Wes Moss, you can go to wesmoss.com ask. How's that?

[Clark Howard]

Sounds good.

[Wes Moss]

Hey, by the way, I have an annex for us to add to this.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Go ahead.

[Wes Moss]

And you don't have to air it if you don't want to.

[Krista Dibiaz]

Of course I will. It's the Clark Howard show still.

[Wes Moss]

No, no, no, no.

[Clark Howard]

It is the Clark Howard show.

[Wes Moss]

What are your things? When you hit me with a pop quiz, what are your core pursuits? What are the five?

[Clark Howard]

It's weirdly hard to think of them on the fly. I don't know.

[Wes Moss]

Look, he did it to me.

[Clark Howard]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. All right, so let's get a good. I'm going to do this in 30 seconds or less. So I've got four boys still. So I'm in a coaching phase. So one is coaching, right? That's. I coach a Lacrosse team. Okay. Two is golf and that's golf for me and actually golf with my kids. But I like, I like to do both are separate. Three, let's just call it dad band. I play piano and keyboard, so dad band is number three. Four would be snowboarding. Snowboarding is my, I love doing that so much in the world. And five would be, five would be boat. I go up to the lake in Michigan in the summer and I love doing that. But that's not a year round thing, so I can't count it as a full thing. And paddle, paddle boarding. And I could say pickle too, because I've been in a pickleball league this year, which I've had a lot of fun.

[Wes Moss]

So in other words, you're a frustrated would be professional athlete.

[Clark Howard]

Right.

[Wes Moss]

I mean, look at this coach. Golf, snowboarding, boating, paddleboarding, pickleball.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, yeah. And then I could put.

[Wes Moss]

Wow.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. Travel's not on the list because it's, it's all you.

[Wes Moss]

You look at me like I'm crazy about travel. You, you don't have any joy.

[Clark Howard]

I like travel at all either. And this is why some people like to go rent in the summer and go to different places. And I totally get that. I, I, you cannot argue with that. I, because I'm such a believer in community, I didn't want to rent in different places. I wanted a town. I wanted to feel like it was my, my actual town. So that's why I decided on one place when I go away. So I like to just go to one or two places. It's not that I won't go on a golf trip, but I like a town because I feel like a town is a community.

[Wes Moss]

So for our Michigan viewers and listeners.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Wes Moss]

Are you a up guy or an LP guy?

[Clark Howard]

I'm just below the upper, I'm like 45 minutes below the tip of the glove Petoskey.

[Wes Moss]

And do you know what gift you can bring me back from.

[Clark Howard]

I'll bring you a Petoskey stone.

[Wes Moss]

No, I want you to bring me some fudge.

[Clark Howard]

There are fudge?

[Wes Moss]

Yeah.

[Clark Howard]

You imagine what that's going to be like. I have to ship it to you on like ice because it'll just melt. By the way that you bring up. There's a tiny little airport up there Delta flies into. It's called Pelston. It's literally a one gate. There's one gate and there's tiny little security and there's never any more than like 10 people. The security lady, the last time I was there, she goes do you have any firearms? Do you have any lithium batteries? Do you have any fudge? That is her question to every single person that goes. I thought it was a joke. And then she said it again. Firearms, lithium batteries, weapons, fudge.

[Wes Moss]

How about that? I guess, because it looks like it could.

[Clark Howard]

Because a lot of people fly into that airport that are going to or coming back from Mackinaw island, which is the place with no cars, only horse and buggy, and lots of fudge shops,

[Wes Moss]

supposedly the best fudge in America.

[Clark Howard]

Fudge is fudge.

[Wes Moss]

No, it's not.

[Clark Howard]

I. I could not a fudge guy

[Krista Dibiaz]

tell what's apples or apples. Then you got some fighting words.

[Wes Moss]

No. Okay. Have you.

[Clark Howard]

By the way, I just put on grilling.

[Wes Moss]

Have you tried a Cosmic Crisp apple? Of course.

[Clark Howard]

I've rated it.

[Wes Moss]

They are so good. Do you like that better or Honey Crisp?

[Clark Howard]

Cosmic is better.

[Wes Moss]

You know why I buy Cosmic? Because it's usually $0.10 less a pound.

[Clark Howard]

That's one of those designer apples. I can't believe you like one of those. I cannot believe Clark Howard likes the most expensive.

[Wes Moss]

They are suffocated

[Clark Howard]

apple on the entire market. All right, here's. I did this two years ago. The Cosmic Chris. I gave it. I gave it an 83 taste. Crispness.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah.

[Clark Howard]

Beauty is a 9. Branding is a 10. It's a designer apple. I give it a solid B.

[Wes Moss]

How do you compare that to honeycrisp, which is the hot apple in the market?

[Clark Howard]

Look at that apple. I gave a Honeycrisp also at 82.83. Oh, look at that. I mean, I have a whole blog.

[Wes Moss]

They're like. They're like siblings. Honey Crisp and the Crimson Crisp.

[Clark Howard]

I gave a 90. This is the world's best apple right here.

[Wes Moss]

Look at that app.

[Clark Howard]

It's a 98. A plus the near perfect apple.

[Wes Moss]

Okay. They have those at TJ's, so I will. I'll try it in season.

[Clark Howard]

If you can get a Pink lady, that's the apple.

[Wes Moss]

You ever tried that one?

[Krista Dibiaz]

Pink Lady? Yes, I have.

[Wes Moss]

Is he right? That's like, they're good. Better than my Honey Crisp or Cosmic Crisp.

[Krista Dibiaz]

I think they're good. That's actually my daughter's favorite apple.

[Clark Howard]

Well, we'll do an apple taste test.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah. So that's where our circles meet. You know, it's like me with lane with MasterCard circles. The fudge thing you're not into, but we both. I think apples are just such a phenomenal category.

[Clark Howard]

Steak fudge apples. Wes and Clark Venn diagram.

[Krista Dibiaz]

All right. We gotta go. Our cameras are literally almost full. So we gotta thank you so much, guys.

[Wes Moss]

Yeah. And what it calls costs for our camera operator. You know, we're about to go on overtime for Grace. So we got.

[Krista Dibiaz]

We're going to be back with a fresh Clark episode and we'll be back with another Ask an Advisor a week from today. Thanks for tuning in.

[Clark Howard]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with

[Wes Moss]

a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good

[Clark Howard]

in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month.

[Wes Moss]

Of course, if you enjoy overpaying.

[Krista Dibiaz]

No judgments.

[Wes Moss]

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

[Krista Dibiaz]

Give it a try. @mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for

[Wes Moss]

3 month plan equivalent to $15 per

[Krista Dibiaz]

month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.

[Clark Howard]

See full [e-mail] do you find it hard to sleep at night? Then the SleepGove podcast can help you.

[Wes Moss]

Hi, I'm Christopher Fitton, the voice and

[Clark Howard]

clinical hypnotherapist behind Sleep Cove.

[Wes Moss]

Sleep Cove features sleep hypnosis, meditations and bedtime stories, all designed to help those of you who struggle at night to achieve a restful and peaceful night's sleep.

[Clark Howard]

Search for SleepGove on Apple Podcasts or

[Wes Moss]

Spotify and see why Sleep Cove helps millions of people. Most people sleep deeply all night long.