
Update: Series I Savings Bonds / A Warning About Fidelity
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Ryan Reynolds
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Clark Howard
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Ryan Reynolds
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Clark Howard
Thanks for joining us here on the call. Clark Howard Show. You know, our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you so you make better financial decisions in your life. And if you have a moment today, I hope you'll take that moment to look@clarkschristmaskids.com it's where we take care of the Christmas wishes of children and foster care and whatever you're in a position to donate. Please help out these children. Let them know after they've been let down by the adults in their lives that an absolute stranger cares about them, loves them. Again, It's Clark's Christmas Kids.com so I can't even begin to tell you about how many people are contacting us with questions posed for the podcast and the YouTube show and people contacting us at the Team Clark Consumer Action center totally befuddled about I bonds. And I've got some new important advice on the I bonds you may have bought when the rates were really high a few years ago. And then I've got to do a follow up about Fidelity because we've had some questions recently from listeners and viewers about how I could make Fidelity one of my three favorite children when Fidelity as a child is showing some misbehavior. I'll tell you what I mean later in this podcast. So Series I savings bonds were hot, hot, hot during the hot inflationary cycle we had from the supply chain disruptions in the COVID cycle. With gosh, the rate people were earning on Series I for inflation back during the peak of the inflationary cycle was just under 10%. People were buying the I bonds at such a fast rate that the computer System of the U.S. department of the treasury crashed, I think on more than one occasion because people were clamoring to keep up with inflation. That for many people, except people who were alive back in the 70s, was unprecedented in your lifetime. And so these Series I savings bonds were a safe place to go. And the rate on Series I savings bonds resets every six months. So the rate has just gone down, down, down, down, as inflation has trended steadily down and is now generally back in the twos. So the Series I rate again resetting every six months for people who bought them when the rates were so very high on the I bonds now are earning 1.91% on those 1.91. So think about it. Just two, two and a half years ago, people were earning almost 10%. And now that is 1.9% where you can put money in a simple savings account with online banks that are paying the best rates around 5 or so percent. So the series I savings bond that was such a great thing has become a dud. But let me tell you, this is where you gotta hang with me. Because Series I savings bonds come with two interest rates, one a base rate just for breathing. And that on new Series I bonds is 1.2%. So you get 1.2% for as long as you own the I bonds plus the rate of inflation. So you're always running ahead of inflation with a newly purchased I bond where those older ones, when those were sold, you got no bonus. You only got the inflation rate because the demand was virtually unlimited. So there was no reason for the treasury to give you bonus money. So if you have those old Series I bonds, you need to dump them. You're going to forfeit 90 days of interest, but that interest now is pitiful, 1.9%. So you dump out of those, forfeiting the last 90 days of interest, and then you're a free agent. If you love owning I bonds, you can actually exchange your old ones, four new ones. If you go to savings bonds.gov it will take you to the link that will explain how you do the the exchange. And then you take ones earning zero bonus to ones that will earn 1.2% plus the rate of inflation again resetting every six months. So if inflation rises again for whatever reason, you are getting that higher inflation money, plus you're getting the 1.2% it is worth the forfeit of 90 days of interest to exit either into new ones or follow the money. And the money right now says you're better off. And these online Banks. You can see a list of some of the best rates out there in the country@clark.com there are many lists out there if you don't like hours. But you can find these rates again around five is the magic number you're looking for right now for your money to be earning a lot more than you're earning on something that I encourage you to buy a few years ago and now I'm telling you you want to dump them. I mean, it's like, why the inconsistent message? Because the market conditions changed.
Unknown
Chase the money. All right. Dennis in California says, I know Clark usually does not like piece of garbage debit cards in quotes.
Clark Howard
Piece of trash is what I say.
Unknown
What are his thoughts on the new PayPal debit card that provides a 5% rebate on selected purchase categories?
Clark Howard
Okay. As long as you understand the risk with a debit card and your chill with that, you can do it. So with a PayPal link debit card, the only money at risk is the money you have available in your account. Debit cards tied into a checking account that you pay your mortgage from or car payment or rent, big expenses and your payroll goes into it and stuff like that. That's playing with dynamite because you have so much money at risk. If the debit card is paying these on these select categories and you're disciplined and you only use the card for those categories and you're comfortable again with the fact that if somebody gets your number and uses it, your money disappears and you have to fight with PayPal to get your own money back. The advantage of credit cards is there's only a charge there. No money of yours has left the building. Your money is still there. So that's why I call them a piece of trash. Because the debit card is so anti consumer in this case. If you go in eyes wide open and you protect yourself by not having too much money at risk in the account, I think it's great.
Unknown
Norman in Georgia says, what Garmin device does Clark wear to detect a fall? There are many on the market, so.
Clark Howard
My Garmin device does not. All right, so those of you on the YouTube show will see there's something really wrong.
Unknown
We get a lot of questions about the number.
Clark Howard
I wear two watches. Two watches and an over. Not really a watch, although it does tell time, I think. Yeah. So this is my Garmin fitness tracker and I've been in the Garmin orbit for 15 years and I'm obsessed with fitness. And even though I'm far from an athlete, I'm obsessed with fitness. And Garmin, in my opinion, is the best at it.
Unknown
And what's that model?
Clark Howard
I have no idea.
Unknown
The cheapest one you could get.
Clark Howard
It was on sale and it just.
Unknown
Does the thing that doesn't detect falls.
Clark Howard
And today it's very unhappy with my step count.
Unknown
Okay.
Clark Howard
And it only has my goal today, 16,380 steps.
Unknown
Wow. Slacker. You're really slacker.
Clark Howard
I try to be 18,000 a day. The other eyewear is the latest Samsung watch. That's the seven I think is the number they're on. This one does fall detection. And when we were moving recently and packing boxes and carrying boxes, it kept thinking I was falling, and it kept asking if I wanted it to call 9. It was going to call 911, tell them where I was, and I had to cancel it out and hope that sirens weren't suddenly heard in the distance. So there are a number of devices that do it now, but if Garmin's into that, I plead ignorance. I didn't even know that they were. Samsung does it for me.
Unknown
Does it.
Clark Howard
And it. It's very sensitive to thinking that I've had a fall.
Unknown
And the Apple watches do that.
Clark Howard
Apple watches were, I guess, the pioneers in doing that.
Unknown
All right. Big Howie in Iowa wrote in and said, hi, baby. Clark. I only have time to regularly read one financial publication. What do you recommend? The Wall Street Journal. Thanks. From the heartland.
Clark Howard
Okay, so, gosh, this one.
Ryan Reynolds
Brutal.
Clark Howard
Yeah.
Unknown
You can only pick brutal. I know what you would say. I think I know what you would say. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm wrong. I think that you would say the Financial Times.
Clark Howard
Yeah, that is absolutely right. Yeah. The Financial Times is my most important read. Comes out six days a week, doesn't waste much of its efforts, like the Wall Street Journal has become kind of a lifestyle publication as well as finance. And so a lot of those lifestyle stories are fun, but I really am not interested in what the greatest new look is in men's suits. I mean, I obviously don't care about fashion at all. But the Financial Times is what the Wall Street Journal used to be. It's just so in the weeds about finance. Do a trial if you find that it's so Dolesville for you and puts you to sleep. I would say if you're interested in finance. You said financial publication. I would say the Wall Street Journal sister publication would be the better choice. If you're interested in finance principally, that would be Barron's magazine that does both daily updates and then a weekly magazine. Not getting the physical one just the online, the digital, and I put the Wall Street Journal in third place. It's not as good a newspaper as it used to be.
Unknown
Oh, and the inside the reason the Big Howie called you Baby Clark is because we talked about it before on the podcast that your family all calls you Baby Clark because you're the youngest.
Clark Howard
Yeah, I can live to 110 and my family will still be calling me Baby Clark.
Unknown
Baby Clark. Clark. Clark. Clark. You know the Baby Shark song?
Clark Howard
I don't.
Unknown
I hear it in my head whenever you say Baby Clark. Okay.
Clark Howard
I was an unexpected child. Now am much younger than my siblings, so thus the Baby Clark moniker. Would you call that a mon.
Unknown
Yes, it's a moniker. Nickname, Moniker.
Clark Howard
Okay, coming up ahead, I want to talk about one of my three favorite children, Fidelity Investments, that has been getting some bad publicity lately and generated some questions from listeners and viewers about whether Fidelity should should be kicked out of my Favorite Kids list. And we'll talk about that straight ahead.
Unknown
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Clark Howard
So I have three kids and I love my three children. They all have, let's call them quirks. Each of them have things that are like, huh, we're human beings, right? And we all are going to have things that we wish that someone we love did better or whatever. So I'm going to go from that to talking about my figurative three favorite children in the investment world, which are Vanguard, Schwab and Fidelity. With each of my three favorite children, from time to time I've talked about things they've done that I think are classless and wrong. So it's all part of being unbought and unbossed. You know, I'm going to say what I feel regardless. Just like being the man from Costco. If Costco does something I don't think is right, I'm going to call him out on it. It's just what you got to do. You got, you know, the good and the bad go together. So let's take first Vanguard, one of my three favorites. Vanguard really has done so much for the American people over its existence. It's unreal popularizing investing beyond the nation's rich where Vanguard made investing accessible to all of us. So Vanguard I've been really sore at for a number of years because they have become expert at customer no service. And the complaints about Vanguard not having their customer service act together, not having technology that's up to date to service customers and for customers to do self service with app and online. I mean it's just, it's, it's not a secret. This is Vanguard's achilles Heel. And then Schwab. I was all over Schwab about what they were doing when interest rates and inflation were really high, that they were cheating their customers by putting their idle cash in an ultra low savings rate automatically. And you manually would have to go in and earn 15 times the interest by manually moving your money into a Schwab money market fund that was earning 15 times what the default was today. I think it's 10 times. And that was just wrong. Just wrong. So even your favorite children have flaws. Now let's move to Fidelity. So we've had a number of complaints from people about Fidelity doing things, wearing two hats, being a fiduciary, and then not being a fiduciary and potentially misleading customers into crummy products because there was more money in it for Fidelity. Well, Barron's magazine that I talked about a little while ago is a publication that is one of my must reads every single day. I've been reading for a good while about the stuff going on with Fidelity with pushing their employees to put people in garbage that paid high commissions. Barron's has a story just in the last week about a longtime Fidelity employee who was with fidelity, I think, 24 years, who fidelity fired because the person became a whistleblower, calling Fidelity out for purposely putting people in inferior investments because they generated higher income for Fidelity and that the employees were pressured, forced, if you will, to put people in junk instead of better stuff. So how do I resolve in my mind that Fidelity is a favorite child? This is one that is tougher than the other two because this one really, really has bothered me for a while when we started hearing about it from listeners and viewers talking about stuff they were being put in. And then this case ended up settling with a NDA non disclosure agreement. So we don't know exactly how it all played out because nobody's talking. But Fidelity played so dirty with this employee, this person who had a perfect work history for 24 years, suddenly they said they were garbage and posted bad stuff about them on Broker Check. I assume that has been removed now. And by the way, Fidelity, as I've said with any company that I pick on, it's free to have somebody come on the podcast with me and rebut what I'm saying. Fidelity should not be playing both sides of the street. They shouldn't be behaving like the dirty, dealing at full commission stockbrokers at the same time. They're also wearing a hat as a good guy. And Fidelity does a lot of fantastic things. I mean, think about the innovations of the Fidelity Zero Funds that I love, that a young person can come in and put $1 in. By Young, I mean a teenager. Open an account with a dollar, invest commission free and fee free. Anybody of any age can do the Fidelity Zero funds, which are a variety of index funds that are great to put their money in. Fidelity has a wide variety of great products for money management, the equivalent of checking accounts, all these things. But this is something you got to know. You need to know that if you invest through Fidelity and you're dealing with a Fidelity salesperson who is recommending something you need in writing from them, that they are operating at that moment as a fiduciary. In writing. If they are operating as a fiduciary at that moment, they can't put you in the garbage, they can't cheat you, putting you in high cost trash. They have to treat you right. If they are a fiduciary, if they say, oh, well, in this I'm not in a fiduciary capacity, you're done listening, you're done talking to them and you don't buy the stuff. And again, if Fidelity wants somebody to come on the air and say, why this isn't garbage, why this isn't a terrible practice on Fidelity's part, I'm happy to have you come on and give your say.
Unknown
Okay, this came in from Zach in Pennsylvania. I'm 18 and a full time college student. I don't know much about investing and unfortunately my parents don't know much either. But I've been listening to your podcast recently and would like to get your advice, please. I have about $2,000 that I would like to invest long term with the intention of adding to it over time. And though it may only be minimum in the short term, what are my best options?
Clark Howard
Okay, first of all, Zach, $2,000 at 18 that you're willing to commit for long term shows incredible discipline on your part and maturity. This is fantastic. And so you say you're a full time college student and I don't know if you are working part time, but if you are working part time and you have earnings in 24 that exceed the $2,000, what I would want you to do is open a Roth ira. Roth IRA allows that money to grow tax free through the years and ultimately later in life you spend it tax free. When you're under current rules, that will change 40 years from now. But right now you would be able to spend the money tax free once you turn 59 and a half. But again, 40 years from now, who knows what those rules would be. But having the ability to grow money tax free and spend it tax free is such a wonderful thing that that would be priority number one. And you could do that with any of my three favorite children that I just talked about. If you're Roth eligible, I would want you to go into the Target retirement fund. 2070. 2070. I think everybody's got a 2070 now. And what that is designed for is specifically for retirement accounts where the mix of money changes over the decades to match the risk level you should be doing. Where right now it'd be nearly 100% and widely diversified stock type choices. Which brings me to the second alternative. If this is not money from work, you would do an investment account. And let's talk about the Fidelity company. I was just picking on with Fidelity as a teen. It would be awesome for you to open an investment account and put the money in the Fidelity Zero. I don't remember if they call it Broad Market Zero Fund or Total Stock Market Zero Fund. I would just throw the 2000 right in that. And you could add to it over time. What a Total Stock Market index fund does is it owns little pieces of most every publicly traded company in the United States. So you're basically hitching a ride on the future growth of the American economy and American capitalism.
Unknown
All right. And Chris and Georgia says, I love this show. I'm a longtime listener. Thank you for all of your help over the years. My wife and I are 44 years old and we took your advice on the 15 year mortgage. We refinanced when rates were low and now have a 2.75% interest rate and only 10 years to go before the home is paid off.
Clark Howard
Isn't that fantastic?
Unknown
Thank you, Clark. I wanted to ask you about a letter I recently received from my HOA management company. They're claiming that I must sign an affidavit of occupancy. And if I don't sign, they will notify the board of directors of the hoa. I'm nervous signing anything sounding as serious as an affidavit. Could doing so have any financial implications, positive or negative, if at some point I decide to sell the home? Or can the HOA prevent me from having access to the amenities, tennis courts and pool as they change the access code yearly to prevent those who haven't paid dues from accessing? Is this truly a requirement?
Clark Howard
Yeah. So this is a thing now, Chris. And it started in the south and the West Southwest, really, where people are being in mandatory homeowners Associations, not in condo associations, but in homeowners associations are having to do these affidavits of occupancy. What they're trying to do is a lot of associations have rules that limit the number of rentals permitted in the community. So you have to. And this is a legal document. You were swearing to something that you could get in trouble later with the law. I don't know if it's committing a civil act or a crime. Not smart enough, not a lawyer. But this is so they have track of who's in a place, are there tenants, is this owner occupied? So the only danger is if you are lying, if you are an owner occupant of your property, it is a legal demand that is considered to be reasonable and proper. As best I know in any state that this has ever come up and you fill it out, you attest to or whatever it says and you're good to go for at least the next year or five years or however long it is between when they want these affidavits done.
Unknown
Caroline in Florida says what and where in your opinion is the best place to get a hearing aid for the value? Who would you recommend if it was for your mom?
Clark Howard
So, Caroline, I've got a change in my answer on this and that is I am so excited for people who have iPhones and what Apple has done with the AirPod 2 Pros, Pro 2s, whichever way you say it, that are FDA certified as hearing aids for minor to moderate hearing loss. I don't know where your mom is on the spectrum of hearing loss. If it's significant hearing loss, it would be a great idea to have her hearing checked by an audiologist. And Costco now they have the largest share of hearing aids sold in the United States far and away. And for traditional hearing aids, their prices are generally one fourth of what the traditional industry price has been. So the test here at Costco is free. If the hearing loss is found to be mild or moderate, you could start. If your mom's an iPhone user, you could have her start with the AirPod twos. And the improvement in quality of life is so significant. I think the reason I'm so excited about the Apple thing is they're following Bose. Bose did this years ago, but never established mindshare with people that Apple can because of its installed base in the United States. And so many people of all ages wear those funny looking things coming out of their ears that nobody even looks twice at it. And it is an actual real hearing aid that can make life so much better, particularly in a situation where there's a lot of ambient noise around where you are. But I wouldn't. Unless you know it's very mild. I wouldn't start with those till you've had a hearing test. And again, I'm a strong believer in Costco being the best place in America to have your hearing checked out. We have a guide@clark.com on the best places to buy hearing aids in addition to Costco, because maybe you don't like Costco, maybe you've had a bad experience there. We have other places we've reviewed as well that you can check out to see if this is something you should be doing and where you want to go down that path. So thank you so much for joining us today. We're all about you. We're all about you learning ways to save more and spend less and avoid getting ripped off. I love what we do with our daily newsletters. We have the Clark newsletter, the Clark Deals newsletter, and these newsletters free make it really easy to subscribe. You find that you don't enjoy them like I think you will. We make it just as easy for you to dump those subscriptions. You go to clark.com newsletter or newsletters. And tomorrow, my favorite podcast of the week, Clark Stinks. See you then.
The Clark Howard Podcast – Episode Summary (12.05.24)
Episode Title: Update: Series I Savings Bonds / A Warning About Fidelity
Host: Clark Howard
Release Date: December 5, 2024
In this episode, Clark Howard delves into two primary topics: the current status and future of Series I Savings Bonds and concerns surrounding Fidelity Investments' recent practices. Additionally, Clark addresses several listener questions, providing actionable financial advice.
Understanding the Decline in Returns
At the onset of the discussion (01:00), Clark highlights the significant drop in returns for Series I Savings Bonds, which were once highly sought after during the peak inflationary period.
High Demand and Initial Success:
"Series I savings bonds were hot, hot, hot during the hot inflationary cycle we had from the supply chain disruptions in the COVID cycle." (01:00)
Current Low Returns:
"The Series I rate has just gone down, down, down, down, as inflation has trended steadily down and is now generally back in the twos. So the Series I rate again resetting every six months for people who bought them when the rates were so very high on the I bonds now are earning 1.91%." (03:25)
Comparison with Online Savings Accounts:
"You can put money in a simple savings account with online banks that are paying the best rates around 5 or so percent." (04:00)
Recommendations for Bond Holders
Clark advises bondholders to reassess their investments:
Dumping Old Bonds:
"If you have those old Series I bonds, you need to dump them. You're going to forfeit 90 days of interest, but that interest now is pitiful, 1.9%." (05:10)
Exchange for New Bonds:
"You can actually exchange your old ones, four new ones. If you go to savingsbonds.gov it will take you to the link that will explain how you do the exchange." (05:45)
Future-Proofing Investments:
"With newly purchased I bonds where those older ones, when those were sold, you got no bonus... So if inflation rises again for whatever reason, you are getting that higher inflation money, plus you're getting the 1.2%." (06:15)
Redirecting Investments
Clark emphasizes shifting investments to more favorable options, such as online savings accounts offering higher returns.
Fidelity's Dubious Practices
Clark shifts focus to Fidelity Investments, expressing concerns about their recent behavior:
Dual Roles and Misleading Practices:
"Fidelity doing things, wearing two hats, being a fiduciary, and then not being a fiduciary and potentially misleading customers into crummy products because there was more money in it for Fidelity." (16:13)
Whistleblower Incident:
"Barron's has a story just in the last week about a longtime Fidelity employee who was with fidelity, I think, 24 years, who fidelity fired because the person became a whistleblower, calling Fidelity out for purposely putting people in inferior investments because they generated higher income for Fidelity." (17:00)
Fidelity's Response to Criticism:
"Fidelity should not be playing both sides of the street. They shouldn't be behaving like the dirty, dealing at full commission stockbrokers at the same time." (18:45)
Balancing Fidelity's Offerings
Despite the criticisms, Clark acknowledges some of Fidelity's positive contributions:
Innovative Financial Products:
"Fidelity Zero Funds that I love, that a young person can come in and put $1 in. By Young, I mean a teenager. Open an account with a dollar, invest commission free and fee free." (19:30)
Fiduciary Responsibility:
"If you invest through Fidelity and you're dealing with a Fidelity salesperson who is recommending something you need in writing from them, that they are operating at that moment as a fiduciary." (21:00)
Final Takeaway
Clark urges listeners to remain vigilant and informed when dealing with Fidelity, ensuring that they are receiving honest and beneficial financial advice.
Question from Zach, Pennsylvania:
"I only have time to regularly read one financial publication. What do you recommend?"
Clark's Recommendation:
Clark suggests the Financial Times as his top choice due to its in-depth financial coverage:
He also mentions Barron's and The Wall Street Journal as alternatives, noting that the latter has evolved into a lifestyle publication.
Question from Zach, 18-year-old College Student:
"I have about $2,000 that I would like to invest long term with the intention of adding to it over time. What are my best options?"
Clark's Advice:
Open a Roth IRA:
"Roth IRA allows that money to grow tax free through the years and ultimately later in life you spend it tax free." (23:30)
Target Retirement Fund (2070):
"You could go into the Target retirement fund. 2070. What that is designed for is specifically for retirement accounts where the mix of money changes over the decades to match the risk level you should be doing." (24:15)
Fidelity Zero Funds:
"If this is not money from work, you would do an investment account... It would be awesome for you to open an investment account and put the money in the Fidelity Zero." (25:00)
Clark commends Zach's discipline and encourages consistent investing for long-term growth.
Question from Chris and Georgia:
"I received a letter from my HOA management company claiming I must sign an affidavit of occupancy. What are the implications?"
Clark's Response:
Purpose of the Affidavit:
"They have rules that limit the number of rentals permitted in the community. So you have to... Track of who's in a place, are there tenants, is this owner occupied." (26:30)
Legal Implications:
"This is a legal document... Swearing to something that you could get in trouble later with the law." (26:40)
Advice:
"If you are lying, if you are an owner occupant of your property, it is a legal demand that is considered to be reasonable and proper... you fill it out, you attest to or whatever it says and you're good to go." (27:10)
Clark assures that signing the affidavit is generally safe if the homeowner occupancy status is accurate.
Question from Caroline, Florida:
"What and where in your opinion is the best place to get a hearing aid for value?"
Clark's Recommendation:
Apple's AirPods as Hearing Aids:
"Apple AirPods... FDA certified as hearing aids for minor to moderate hearing loss... an actual real hearing aid that can make life so much better." (28:30)
Traditional Hearing Aids at Costco:
"Costco now they have the largest share of hearing aids sold in the United States far and away... their prices are generally one fourth of what the traditional industry price has been." (29:15)
Clark advises getting a professional hearing test and considering both modern tech solutions and traditional options based on the severity of hearing loss.
Clark Howard provides insightful updates on Series I Savings Bonds, cautioning investors about declining returns and advising strategic shifts to more profitable alternatives. He also raises serious concerns regarding Fidelity Investments' recent practices, urging consumers to stay informed and vigilant. Through addressing listener questions, Clark reinforces his commitment to empowering individuals to make informed financial decisions.
Notable Quotes:
"Series I savings bonds were hot, hot, hot during the hot inflationary cycle." – Clark Howard (01:00)
"If you have those old Series I bonds, you need to dump them. You're going to forfeit 90 days of interest, but that interest now is pitiful, 1.9%." – Clark Howard (05:10)
"Fidelity should not be playing both sides of the street. They shouldn't be behaving like the dirty, dealing at full commission stockbrokers at the same time." – Clark Howard (18:45)
"Roth IRA allows that money to grow tax free through the years and ultimately later in life you spend it tax free." – Clark Howard (23:30)
For more information and to listen to the full episode, visit Clark.com.