The Clark Howard Podcast: Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / For Christmas Procrastinators

Date: December 19, 2025
Host: Clark Howard
Episode Overview:
This episode is a two-parter. First, Clark responds to listener feedback during the “Clark Stinks” segment, addressing criticisms and alternate viewpoints on a wide range of personal finance topics—everything from cell phone plans to warehouse clubs, air travel, password managers, and college sports. In the second half, Clark shares timely advice for Christmas shopping procrastinators, offering strategies to avoid overspending in the final days before the holiday.

Main Themes

• Listener Critiques and Clark’s Responses: Clark reacts to audience feedback, offering clarifications, acknowledging his blind spots, and providing additional insight.
• Last-Minute Christmas Shopping Advice: Clark shares strategies for those who haven't finished their holiday shopping, including how to avoid impulse buys and when the best deals actually occur.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Clark’s Christmas Kids Initiative

• Clark and his team thank listeners for supporting the annual foster care gift drive.
  “[T]hank you so much. If you have been a long time generous donor, I'm so grateful to you. If this is the first year you do it, I'm so thankful to you.” (Clark, 01:46)
• All donated money goes directly to providing gifts for foster children—with minimal overhead beyond credit card fees.
  "There's no overhead siphoning off. The only fee we face is for Christmas credit card processing.” (Clark, 01:46)

2. “Clark Stinks” – Listener Feedback (02:43–22:50)

A. Scam Prevention Tips (03:15)

• A listener suggests that instead of a family code word, families should ask personal questions only their relatives could answer, such as a pet’s name.
• Clark agrees and highlights the rise of AI-powered voice scams and the importance of having a verification system in place.
• “[T]his thing of people impersonating family members, creating a sense of crisis and stealing money just goes on and on.” (Clark, 03:58)

B. Cell Phone Deals (05:01)

• Comment: Costco members can get better T-Mobile deals in-store, especially with military discounts and promotions.
• Clark’s Take: Great deals are still possible with major carriers—but they're harder to find as prices rise.
  “It's not impossible to get a good deal with brand name AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile. It's just gotten much tougher…” (Clark, 05:45)

C. The Not-So-Rosy Side of Air Travel (07:35)

• Listener Danny details the many downsides of modern air travel—expensive parking, overpriced airport food, rental car fees, rude passengers, and unaccountable airlines.
• Clark acknowledges these frustrations, sharing a humorous personal story about his laptop being knocked off by a reclined seat—twice.
• “...I still love it [travel]. But I'm so glad you did lay out that my...rose colored glasses are really not telling the whole story.” (Clark, 10:11)

D. Costco vs. BJ’s Warehouse Clubs (10:34)

• Amy in Virginia: Argues BJ’s offers lower prices and better coupon stacking—and their online shopping experience is superior to Costco’s.
• Clark admits that “They all have their own personalities,” showing a BJ’s receipt with substantial savings, but noting BJ’s lacks the bulk purchasing power of Costco or Sam’s Club.
• “You may be paying a little more, but...you're benefiting from BJ’s wholesale and that you can buy much more of what you want there overall.” (Clark, 12:59)

E. Password Manager Debate (14:22)

• Eric in California: Criticizes LastPass for past breaches, suggests switching to Bitwarden.
• Clark: Acknowledges LastPass’s breaches, but reiterates that password managers or the new technology “passkeys” remain much more secure than reusing passwords.
• “The best thing of all is passkeys…it's a thing that all the big tech companies are cooperating on that is far more secure than passwords, at least for now.” (Clark, 14:43)

F. Credit Card Rental Car Coverage (15:45)

• Listener question: Is the Fidelity Visa a good alternative to Chase Sapphire for car rental coverage?
• Clark: Fidelity’s is usually secondary coverage (easier to claim with Chase Sapphire); exceptions exist for international rentals.
• “As best I know it's secondary credit card...not primary...what makes the Chase Sapphire Reserve so valuable...” (Clark, 16:07)

G. Defending Short-Term Rentals (17:25)

• Lisa in North Carolina: Disagrees with Clark’s negative portrayal of Airbnb/VRBO.
• Clark: Acknowledges many do it right, but criticizes the platforms’ lack of renter protections when things go wrong:
  "Airbnb and VRBO have not done a good job of protecting the renters of these properties because they see their customer really as the property owners." (Clark, 18:27)

H. Paying College Athletes and System Fairness (19:29)

• Mark in Florida: Skeptical that salary caps could fix college athletics.
• Clark: Feels current NCAA system is broken—he jokes about wanting to become “emperor of college sports.”
• “The economics and the lack of system in college sports is harming the experience...” (Clark, 19:50)

I. Notable Quip - "Clark as Sleep Aid" (21:54)

• Jake in Ohio: Says the Clark Howard Podcast instantly puts his one-year-old to sleep, a family tradition of sorts.
• Clark laughs and embraces his “superpower”:
  "It is true. I am so dull that, I mean, it's not like a sleeping pill...I can put any baby or adult to sleep in just minutes." (Clark, 22:50)

3. Christmas Procrastinators: How to Shop Smart, Last-Minute (25:57–31:58)

A. Retailers’ Last-Minute Pricing Strategy (25:57)

• Alert: Prices are now at their highest for in-demand gifts; retailers exploit procrastinators.
• Clark’s Key Insight:
  • The hottest gifts are now at their most expensive.
  • Items that didn’t sell well (“unloved items”) will be discounted as retailers seek to clear inventory.
• "If something's in demand, it will be the highest price it will be of the season, even higher than it will be outside of the holiday period..." (Clark, 25:57)

B. What to Buy Last-Minute (28:19)

• Opt for quality items that simply didn’t meet retailers' sales forecasts—they can be “sweet spot” bargains.
• "I'm not talking about buying somebody something that is like, was so unloved, nobody would ever want it." (Clark, 28:13)

C. Pro Tip - Post-Christmas Shopping (29:19)

• Best bargains: Wait until early January (about the 5th onward), when stores are desperate to clear inventory and markdowns are deepest.
• Suggests (humorously) that the smartest families exchange gifts January 15th for the lowest prices.
• "The week between Christmas and New Year's...Don't do any returns then. Don't do any bargain shopping then, and don't use any of those gift cards till after the beginning of January." (Clark, 29:19)
• “The smartest family in the world would exchange gifts January 15th...you'll save the most money buying them.” (Clark, 29:19)

4. Quick Listener Questions

A. Is Venmo Safe for Big Gifts? (30:53)

• Clark: Venmo is safe on the recipient end, but set up a separate bank account for Venmo to protect yourself if your account is compromised.
• He remains anti-Zelle due to unresolved security concerns.
• “With Venmo and Cash App, I want you to set up a separate bank account at a place you don't normally bank or credit union…Big bad Zelle has so many structural problems.” (Clark, 31:02)

B. Costco Markups and Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals (31:58)

• Clark: Deep discounts are usually supported by manufacturers, not Costco lowering its markup below the 14% maximum.
• Price tags ending in .97 means Costco is selling below cost.

C. Maxing Out Roth IRAs—Is a Loan Worth It? (33:27)

• Clark: Don’t take a loan. You can make 2025 IRA contributions until April 15, 2026—no rush. If you need to, temporarily dip into your emergency fund, but avoid loans.
• "You borrow from the calendar is the way you're going to get that full contribution made for 25. But do it in 26." (Clark, 34:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Scam Prevention:
  “This thing of people impersonating family members, creating a sense of crisis and stealing money just goes on and on.” (Clark, 03:58)

• On Short-Term Rentals:
  "Airbnb and VRBO have not done a good job of protecting the renters of these properties because they see their customer really as the property owners." (Clark, 18:27)

• On Christmas Shopping:
  "The smartest family in the world would exchange gifts January 15th...and you'll save the most money buying them." (Clark, 29:19)

• On His “Superpower”:
  "I can put any baby or adult to sleep in just minutes." (Clark, 22:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Clark’s Christmas Kids and Mission: 00:50–02:34
• Clark Stinks Segment Begins: 02:43
• Scam Prevention Feedback: 03:15–05:01
• Cell Phone Plan Deals: 05:01–07:22
• Air Travel Reality Check: 07:35–10:11
• Bj's vs. Costco Debate: 10:34–14:22
• Password Manager Security: 14:22–15:45
• Credit Card Rental Car Coverage: 15:45–17:24
• Short-Term Rental Defense: 17:25–19:29
• College Sports / NIL Commentary: 19:29–21:17
• Listener Sleep Anecdote / Clark’s Dry Tone: 21:54–23:20
• Christmas Procrastinator Advice: 25:57–31:58
  • Peak prices and bargain-hunting: 25:57–29:19
  • January deals and gift cards: 29:19–30:52
• Venmo Safety: 30:53–31:58
• Costco Markup/Deal Mechanics: 31:58–33:27
• Roth IRA Funding Question: 33:27–end

Tone and Language

Clark’s approach remains friendly, accessible, sometimes self-effacing, and always focused on practical consumer empowerment. The episode mixes humor (Clark as an accidental sleep aid), humility (reading and owning up to critical feedback), and concrete, actionable money advice.

Summary

This episode is a classic “Clark Stinks”—a community-driven roundup where Clark takes listener critiques seriously, providing clarifications and candidly admitting both strengths and shortcomings in his advice. It’s bookended by highly practical suggestions for anyone still scrambling to complete holiday shopping, encouraging savvy, patient, and strategic spending. Listeners get to witness Clark’s expertise, humanity, and humor—living out his mission to help others “save more, spend less, and avoid rip-offs.”