Archive for the ‘Clark Howard’ Category

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Remember when people used to hide money under the mattress? That trend is back with a twist.

More than a quarter of Americans put their cash in the freezer, according to a recent poll from the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Other popular options for stashing cash at home include the cookie jar and in a sock in the drawer. (Only 11 percent of respondents say they still put their money in the mattress.)

People have been afraid of banks ever since the financial crisis, or they’re felt that the interest rate is so low, why even bother? I spoke to a gentleman recently who told me he had $15,000 in cash sitting in his house. That’s an unnecessary risk in my book.

So here’s my take. First, your money is safe up to $250,000 on deposit through FDIC protection (bank) and NCUA protection (credit union). Second, it is …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Money doesn’t grow in the freezer »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Have you thought about cutting the cord from pay TV? I’ve got an idea for you to make it easy to watch free or cheap programming on your TV using your Internet connection.

Today, roughly four in 10 of us have an Internet-enabled TV. As a result, the number of folks who have disconnected from pay TV rose by quite a bit in the United States through the economic slump. The exact numbers differ depending on whom you ask, but as many as 12 or 15 percent of households have fired their cable or satellite provider and gone to a “rabbit ears” antenna for their local networks, along with Internet-only TV for more extensive programming options.

The earliest pioneers who cut the cord were very tech-savvy people. But it’s getting easier for dummies like me.

I’ve been testing the second-generation Roku. This device sells …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Cut cable, satellite with Internet TV option »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

If you’re not obsessed with smartphones, there are some new cheaper options for unlimited talk and text service that could lower your cell phone bill by a substantial amount.

We’re at a stage in the wireless industry where the price points are spreading out by huge amounts. AT&T and Verizon, for example, are imposing high costs on data plans for their smartphone customers. It’s not uncommon for someone to spend $2,000 a year on their cell plan with these carriers.

At the other extreme, folks who just want simple feature phones that don’t do web surfing are finding some real deals in the marketplace.

Metro PCS has a new no-contract plan that’s $25/month for unlimited calling and unlimited texting. That’s $300 annually, including all taxes and regulatory fees.

There are only three phones you can use on the …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Budget phone plans save on talk, text »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

High-definition, flat-screen TVs are driving down the price of tickets to live sports events in an unexpected way.

For the first time in decades, the cost of a Major League Baseball ticket has not increased. In fact, ticket prices have gone down in a lot of cities. At a time when the economy is getting better, why would MLB want to make a deal with you when you buy tickets?

Consider this: When you walk into any store, you can watch a game on a giant flat screen. The fields look gorgeous.

Take the recent Masters golf tournament. The course looked amazing on hi-def TV. Two of my brothers went to the Masters and one decided he couldn’t see enough on Saturday so he stayed home on Sunday and watched it on TV.

While you can’t capture the excitement of attending in person, what you see is superior on the TV. So my …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Live sports compete for viewers with flat-screen TVs »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Prescription medications can either be very expensive or very cheap, depending on how you get them.

Through my insurance, I have two ways to get prescription meds. I can go through a pharmacy benefit manager, which is essentially like a mail-order pharmacy, and get a 30- to 90-day supply for very little money compared to the going rate in the marketplace. Or I can go directly to a traditional pharmacy and have my script filled at sometimes exorbitant prices.

For example, I have asthma and one script I take is $700 for a three-month supply. But I only pay $40 through my pharmacy benefit manager. That’s a big difference.

I’ve also talked in the past about trying to lower the cost of your prescriptions by printing out the list of $4 generic meds you can get on the websites of Kroger, Target, Walmart and any of a …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Options to lower prescription prices »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Clark, do you really use a 10-cent razor and make it last a year? I find that impossible to believe.”

That was a question posted by David on my very popular “Ask Clark” message board at ClarkHoward.com. David, the answer is no, I don’t use a 10-cent razor. I typically use a 17-cent razor and go anywhere from six to 12 months between razors.

My rule is that I’ll shave with a blade until the second time it cuts me. The first time I get cut, I’m too stubborn to get rid of it and I assume I got cut because of user error. But the second time it nicks me, that blade’s done.

My last razor was seven months old when I took it with me during a promotional tour for my latest book, “Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times.” I was on “The Dr. Oz Show” and he took it right out of my hands to give as a …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Lock in low prices for your razors »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A 12-month offer of free wireless Internet is coming from one of the oldest players in the “freemium” business.

Net Zero used to offer free dial-up before broadband became available. Now with their 4G mobile broadband offer, you either buy a portable 4G USB modem ($50) or a portable 4G hotspot ($100). Once you purchase the device, you get 200 MB of data free per month. That effectively limits you to light web surfing — no video and no audio; just basic email and surfing.

If you want more data, you can pay $10 a month and you’ll get 500 MB. So if you avoid video and music, you should be covered for a whole month for either zero dollars or $10 a month. Again, either plan will really only allow you to do emailing and light web surfing. Visit NetZero.net or call 1-800-638-9376 for more details.

As for me, I …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Set up your own wireless for less »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I have a method for saving money on car rentals that’s a bit cumbersome but has worked for me. Now a new website promises to automate my clunky old process.

My method is tested and proven: When I book my flight weeks or months before the actual date of travel, I also book my car rental at the same time. Then a week before my travel date, I reshop the car rental rate. At least 90 percent of the time, I find that I can book a new car cheaper at the last minute, so I just let my old reservation go.

My family and I took a ski trip in December and we needed to rent a car. My price went from just under $300 when I booked the flight to just under $100, including all junk fees, when I reshopped the rate a week before travel.

But AutoSlash.com has automated my process. AutoSlash keeps re-shopping your rate for you every …

Continue reading Clark Howard: New website hunts for low rental car rates »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Spring is just around the corner and car buying season is about to start again. Most of the action in the car market is for used vehicles, not new vehicles. And with cars being the second largest expense that most people face after housing, you don’t want to waste your money in this arena.

J.D. Power has announced the results of its 2012 Vehicle Dependability Study, which looks at reliability after three years of ownership among 2009 models.
Overwhelmingly, cars are so much more reliable than they used to be. That’s the good news. Yet there are some big differences and gaps in reliability still to be found. For example, the Chrysler brand didn’t have it together in 2009. As a result, Ram, Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler were the four worst nameplates.

Today, by contrast, Chrysler has its act together. So I can promise …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Expect Chrysler to rank higher in surveys »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I talk a lot on my radio show about big expenses like housing and cars. But how much do those little expenses — like getting coffee or lunch on the go — cost you per year?

Market research firm Accounting Principles found that drinking coffee away from home on a daily basis costs nearly $1,100 annually. Eating lunch out every day during the week costs $1,900.

Add those two up and that’s $3,000 a year for two things that just kinda happen in life. We don’t really gauge the long-term financial impact of them in the moment.

If you go to a fancy coffee place daily, what if you skip it one day a week? That means a few hundred dollars back in your pocket every year. Same thing with lunch. If you eat out four days instead of five, you’ll have an extra $380.

Between those two, that could be $700 back in your pocket …

Continue reading Clark Howard: Which do you choose — coffee or vacation? »