Retail, restaurant crunch means you should avoid gift cards
May 1, 2008
Retailers and restaurants are both taking it on the chin in today's economy. We're "over-stored" in America with the square footage of retail space exceeding the population count. It's a symptom of the "shop 'til you drop" mentality. Fortunately, Clark thinks we're finally experiencing a shift in this kind of thinking.
Restaurateurs, meanwhile, have always had a tough time even in the best of economies. But now people aren't eating out as much, or they're trading down in meals, or they're using coupons.
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CLARK'S TIP TOPICS
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So what's the takeaway for you? Beware if you're thinking about giving someone a gift card. The store or restaurant may not be there when they go to redeem it! This is a good year to give people cash or an actual gift because of these dangers. You might also want to check out Clark's no-gift-card certificate. Then again, the upside of not being able to redeem a restaurant gift card is that you'll consume 0 calories!
Nearly 9 million Americans had personal info stolen in 90 days
April 28, 2008
It's been 12 years since Clark had his first call about ID theft on the show. Back then there was no name for the crime; now it's become routine.
The Identity Theft Resource Center reports that in the first 90 days of this year, the personal info of 8.5 million Americans was stolen from company, government, hospital, university and bank databases.
ID theft is out of control because banks don't know who they're doing business with anymore. Sadly, the parties that can do the most are doing the least. Banks, credit card companies, retailers and credit bureaus don't care about the damage ID thieves can do to your life. The police departments, meanwhile, have too many other responsibilities to address ID theft.
Doing a credit freeze is the only way to protect yourself. You'll get a secret code that you can use to thaw your credit. That way, even if a criminal steals your identity, they can't do anything with it because they don't have the secret code. The credit bureaus intentionally make the process of applying for a credit freeze difficult. Clark has compiled a guide to help you navigate the process.
Protect your parents from nursing home abuses
April 25, 2008
Clark recently discussed how he was furious over kangaroo court arbitrations in the corporate world. Many banks force customers into these joke arbitrations that are worthy of a banana republic. Of course, the financial institutions routinely select arbitrators that rule in their favor. ... More
New survey reveals top 3 customer pet peeves
April 24, 2008
When you go to the store, you want to be respected and treated well as a customer. It's that simple. All the complex theories that MBAs learn in school really boil down to this: Treat the customer right. Yet the Wharton School of Business recently found that businesses aren't honoring this simple creed. Customers were treated down right rotten in 60% of the cases they examined. ... More
Strategies for coping with high prices at the supermarket
April 15, 2008
If you've been to the supermarket lately, you've probably gotten serious sticker shock. Prices are up the most they've been in 17 years; for example, staples like milk and eggs are each up 25%. ... More
More recent Consumer Tips from Clark:- HELOCs being yanked with no warning
- Insure your money above FDIC limits with CDARS
- Maximize your money in the market over time
- What's in and what's out with your money
- Your individual money style is hardwired into your brain
- Blank check investing all the rage despite dangers
- Reversing the psychology of spending when you're blue
- Generation X not saving for retirement
- When to do a hardship withdrawal from your 401(k)
- Student knowledge of money at an all-time low
