To curb my own tendencies to over consume, I go through my "stuff" several times a year. Seeing things that I've bought and never used (books, movies, board games, a few kitchen gadgets) is a reminder that I don't need to buy more.
When about to buy something that is not an absolute need, I’ll stop and pause for 72 hours (place it only in online shopping cart). Most of the time you determine you don’t need it and may even forget you wanted it in the first place.
15:04 we also do it weekly and this is worked for us for the last 15 years. There’s so many transactions that we’ve come across that are either fraudulent or someone over tipped themselves or something random like that. Additionally, we had an issue with one of our credit cards where they change the due date not letting us know from 28 days to 24 days. Let’s just say we got rid of that credit card. This was a long time ago. I have not seen this happen. This was a bit before even the great recession so I don’t think that can happen anymore but ever since then we’ve always looked at all of our transaction on a weekly basis, it also helps that we do our budget on a weekly basis
Hello Clark Howard! My name is also Clark Howard. I've always known you as the guy that appears when I look up my own name. When I saw that you have a UA-cam channel, I thought that I might drop by and leave a comment.
Aim guilty of buying to much I used to buy all the time online left and right but then one day I woke up now the only thing I buy is groceries and supplies I actually need.inflation actually helped me since I can't afford anything I just don't buy and the fact I've gotten older and realize I don't need it.most people who spent are trying to fill a voide in their lives well I've filled mine
For the solo traveler - Consider signing up for Google Fi (not a spokesperson) but as someone that has traveled to most of those countries myself. Google Fi works in all those countries with the same level of service as the United States, usually 5G in urban centers and sometimes 4G in transit between cities. The worst service I had was when in between places in Africa which would be spotty service or 3G. When my plane lands, I get a notification from Google that my phone has connected to that country's network and I'm covered. I walk past all those people trying to sell sims at the airport. Anybody that travels like she does should definitely not suffer data/network issues. Life and vacations are too short. And an extra benefit is if cruising close to land, being able to catch a country's signal while at sea. 😊
Yes, online shopping has made it so easy to purchase items we may or may not need . I do love Amazon and have had good savings with the 5% cash back. I have unsubscribed to many retailers. I still have a few I really like and have remained subscribed. I don’t give out my cell number for text on sales no matter how great the discount is . I don’t want to deal with receiving tons of text each day . Christa I also love skincare! lol I guess I’m a skincare enthusiast. I really like a small channel Trish V clean beauty . I do have my skincare purchases under control. 😂 concerning WiFi I don’t go on public Wi-Fi . I do need to tell my 26 year old son to be careful. A weird thing happens sometimes when I’m a passenger in a vehicle WiFi connections pop up on my phone. I immediately get off my phone. It seems like someone is trying to lure me into connecting onto one of the sites 🤷♀️. Have a great day Clark & Team !
I watched the video recently and Clark said that in order to invest, you definitely needed to have a fiduciary. I was planning on setting up a Schwab account at a branch and I found out that not all branch representatives are fiduciaries. I know what I want to invest in, but need to set up the Schwab account. What recommendations would you have set up the Schwab account without the fiduciary or skip the Schwab account. I do appreciate the response thank you.
Not sure which video you watched, but you do not need a fiduciary to invest money. If it was an Ask Clark question, similar to today's question (24:15), it may be good to hire a fee-only fiduciary in certain situations. Here are a few examples of reasons you may decide to hire an advisor: * You lack the knowledge, time or discipline to handle your finances alone. * You’re facing a major life decision or change such as marriage, having a child, buying a house, or selling a business. * You just received an inheritance or a large sum of money. * Your finances are disorganized. For example, maybe you need to consolidate old 401(k)s, IRAs, brokerage accounts and bank accounts. * You’re considering early retirement or are retiring and starting to take distributions from a 401(k) or IRA. Lastly, here is our review of Schwab: clark.com/personal-finance-credit/investing-retirement/charles-schwab-review/ Hope this helps! 💚
It's super easy to do your own trades at Schwab. I managed my dad's IRA for him and did the trades. You can call their regular customer support number if you have questions on how to use their website. Website trades I made were free of charge, but getting their rep to do the trade for you will likely incur a charge.
I’m addicted to Temu. Everything’s is so cheap. Instead of self check rude and unstocked Walmart I just order but I did get a eye infection from a face mask
I was spending way too much on Amazon purchases, to the point of addiction. Then I saw a tip to buy an Amazon gift card each month for what you plan to spend and not to exceed that amount. I went through that $300.00 in the first two weeks. I’m now aware of how much that bad habit was costing me and I have already reduced my spending by about half.
21:25 this female traveler should also think a few things as well one she may want to look into using an authenticator app instead of SMS. I would recommend if that’s ever an option to use an authenticator app over SMS and a hardware key like yubikey over any other form of two factor. Biometrics in my eyes is a issue from a privacy standpoint not from the technology, but that if you’re in foreign countries, they can force you to use your fingerprint or your face to open your phone. This even happens in the United States so when you’re traveling, I would recommend making sure that you use a pass word and not a pen to unlock your phone if you’re outside your home country and disable all biometrics. Microsoft and Google do support hardware authentication so this could’ve all been prevented if she had purchased a yubikey or similar FIDO key.
VPN is considered a big privacy risk unless it is DIY or via your company IT. Never trust a VPN service as most harvest your activity for profit, or worse. All the while, they are harvesting your pocketbook too.
I actually record ALL my charges on a spreadsheet with separate columns for each credit card. It’s not as onerous as it sounds. Lots of times I copy and paste an old purchase as a new one, then edit the date and amount. I then enter the billed amount (as a negative) and check to be sure they totally offset the previous charges. I then record the statement date each charge cleared. It not only is a great way to watch for unauthorized charges, it helps me to track my spending.
I to track all my expenses in a spreadsheet. I track my credit cards, checking, savings & CDs. I also put in a budget & categorize my transactions. It makes it easy to to match the balances for each account.
Public wi-fi, secure and with a password from reputable locations, has become much safer. It is much less of a worry now. Your experts are about a year behind. But, in general, with sandboxing of apps, and encryption, and you are in a private area, it’s fine. But a good idea not to look at banks and brokerage accounts except on your own network. If your ISP or cell co. has hot spots, those are safe too. Still, generally, I use cellular. But if I can’t get it and am out and about and I need to get something, I’ll pop on a secure wi-fi. But never personal, financial. Just stuff like: where was that muddy brown shirt Clark wears from?
Two things regarding I-bonds. One they are currently paying 3.11%. So why buy one? Regarding taxes, we are not all in Clark’s bracket 😂. The tax you pay at redemption could be zero depending on your income.
I use public Wi-Fi at Walmart and other grocery stores so I have use of their apps for mapping item locations and listening to your podcast, if I forgot to download the episode.
You don't need wifi for grocery store app usage. You can use cellular data to access the apps' features, if you have a cellular signal, including mapping item locations in-store if you set your store location in the app. You should also be able to listen to podcasts on cellular data. Thanks for listening while shopping! 💚
Would we have the economy that we do, if we weren’t shopaholics? And isn’t our savings rate an indicator of that? Why do you think that the bottom 50% of our society have so little savings and assets?
@Clark - you need to be more specific about the risk of public WiFi. There is a device called a WiFi Pineapple that is meant to be used as a pen testing device, pero is often used as a man in the middle attack that imitates public WiFi hotspots.
Thank you, Clark.
To curb my own tendencies to over consume, I go through my "stuff" several times a year. Seeing things that I've bought and never used (books, movies, board games, a few kitchen gadgets) is a reminder that I don't need to buy more.
Good strategy! 🙌
When about to buy something that is not an absolute need, I’ll stop and pause for 72 hours (place it only in online shopping cart). Most of the time you determine you don’t need it and may even forget you wanted it in the first place.
15:04 we also do it weekly and this is worked for us for the last 15 years. There’s so many transactions that we’ve come across that are either fraudulent or someone over tipped themselves or something random like that. Additionally, we had an issue with one of our credit cards where they change the due date not letting us know from 28 days to 24 days. Let’s just say we got rid of that credit card. This was a long time ago. I have not seen this happen. This was a bit before even the great recession so I don’t think that can happen anymore but ever since then we’ve always looked at all of our transaction on a weekly basis, it also helps that we do our budget on a weekly basis
Awesome! 🙌
Weekly. People need to start frequently checking all the places they have rat holed money. 🎉
Hello Clark Howard! My name is also Clark Howard. I've always known you as the guy that appears when I look up my own name. When I saw that you have a UA-cam channel, I thought that I might drop by and leave a comment.
How many honestly miss Clark when he is absent? I know I do.😊
💚💚💚
Thank you Team Clark.
Aim guilty of buying to much I used to buy all the time online left and right but then one day I woke up now the only thing I buy is groceries and supplies I actually need.inflation actually helped me since I can't afford anything I just don't buy and the fact I've gotten older and realize I don't need it.most people who spent are trying to fill a voide in their lives well I've filled mine
For the solo traveler - Consider signing up for Google Fi (not a spokesperson) but as someone that has traveled to most of those countries myself. Google Fi works in all those countries with the same level of service as the United States, usually 5G in urban centers and sometimes 4G in transit between cities. The worst service I had was when in between places in Africa which would be spotty service or 3G. When my plane lands, I get a notification from Google that my phone has connected to that country's network and I'm covered. I walk past all those people trying to sell sims at the airport. Anybody that travels like she does should definitely not suffer data/network issues. Life and vacations are too short. And an extra benefit is if cruising close to land, being able to catch a country's signal while at sea. 😊
Great tip! 🙌
Yes, online shopping has made it so easy to purchase items we may or may not need . I do love Amazon and have had good savings with the 5% cash back. I have unsubscribed to many retailers. I still have a few I really like and have remained subscribed. I don’t give out my cell number for text on sales no matter how great the discount is . I don’t want to deal with receiving tons of text each day . Christa I also love skincare! lol
I guess I’m a skincare enthusiast. I really like a small channel Trish V clean beauty . I do have my skincare purchases under control. 😂 concerning WiFi I don’t go on public Wi-Fi . I do need to tell my 26 year old son to be careful. A weird thing happens sometimes when I’m a passenger in a vehicle WiFi connections pop up on my phone. I immediately get off my phone. It seems like someone is trying to lure me into connecting onto one of the sites 🤷♀️. Have a great day Clark & Team !
I actually subscribed to UA-cam premium and not seeing ads likely pays for itself. No longer impulse buying. I am only on a few Social Media Apps.
Great strategy! 🙌
We gave up Costco and Walmart. Only go to Goodwill to donate, never enter the store. This has reversed the "knickknack- itisis". 😮
Great strategy! 🙌
Know thyself 🙂 You got this!
The last thing I bought on impulse from an influencer was from Clark Howard's great deals page.
True Story.
🤦♂🤦♂😂💚
I watched the video recently and Clark said that in order to invest, you definitely needed to have a fiduciary. I was planning on setting up a Schwab account at a branch and I found out that not all branch representatives are fiduciaries. I know what I want to invest in, but need to set up the Schwab account. What recommendations would you have set up the Schwab account without the fiduciary or skip the Schwab account. I do appreciate the response thank you.
Not sure which video you watched, but you do not need a fiduciary to invest money. If it was an Ask Clark question, similar to today's question (24:15), it may be good to hire a fee-only fiduciary in certain situations. Here are a few examples of reasons you may decide to hire an advisor:
* You lack the knowledge, time or discipline to handle your finances alone.
* You’re facing a major life decision or change such as marriage, having a child, buying a house, or selling a business.
* You just received an inheritance or a large sum of money.
* Your finances are disorganized. For example, maybe you need to consolidate old 401(k)s, IRAs, brokerage accounts and bank accounts.
* You’re considering early retirement or are retiring and starting to take distributions from a 401(k) or IRA.
Lastly, here is our review of Schwab: clark.com/personal-finance-credit/investing-retirement/charles-schwab-review/
Hope this helps! 💚
It's super easy to do your own trades at Schwab. I managed my dad's IRA for him and did the trades. You can call their regular customer support number if you have questions on how to use their website. Website trades I made were free of charge, but getting their rep to do the trade for you will likely incur a charge.
You’re awesome Clark. Been listening on radio and now on UA-cam for several years. On behalf of us all, thank you.
Thx
I only buy what I need. & I don’t use public Wi-fi for anything. I use it in my own place. .
Don't let Cark fool you. Make him mad, and I'll bet he will cuss you out.
I’m addicted to Temu. Everything’s is so cheap. Instead of self check rude and unstocked Walmart I just order but I did get a eye infection from a face mask
I made a policy to me. If I want on Amazon add to cart and wait 24 hours and I read views. All of them 1/2 the time it’s not worth my it
I was spending way too much on Amazon purchases, to the point of addiction. Then I saw a tip to buy an Amazon gift card each month for what you plan to spend and not to exceed that amount. I went through that $300.00 in the first two weeks. I’m now aware of how much that bad habit was costing me and I have already reduced my spending by about half.
Great tip, Clarkie! 🙌
Thanks Clark & Team!
Thanks for the info 😊
21:25 this female traveler should also think a few things as well one she may want to look into using an authenticator app instead of SMS. I would recommend if that’s ever an option to use an authenticator app over SMS and a hardware key like yubikey over any other form of two factor. Biometrics in my eyes is a issue from a privacy standpoint not from the technology, but that if you’re in foreign countries, they can force you to use your fingerprint or your face to open your phone. This even happens in the United States so when you’re traveling, I would recommend making sure that you use a pass word and not a pen to unlock your phone if you’re outside your home country and disable all biometrics. Microsoft and Google do support hardware authentication so this could’ve all been prevented if she had purchased a yubikey or similar FIDO key.
15:31 - I have VPN on all my devices. So if I need wi-fi, I have protection.
VPN is considered a big privacy risk unless it is DIY or via your company IT. Never trust a VPN service as most harvest your activity for profit, or worse. All the while, they are harvesting your pocketbook too.
Great tip, Clarkie! 🙌
My man trying to single handedly crash the economy. Let them spend!!!! Buyer beware! 🤑🤑🤑
What would I without you Clark ❤
Get mental help.
It not safe to use public WiFi connection unsecured
I actually record ALL my charges on a spreadsheet with separate columns for each credit card. It’s not as onerous as it sounds. Lots of times I copy and paste an old purchase as a new one, then edit the date and amount. I then enter the billed amount (as a negative) and check to be sure they totally offset the previous charges. I then record the statement date each charge cleared. It not only is a great way to watch for unauthorized charges, it helps me to track my spending.
I to track all my expenses in a spreadsheet. I track my credit cards, checking, savings & CDs. I also put in a budget & categorize my transactions. It makes it easy to to match the balances for each account.
Amazing! 🙌
@@marygigot1237 Great strategy! 🙌
Public wi-fi, secure and with a password from reputable locations, has become much safer. It is much less of a worry now. Your experts are about a year behind. But, in general, with sandboxing of apps, and encryption, and you are in a private area, it’s fine. But a good idea not to look at banks and brokerage accounts except on your own network.
If your ISP or cell co. has hot spots, those are safe too.
Still, generally, I use cellular. But if I can’t get it and am out and about and I need to get something, I’ll pop on a secure wi-fi. But never personal, financial. Just stuff like: where was that muddy brown shirt Clark wears from?
😂 Great tips, Clarkie! 🙌
Is Krista getting prettier? Clark looks the same.
Two things regarding I-bonds. One they are currently paying 3.11%. So why buy one? Regarding taxes, we are not all in Clark’s bracket 😂. The tax you pay at redemption could be zero depending on your income.
I use public Wi-Fi at Walmart and other grocery stores so I have use of their apps for mapping item locations and listening to your podcast, if I forgot to download the episode.
You don't need wifi for grocery store app usage. You can use cellular data to access the apps' features, if you have a cellular signal, including mapping item locations in-store if you set your store location in the app. You should also be able to listen to podcasts on cellular data.
Thanks for listening while shopping! 💚
Would we have the economy that we do, if we weren’t shopaholics? And isn’t our savings rate an indicator of that? Why do you think that the bottom 50% of our society have so little savings and assets?
@Clark - you need to be more specific about the risk of public WiFi. There is a device called a WiFi Pineapple that is meant to be used as a pen testing device, pero is often used as a man in the middle attack that imitates public WiFi hotspots.
Thanks for filling in the gaps! 💚
What about Wi-Fi when you are renting a VRBO house?
Bob - Stay away from any “advisor.” And if your IRA is at Fidelity, you use the Fidelity TDF INDEX fund.
Clark contradicting himself he braggs on how he is saving #$$$ at places like cosco yet he is now saying this.
True.
False
❓ Please explain.