Kevin Colby: News, culture, political blog

Some interesting articles from Clark Howard’s website:

Kroger’s checkout-based warning system for recalls

Food safety is now front and center in the public’s mind following the recent peanut scare.

Clark is a Costco Wholesale member and was recently alerted by the warehouse club that a box of Clif Bars he purchased had been recalled. Some people say there’s a creep-out factor to Costco knowing everything that every member ever bought, but in this case, it was a very good thing.  Read the full story.

AutoNation is latest player in car market with layoff coverage

Several months ago, Hyundai announced their version of layoff coverage for new car purchasers. If you buy a new vehicle and lose your job during the first year of ownership, you can turn the car back in — no harm, no foul.  Read the full story.

Debt slowly becoming manageable for many Americans

Good news about our spending habits from one of the 3 main credit bureaus. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that new figures from TransUnion show the average American credit card balance only increased by a negligible amount in 2008.  Read the full story.

Clark’s tips for buying distressed property and foreclosures

CLARKONOMICS: There is just so much opportunity in buying foreclosures and other distressed real estate at this point. But a few words of caution are also necessary.  Read the full story.

Some interesting articles from Clark Howard’s website:

Harassing the living for the debts of the dead

The debt collectors are behaving badly again. This time they’re hitting up surviving family members for money that’s owed by the dead!  Read the full story.

Are I bonds still a good deal?

For years, Clark has loved I bonds and sung their praises at the top of his lungs…but where does he stand on them today?  Read the full story.

What happens when a life insurer fails?

What happens when a life insurer fails? Unlike banks, insurance companies are regulated at the state level — not the federal level. A state guarantee association is the last line of defense in the event of a failure.  Read the full story.

Avoid unknown hyperlinks when using instant messenger

Clark has a special warning you’ve got to hear if you use instant messenger programs to chat over the Internet. Hackers are now exploiting weaknesses in a variety of IM programs. The latest to be hit is Google Talk.   Read the full story.

Some interesting articles from Clark Howard’s website:

Jobless stats’ bark worse than bite?

The number of Americans receiving unemployment compensation is just under 5 million. That’s still a low percentage of the American workforce, but the number is very eye-catching. Think about it like this — it’s as if every man, woman and child in a metropolis were jobless!  Read the full story.

Insourcing is hot as consumers go the DIY route

What have you changed in your life with all the bad economic news? Even those of us who are not affected — either we’re safe in our jobs or we don’t carry any debt — are making changes.  Read the full story.

CVS fined over improper disposal of medical records

CVS has agreed to pay a $2.25 million settlement after the company’s improper disposal of medical records was exposed by a sweeps week TV report.   Read the full story.

Some interesting articles from Clark Howard’s website:

Debt is at the center of business failures, not the economy

Failing businesses all have their excuses about why they’re going bankrupt. The sales guys will tell you it’s because of the advertising slowdown. The retailers blame the drop in sales. The manufacturers blame the decline in manufacturing. And on and on…

Is that what’s really going on?  Read the full story.

Ditching cable/satellite to get free TV

Some 1.1 million Americans have now disconnected their satellite or cable service, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Are they going TV-less? No, they’re getting TV content on the web or over the air instead. In fact, you actually get a superior picture over the thin air with a modern flat-screen TV vs. the compressed signal delivered by satellite or cable.  Read the full story.

Senior market for cell phones heating up

Jitterbug is one company that’s had a real corner on the market when it comes to selling senior-friendly cell phones to an aging population. Clark’s 85-year-old mother has become a heavy Jitterbug user. Unfortunately, many of their service plans aren’t exactly designed with the talkaholic in mind, so it’s becoming an expensive habit.   Read the full story.

Money a motivator in kicking the smoking habit

A new study in The New England Journal of Medicine finds that people can be bribed to quit smoking.  Read the full story.

Some interesting articles from Clark Howard’s website:

Facebook a new breeding ground for get-rich-quick schemes

RIP-OFF ALERT: Have you noticed that Clark is hitting numerous rip-off alert sounders these days? The last time we had so many back-to-back warnings was during the recession of the early ’90s. Back then, the Internet was only used by researchers and some government types. But today it’s a prime form of communication. Little wonder then that many scams have morphed and gone online.  Read the full story.

Consumers burying themselves under payday lending debt

RIP-OFF ALERT: Payday lenders offer consumers an easy way to bury themselves under mounds of debt. The typical payday lender allows you to walk into their establishment, turn over a personal check that’s postdated to your next pay date and walk out with cash — minus some high fees.  Read the full story.

Save up to $600 annually by dropping landline, going cell only

Looking for an easy way to reduce your monthly budget in 2009? Consider dropping your landline and going cell phone only. About 1 in 5 Americans have disconnected their home phone, while an additional 13% say they have a home phone that they never use. That’s about one-third of all Americans who are cell phone only or very near to it.  Read the full story.

Overexposed in the stock market during your golden years?

Syndicated financial writer Umberto Cruz recently issued a new warning about the dangers of having too much money in stocks as you grow older.  Read the full story.