Clark Biweekly 1 25 24

Author

Anthony Hazzard
January 25, 2024

Later in this email, find out what Americans think about their personal finances entering 2024 according to a Fidelity survey.

šŸ’µ Todayā€™s Top Stories
Car buying

Donā€™t let a slick car salesperson stick you with a long loan payoff by getting you to agree to an affordable monthly payment via the ā€œFour Squareā€ method. Read more.

Move

Willing to be a free agent for where you live? Get paid up to $15,000 to relocate to one of these places. Hereā€™s how it works. Read more.

Cruise

U.S. News & World Report ranked cruises based on health ratings, reputation and affordability. Here are the winners. Read more.

Cell phone

A Team Clark writer used this cell phone depreciation tool to score the best possible deal on an iPhone 13. This is a sort of Kelley Blue Book for smartphones. Read more.

Prescription

Get the medicine you need at a price you can afford. Pricing for medication has become complicated, but it is possible to avoid overpaying. Read more.

šŸ’µ Americans and Money in 2024: An Attitude Snapshot

Valentineā€™s Day is creeping closer on the calendar. Which means many of us already have broken our New Yearā€™s Resolutions.

The gyms will start to get less crowded soon (if they arenā€™t already).

Still, moving into 2024 gives us an interesting picture of Americanā€™s attitudes about money. Here are some of the findings from an extensive Fidelity Investments survey:

  • 80%: Share of Americans who claim theyā€™ll grow their emergency fund in 2024.

  • 79%: Share of Millennials that believe theyā€™ll be better off financially in 2024 ā€“ the most optimistic of any generation.

  • 70%: Number of Americans who claim to have a plan to reach their financial goals.

  • 55%: The share of people claiming to be in a worse financial situation than in ā€™23 who blame inflation and cost-of-living increases.

  • 29%: The gap between the percentage of people who stick to their financial resolutions with the help of a financial advisor (80%) and those who nail their money resolutions without one (51%).

  • 28%: Percentage of people who would rather find love on a reality TV show than invest in the stock market.

šŸ“Š Stat of the Day

šŸš˜ļø 10%+: The minimum amount of range that electric vehicle batteries lose when exposed to subzero temperatures. A recent cold snap generated headlines about EV battery tech.

šŸ’°ļø Deal Alert: Todayā€™s Top Deals
Kohls
Wayfair Deal
šŸŽ™ļø Podcast

Carrying a checkbook has become one of the most dangerous forms of identity theft. Clark explains the risks and why you should NEVER carry or mail a check. Also, Clark recently addressed issues with the home insurance market. Thereā€™s a new website that can help you assess the risk of a house youā€™re thinking about buying before you run into problems.

ā˜Žļø Need Money Help?

The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.

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