Clark Biweekly 2 6 25

Author

Anthony Hazzard
February 06, 2025

Are auto insurance prices starting to moderate? Later in this email, we will share more information about this and Team Clark's advice on shopping for cheaper premiums.

šŸ’µ Todayā€™s Top Stories
Bill pay

Automatic bill pay is convenient, but it can also be dangerous. Clark gives a big warning when it comes to automated debit card transactions. Read more.

Utility bills

The Department of Energy says this is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills ā€“ and itā€™s easy to do. Want more? Here are 14 ways to cut down your utility bills. Read more.

Google

Many of us use Google every day. But it also stores a ton of our data. Hereā€™s a step-by-step guide to delete your Google activity. Read more.

Best investment companies

Clarkā€™s three favorites havenā€™t changed. But there have been some recent and notable imperfections among them. What are the best investment companies in 2025? Read more.

Superbowl

The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs meet in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday. Hereā€™s where you can watch the game, and how you can watch even if you donā€™t have cable. Read more.

šŸ’»ļø Tech Tip From Kim Komando

Photoshop skills without all the training: Itā€™s here with Adobeā€™s Magic Fixup. Imagine deciding you want something in an image in a different place or a little bigger. You can cut and paste it, then AI does all the work to make it look natural. Amazing stuff. Join 575K people who get tech smart with my friend Kim Komandoā€™s free newsletter, The Current.

šŸš˜ļø Silver Lining: Auto Insurance Prices Starting To Moderate?

With the exception of eggs, perhaps no staple of the American economy has increased in price as consistently as auto insurance in recent years.

According to Insurify, auto insurance rose 15% in 2024 and 42% since 2022. The average American pays $2,313 per year for auto insurance.

These are all discouraging numbers for Americans who have experienced a period of intense inflation.

However, a record $33.1 billion in underwriting losses in 2022 led to a 24% surge in auto insurance premiums in 2023. As weā€™ve discussed, that number fell to +15% last year. And Insurify predicts it will climb ā€œjustā€ 5% this year.

Seventeen states will experience auto insurance price increases of 2% or less, matching or beating the federal governmentā€™s stated target for inflation. (Sorry, Florida and New York. Youā€™re expected to see nation-high 10% increases.)

Moderating auto insurance prices isnā€™t an economic silver bullet if you are struggling financially. But stable prices year to year would be something everyone would welcome.

For more on auto insurance, here is Team Clarkā€™s advice on shopping for cheaper premiums and the best and worst companies.

šŸ“Š Stat of the Day

šŸ¬ $30.20: The new hourly pay for ā€œmost ofā€ Costcoā€™s hourly employees according to a memo the company sent to them this week. And thatā€™s just the start ā€“ pay is slated to go up to $31.20 and then $32.20 per hour in the subsequent two years. Costco made the changes with the looming threat of a nationwide union strike.

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

Credit is so important in our financial lives. But do you really need to strive for the perfect 850 credit score? Clark shares the magic score you really need to get the best loan rates. (Hint: Itā€™s below 800!) Also, travel is amazing ā€“ when everything goes smoothly. Clark travels numerous times a year. From flight cancellations to overbooked hotels to oversold car rentals, Clark shares his secrets to avoid disaster.

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.

Did You Enjoy Todayā€™s Newsletter?

Let us know what you think so we can better serve you!

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.