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- Clark Biweekly 4 29 24
Clark Biweekly 4 29 24
Today’s Sponsor
Are you working too much? Find out more about the average work ethic later on in this email.
💵 Today’s Top Stories
👷 America: Average Work Ethic?
Working hard or hardly working?
The average number of hours worked varies greatly by country according to OECD data.
Score one for the men and women in red, white and blue. The Financial Times (FT) recently highlighted the CEO of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund.
He apparently told FT “that there is a difference in ‘the general level of ambition’ and that ‘the Americans just work harder.’”
That’s true at least for Western Europe.
Only Germany (410 hours less than average) and Denmark (380 hours less than average) work less than Norway among member nations, barely edging out Netherlands, Sweden and Austria.
While the U.S. exceeded the average working time by 59 hours a year, it did not place in the top 10. You’ll have to go to Central and South America for that:
Colombia*
Mexico: +475
Costa Rica: +397
Chile: +211
Korea: +149
Israel: +140
Greece: +134
Malta: +130
Russia: +122
Cyprus: +85
*Data interrupted; most recent number in 2021 equaled about 650 more hours than average.
🏠️ Today’s Current Mortgage Rates
According to Freddie Mac, 30-year mortgage rates are 7.17% and 15-year rates are 6.44% as of April 25, 2024. The following chart shows the 30-year mortgage rate trend over the last year.
![Mortgage Rates](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/42c8fa93-7876-4b17-86ca-0e8bbf064c89/Mortgage_Rates_042524.png?t=1714137001)
📊 Stat of the Day
🎓️ $98,426: The all-in yearly cost for a recently-admitted Vanderbilt University engineering student. The New York Times cited the student as an example of the absurdity of college costs, although the majority of students avoid paying full price.
💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
🎙️ Podcast
It’s time for "Clark Stinks!" Christa reads the latest "Clark Stinks!" submissions and Clark responds. Also, an old deal is making a comeback for cruisers. Clark explains how it works and what he does to save money on a cruise booking.
☎️ 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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