Avoid this big mistake when car shopping, Is this all-you-can-fly annual pass worth it?

July 03, 2024 | Read Online

Retirement up ahead? We have the scoop on the best countries to retire to later in this email.

💵 Today’s Top Stories

Warning: Don’t Make This Mistake If You’re Shopping for a New Car

Some car dealers now pull your credit before you’ve decided to buy anything and routinely ask for your Social Security number. Do as much of the car-buying process online as possible, Clark says. Read more.

Is Frontier’s GoWild! Pass Worth it?

You can get this unique all-you-can-fly pass for as little as $50 a month. But make sure you read the fine print about what flights you’re actually able to book and when you can book them. Read more.

A Mesh System Dramatically Improved the Wi-Fi Coverage in Our Home

Clark has been using this trick to improve his home Wi-Fi for years. Now we have proof that it really works. Our test revealed a download speed improvement of as much as 2,621%. Read more.

How To Get a Free Credit Report

You can check your credit score any time you want in multiple places. But you can also get a free credit report from all three major bureaus from this site – and even get a report by mail or phone. Read more.

📣 Today’s Top News

Verizon Refreshes Its Brand With New Customer Benefits

🗺️ 10 Best Countries for Americans To Move to in Retirement

International Living just released its annual “Global Retirement Index.”The index is designed to rank the best international countries where Americans can retire.

International Living looks at eight categories to compile its rankings:

Cost of living
Housing
Climate
Visas and benefits
Affinity rating (expert-driven)
Healthcare
Development and governance

The publication also considered countries like Italy, Thailand and Ireland. But here’s the top 10 in the index, along with their average score across the categories.

Costa Rica barely edged Portugal thanks to a 96 in “affinity ranking” (as judged by International Living’s experts) and a 94 in visas and benefits(the country recently extended its maximum stay period for foreign tourist visas from 90 to 180 days).

The top four were extremely close in this ranking system as well.

Costa Rica: 83.57
Portugal: 83.28
Mexico: 83.0
Panama: 82.85
Spain: 79.71
Ecuador: 77.42
Greece: 77.0
Malaysia: 75.71
France: 74.85
Colombia: 74.71

💸 Today’s Top Savings Rates

Check out our updated list of Clark.com-approved high-yield savings accounts with the highest rates. Here are the top five APYs on our list as of July 3, 2024.

See All Rates | High Yield Savings Accounts Calculator

📊 Stat of the Day

📈 27: Number of months the unemployment rate sat below 4%. That’s the longest such streak since the 1960s. The streak ended in May as the unemployment rate reached 4.0%. The number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits climbed to 1.84 million, most since November 2021.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals

Amazon will offer Prime Day travel deals up to 50% off

Get this deal.

Walmart deals: The best bargains at Walmart happening now!

Get this deal.

See All of the Best Deals Today

🎙️ Podcast

YouTube video by Clark Howard: Save More, Spend Less

Travel Biometrics & Your Privacy

Facial recognition and biometric digital ID is becoming more prevalent, transforming your airport experiences. This brings both convenience and privacy concerns.

Watch the Full Episode

☎️ 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.