Don’t ever buy gold for these reasons, Here’s how many credit cards you should have

June 25, 2024 | Read Online

Fast food companies are trying out AI technology. Find out which one is pumping the brakes later in this email.

💵 Today’s Top Stories

Warning: How You Should NOT Buy Gold

Gold is not a get-rich-quick plan. It’s not a great place to turn if you’re panicking. And Clark doesn’t even consider it an investment. Here are the right and wrong reasons to buy gold. Read more.

How Many Credit Cards Should I Have?

You might know Clark’s minimum credit card rule, but can you have too many credit cards? We asked a credit card expert to weigh in so you know the magic number. Read more.

Just Announced: Amazon Prime Day 2024

Amazon just announced Prime Day dates. When is it? What deals can you expect? Read more.

How Do I Empty Every Dollar From My Virtual Gift Card?

Cash-value gift cards can be annoying or wasteful when they don’t allow you to charge beyond the remaining value and pay the difference out of pocket. Here’s how to spend the last of the money. Read more.

Unlimited Prepaid Cell Phone Plan Starting at $10/Month

Team Clark tested this prepaid cell phone provider that allows you to choose which major cell phone network you want to align with. Read more.

📣 Today’s Top News

🍟 Drive-Thru AI Not Ready For Primetime

McDonald’s ran an extended years-long test of AI drive-thru ordering in partnership with IBM at more than 100 locations.

While ordering kiosks are a hit, the king of fast food, McDonald’s announced it will remove all AI ordering from drive-thru lines by July 26.

According to CNBC reporting, “it had issues interpreting different accents and dialects, which affected order accuracy.” Viral social media videos underline instances of the Automated Order Taker making mistakes.

Presto Automation, which Del Taco, Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. have used for AI drive-thru orders, says it relies on human workers to take orders 70% of the time.

McDonald’s also said it isn’t ruling out a return of AI order-takers in the future.

As Sherwood pointed out, other fast food companies are racing to make use of the tech:

Wendy’s partnered with Google Cloud for “Wendy’s FreshAI,” a chatbot intended to speed up the drive-thru line.
Arby’s, Panera and Popeyes are experimenting with OpenCity’s voice assistant “Tori.”
WhiteCastle announced it will use AI at 100+ locations by the end of 2024.

It seems likely that automation is the future of drive-thru orders. But we’re in a growing pains stage at the moment.

📊 Stat of the Day

🏀 $65 million: The severance package for former Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams. The NBA coach signed a six-year, $78 million contract last summer. After one terrible season, including an NBA-record 28-game losing streak, Williams got fired. But now he’ll get $65 million not to coach.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals

Here are the best early Prime Day deals you can get right now!

Get this deal.

The best deals of The Home Depot’s 4th of July sale

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See All of the Best Deals Today

🎙️ Podcast

YouTube video by Clark Howard: Save More, Spend Less

Full Show: Clark’s Solution to the Social Security Crisis and Alternatives to Student Loans

It’s clear that Social Security is in trouble. We have an aging population in the United States, and the math has gotten worse for future beneficiaries. What can we do? Clark has two ideas that he thinks could work. Also, student loan rates are increasing which makes it even more difficult to borrow for education. There are a few unique alternatives that could make college more affordable and improve your chances of landing a good job after graduation.

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.