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Are you working too much? Find out more about the average work ethic later on in this email. |
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💵 Today’s Top Stories |
| | Families no longer can stash wealth in an IRA and keep it for generations without paying taxes. Here’s why inheriting an IRA has become a migraine-level headache. Read more. |
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| | Did you know you can go through Costco to get auto insurance? Here’s how it compares to the overall market and whether you should look into switching. Read more. |
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| | Clark prefers credit cards to debit cards and especially peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle. But there is a way to make PayPal, Venmo and CashApp safe to use. Read more. |
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| | Our top picks for family plans start at just $9. Here are the top six options (plus a few honorable mentions) for family packages based on our research of more than 70 plans. Read more. |
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👷 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
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*Data interrupted; most recent number in 2021 equaled about 650 more hours than average. |
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🏠️ 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. |
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Refi Info | Mortgage Refi Calculator |
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📊 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. |
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💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals |
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🎙️ Podcast |
 | Full Show: Clark Stinks! and New Deal for Cruise Bargain Hunters |
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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. |
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☎️ 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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Did You Enjoy Today’s Newsletter?Let us know what you think so we can better serve you! | |
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