The average new car price in America right now, Are credit card rewards taxable?

September 18, 2024 | Read Online

The data breaches keep coming! Find out about the latest one and what Clark recommends you should do later in this email.

💵 Today’s Top Stories

The Average New Car Price in America Right Now

You won’t believe the average price of a new car right now. Read more.

Are Credit Card Rewards Considered Taxable Income?

If you’re following Clark’s advice, you probably get big-time credit card rewards. Do you owe taxes on 2% cash back or category-specific points? Read more.

How To Secure the Cheapest Possible Internet Bill

The lack of competition among internet service providers has finally changed. Here’s how to take advantage of choice to get the best possible price. Read more.

Why Laundry Detergent Sheets Are a Waste of Money

Clark wishes this product worked to clean clothes because it would save him money. But as Consumer Reports demonstrates, all laundry detergent sheets fail miserably. Read more.

📣 Today’s Top News

Lively Jitterbug Smartphone Plans Now Include 1GB of Data

🚘️ Rental Car Company Avis the Latest To Announce Data Breach

Back in the day, a data breach was major national news. (OK, I’m talking less than a decade ago.) Now it seemingly is a near-weekly occurrence.

A member of Team Clark just got a notice in the mail that “an unauthorized third party” breached Avis and got access to his name, driver’s license, credit card number and expiration date, date of birth and phone number.

In addition to suggesting that he regularly monitor his account statements for that card, it offered one year of free credit monitoring through Equifax.

Checking the account statements at least once a month is a great idea. Credit card statements are the only paper bill Clark recommends you get in the mail.

But a free Credit Karma account is just fine as a monitoring service.

Most importantly, Clark recommends that everyone keeps their credit frozen with the three major credit bureaus, whether or not you’ve been part of a data breach. It’s the most surefire way of protecting yourself financially from this type of digital, identity-based robbery.

💸 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 September 18, 2024.

See All Rates | High Yield Savings Accounts Calculator

📊 Stat of the Day

👩‍🎤 $105 million: The estimated amount of money Adele earned during her 60-show Vegas residency. It was the richest deal in Vegas history, proving that Taylor Swift isn’t the only artist raking in tens of millions of dollars regularly. She started in Nov. 2022 and will end next month.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals

🎙️ Podcast

YouTube video by Clark Howard: Save More, Spend Less

Full Show: Why Aren’t Americans Saving? and Clark’s Ponzi Scheme Warning

America has almost always had a lower savings rate than other developed societies. But it’s even worse right now. Clark talks us through our nation’s historical savings rates and why it’s important to remember the importance of our long-term financial goals. Also, Ponzi schemes are taking over Clark’s news feed and it’s causing a lot of concern. He shares the warning signs of these “guaranteed investments” and why you should avoid them at all costs.

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.