can you still get last minute travel bargains for new year's eve. whether you're looking near or far, can you still save. >> hey, you've run up your credit card bill over the holidays. what should do you now? how to get it under control and pay it off. and the ladies of beardstown, one of the most famous investment clubs on predictions for the stock market. >> you don't want to make any predictions? >> no. >> if we did, we would not be

sitting here. we would be in aruba on a beach. >> on the money starts right now. >> we begin a cyber threat inside your house. smart home gadgets like thermostats or a camera are supposed to make your life easier. if you're giving or getting one as a gift, but experts warn these devices, part of the internet of things, could let cyber criminals break into your house without ever coming through a door or window. andrea day has this week's cover story, "hacking your home." >> they're circumstance willing to use your iot device for further attacks. >> a warning from this cybersecurity expert. the device that's can make your home smarter can also unlock the door for hackers. james lock is the global head of security research at sophos. he is talking about the internet of things, devices like smart

cameras and thermostats that connect to the internet. they were taken over by hackers and they blocked access to twitter naent flichl. >> this is big business. and just your cctv camera or dvr is enough of a reason to attack you so you can be useful to tack other people. >> you're talking. >> that's a closed caption camera. and within hours, the sites were back. but with billions of connected devices in use right now and the smart phone market exploding, he says we're not prepared to handle the security that's needed. >> it's a land minefield out there at the moment. the chance of finding a device that is secure is so, so high. >> one chinese company with devices implemented in the attack recalled products sold in the united states. >> to the vendors, you have a very small window. cyber criminals have noticed the lack of security.

>> lawmakers are calling on government to step in. >> i think all of us from industry to individuals to government are going to have to up our game in terms of making sure these devices are safe. >> so what makes the gaj soets vulnerable? >> devices like these often come with a really bad and easy to guess pass word. >> he said making it easier to plan bigger and more damaging attacks. best advice, make sure you change the pass word on every device and update with the latest software. can you even set them to update automatically. but even with all of that, they won't be hack proof. so it's always best to be cautious. for on the money, i'm andrea day. >> and how hot are those internet connected devices this holiday season? joining us now talk about the tech trend and the changing retail landscape is a financial and managing consultant for retail brands with more than 30 years of retail experience. it's great to have you.

so given the vulnerability of these internet connected devices in our homes, how hot is the trend? >> hot. and i don't think that's going to change. i think we're going to see real strength in the internet things. it's not just your thermostat. it is everything in your house, refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher. it's all going to talk to the internet. it's going say i need more soap. i need service, i need this or. that people are not going to not do it because they're concerned about being hacked. yes, will we see hacking? we will. we've already seen it. will we see people get a little more concerned? yes, i think we will. but remember, there was a time when we thought nobody was going to shop on the internet because of their credit card and we've seen plenty of hacks and, guess what, internet penetration goes up every year in retailing. it will go up every year in the devices in your house. >> so how hot cynt net shopping versus people going to malls? this is such a crucial time for holidays this holiday giving

period. what are we seeing in internet versus bricks and mortar stores? >> tuesday, wednesday, thursday, black friday, saturday, sunday, monday, 100 prosecutes of the growth came online. brick-and-mortar are flat. >> we have to call this psycher friday and cyber monday? >> it was cyber everything. and this past weekend, the 17th, should have been the biggest selling day for brick-and-mortar. the weather was awful around the country. last year we didn't have enough weather, this year had too much weather, i suspect everybody went online. if the old days if that happened, you get the sales back. now i suspect everybody went to the computer, logged on and bought it online. >> so where should retailer be focusing investment? should it go into online sales? should they be focusing on developing the apps and making more convenient for shoppers?

when is the best return on investment for retailers? >> that's a darn good question. i don't know what the return on invest sment going to be with all this money going online. it's hard to make a money online. however if, you're going to compete, you have to put your capital into online. walmart is slowing down store expansion, nordstrom is putting all money on line. macy's is cut being back on line and putting the money into the on line experience. >> my shopping experience this season has been a wide dichotomy. when i go into the local mall, it is dead as a door nail. it looks like every two store fronts are closed down and then a little shop. just no traffic. a really lackluster sense of things. i went into a discount store in the new york city area, it was jam packed. the line to check out was all around the store. what is happening for malls? are they just done? >> no, they're not done. i spent all last week in the midwest going to various malls.

malls were really slow compared to what i thought they would look like. traffic is down in the malls. across the street where there was tj max and marshals and ulta and rack and all of those sorts of things, the business was pretty good. you only had to go a few hundred yards to find a customer. so will the malls go dead? no. there are 250 great malls in america. traffic will be up. earnings are going to be up. rents are going to be up. the bad news is there are 1100 enclosed malls in the america. rest of the malls have to change or die. >> and how do they change to succeed and thrive? >> you have to be more experience. so as they see some of the anchor close down, macy's closed and 100 stores have come. they have more stores to close over time. we know sears is going to eventually close a bunch of stores. the developer has to take the boxes back and figure out what to do with it n malls that are really strong, they can put in other things that want to be there.

in malls that aren't, they have to redevelop and find something can you do as opposed to something you buy. so you go there because they're offering you a great movie theater, great restaurant, great bar or something. then hopefully you buy stuff while you're there. but we're going see at least 400 malls close, i think. >> jan, thank you so much for joining us. happy holidays. >> you too. >> we're on the money. last minute travel isn't always cheap. we'll tell you where you can get away before the new year and still get a bargain. later, if you've been putting your holiday spending on a credit card, a plan for the new year to get out of debt. and now a look at how the stock market ended the week.

now here's a look at what's

making news as we head into a new week "on the money." america's economy is growing faster than first thought. gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the size and scope of the economy, increase b ed by 3.5%. the fastest pace in two years. that's a slight increase over the previous reading of 3.2%. the dow set a new record and then flirting with the 20,000 mark. it didn't get there on friday. the nasdaq and s&p 500 pretty much following along for the ride. existing home sales climbed for the third straight month. they increase bid .7% when annual rate of more than 5.6 million. that is the strongest monthly rate since 2007. but rising interest rates and inventory shortage may slow things down next year. honda may have a new partner in the development of self driving cars. the company's research and development arm has entered into formal talks with a unit of

alphabet, the parent company of google, to add self driving technology to the vehicles. honda hopes to have the cars on the road by 2020. and if you're looking to plan a get away before the new year, believe it or not, there are still travel bargains out there. so how do you find a great last-minute deal? we have the president of online travel site kayak. great to see you. where? where is it possible to get a great deal? >> well, the air fairs are down this year in general. they're down about 13% or so year over year. it's a great year to travel. if you're looking last minute, searching on kayak, we found a couple places. can you travel domestically to the bigger locations like las vegas that, is the off time for las vegas. you can still get there for new years. if you want to go to can dashgs can you go to toronto and quebec, with the strengthst dollar, it's on sale when you go there. even mexico, there are a few place that's we found that are not overly expensive.

>> and warm. >> you have a trending list for the new year in the new city. and minneapolis and nashville are on the top ten. >> yes. >> minneapolis? >> yeah. so in our trending list, it is called our kayak hacker guide. we look at if we look at changes year over year, what is popular? what is trending and up? minneapolis we think is really driven by paisley park. a lot more interest in going to seat prince museum. nashville, it is becoming more and more fun to go there. they have a great festival going on. it's the third year they've been pushing it. a lot more people are looking to travel there. >> if you have the time to travel further away, what about europe or australia? >> this is a great year with new year's falling on the weekend, a lot of people are planning to take longer trips. sidney is trending change-up a great place for new years. the number one on our list is going to iceland. it's nice. it's not as far to most places.

iceland air is not expensive. there is a low cost airline that has fare sales all the time f you're lucky, you get the northern lights. i was just there in september and the best days'northern lights. >> and if you're cold, you sit in the hop springs the whole tame. >> exactly. there is no place like it. it is a very cool place to visit. >> who is kayak's competition? travel goerz to google and the traditional online agencies. we have a lot of content from them. we aggregate information from all the different places. and we help a consumer find a cheaper place they want to go to. >> then do people mostly go to an airline to buy their tickets after visiting kayak? >> we give them the choice. we say here is the price at expedia or priceline or american airlines. a consume kerr go to the website they want to, whatever they're comfortable. >> how do you make snn. >> we qualify the referrals. the airlines likes the travel that comes us from or the online travel agencies.

>> when you plan this last-minute travel, it is fwoer do al la cart where you pick the flight separate from a hotel or does a package deal offer you a better value? >> the important thing is you have to search. the most important thing is planning travel is kind of this close in is be flexible. you want to try and travel when other people are not traveling. if you try to travel friday to monday this weekend, it's going to be tough. go wednesday to thursday or wednesday to tuesday. it will be easier. i think the most important thing is find something you like right now. buy it. don't think about it. buy it. it's because it's not going to be there for long. >> hello red eye flight. >> that's not a bad thing. take the 6:00 a.m. flight. you'll be a little tired but you save a lot of money getting there. >> thank you for joining us. >> i appreciate it. >> we're "on the money" f you're carrying a balance on your credit card, could a new card help you get out of debt? later, putting your money to work. we'll get the latest from the ladies from the beardstown

ladies club. it is 30 years old and going strong.

a lot of people put more charges on our credit card than usual. new year and the bills right around the corner. we have a credit and banking expert from a personal website. good to see you. >> thank you for having me. >> the average household carries more than $16,000 in credit card debt. of course, over the holidays,

you can really add to that if you're not watching the numbers. how do you get the number down? >> debt is a big problem for many americans. the biggest first step we need to do is recognize that we have debt. so many americans don't want to admit it themselves that they have that debt. it is shameful. no one wants to talk about that or admit that they're in debt. >> i get offers all the time from new credit cards. many of them say can you transfer for zero% interest for a certain period of time. is that a wise choice if you really want to work on getting down that debt? >> the most important thing is make sure you're paying it off. pay the minute mums, pay more than the minute mums. setting aside bonus money and tax refunds to go against it f you're lucky enough to qualify for a transfer balance cards, it can be a great option. they allow you to postpone the interest payments for that debt for 12 to 21 months which can create a lot of breathing room. >> if you're dedicated about paying it down in the meantime. >> that's right. >> let me ask you about the federal reserve. just beginning to raise the

rates. will that affect what you're paying on your credit card debt? >> for every day american that, does mean their debt increased in cost by .25%. which isn't a lot. that's only $2.50 for $1,000 in debt. not a lot of money. but this adds up. the fed is planning on raising the rates over the coming years. we expect the credit card interest rates to be going up. >> it's hard to tackle debt if you don't tackle your spending. what strategy would you recommend for people to adjust their spending so that they can work on debt? >> they need to cut expenses. that can be cutting gym memberships they're not using, cutting cable bills, any online subscriptions they have going on in the background. those are easy steps. every american can cut expenses. >> do you have a percentage of those that pay off their balance every month and those that carry a balance? >> 37% of americans carry a balance month to month. 37%. >> so a third of us are doing that and two third are paying

off in full each month. that means a lot of americans may be struggling under the weight of all of that debt. >> yeah. >> thank you so much for the information and for the advice. appreciate that. >> thank you for having me. >> up next "on the money," a look at the news for the week ahead and stocking up. the ladies of beardstown have been investing for the last 30 years. we'll get their advice about how to stay ahead even when the markets are in the red. >> when it goes down, we don't get sad, we look for bargains. you get used to sweaty odors in your car, you think it smells

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for more on our show and guests go, to our website. and can you follow us on twitter. here are the stories coming up that might affect your money this week. on monday, the markets will be closed to celebrate the christmas holiday. tuesday marks the anniversary of radio city music hall in 1932 the famous theater in new york opened its doors for the first time. also on tuesday, we'll see how the housing sector is doing with the home price index for october. on wednesday, pending home sales for november come out. and it's also the date that the electoral votes must be received by the senate. and finally on thursday, the international trade number for november will be released. and now we head to a small town in america's midwest where abraham lincoln once practiced law. and for the last 30 years it's been home to the beardstown ladies, an all women investment

club. our kate rogers went to beardstown, illinois, to hear their story and find out where they see the next big opportunity. beardtown ladies have seen it all from the stock market soaring in the 1980s to the housing collapse in 2008 and resthaegs followed. through it all, they continued to meet once a month in beardstown, illinois, contributing a modest $25 each for what they call the three es, education, enjoyment, and earnings. >> we've been through a lot of ups and downs. we've seen the market go up and we've all smiled at the meetings. when it goes down, we don't get sad. we look for bargains. >> right. >> it's a sale. it's like a discount sale in a department store. >> you're right. >> let's go shopping. >> after launching in 1983, they rows to fame in the 199 o's. they fell out of the public eye after a mathematical error inflated the rate of return. they kept at it with 16 members

when range from the early 30s to late 80s. there say retired hog farmer and funeral parlor owner in the mix. the portfolio expanded to 17 dmpz and $450,000. >> johnson & johnson, worldwide wolverine shoe company. you know, ladies love shoes. >> aside frin vesting what they know, the ladies are also paying close attention to the election of donald trump and the market rally that followed. >> i was glad he was elected and we watched that market go down one day and it came right back up. we're looking at stocks that perhaps are going to be helped by adding more to the military and defense stocks. so this is the type of thing we're looking at. to consider buying. >> since the return scandal, they won't reveal how the portfolio is performing. but they believe they'll end the year in the green. aside from that, they're not making any calls about 2017. >> any predictions? >> no. if we did, we would not be

sitting here. we would be in aruba on a beach. >> the ladies say they greatly admire warren buffett. they even attended the berkshire hathaway annual shareholders meeting several times. their long term investors. they're watching this trump rally but not too concerned. >> so then how do they go about, kate, choosing the stocks where they're going continue to vest? >> so they used to subscribe to value line which would have all of this information about stocks and like i said in the package, they meet once a month. and they do research a ton before they invest in things. they like to choose things they know and really understand. a lot of the consumer staples. but now they have many members in younger generations so they kind of shifted to the internet. the older ladies say they feel comfortable asking the younger women how can research stocks. they say even cnbc, they shifted the way they're looking at the market. they're looking more today today than they ever have. they are more long term. >> kate, thank you so much for the story.

fascinating. >> thank you. >> and that's the show for today. i'm contessa brewer in for becky. thank you for joining us before. we go, here are the names of the people that put this show together every week. happy holidays to all. see you next week. cathy's gotten used to the smell of lingering garbage... ...in her kitchen yup, she's gone noseblind. she thinks it smells fine, but her guests smell this. ding, flies, meow febreze air effects heavy duty has up to... ...two times the odor-eliminating power to... ...remove odors you've done noseblind to

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hey there. we're live at the nasdaq market site on this christmas eve. here's what's coming up on the show. >> money will always be paper. but gold will all be gold. >> and gold is doing something it hasn't done since 1999. it could signal your opportunity to buy. we'll explain. plus, one of the hottest trump trade is about showing signs of cooling off.