the ayes are 220, the nays are 215. the bill is passed. >> health kay reform passed the health of representatives last night and it did get some gop support. how many republicans backed the bill and the next step in the battle. hurricane ida is headed for cancun as a category 1 storm right now. we're going to tell you how soon it could reach the u.s. gulf coast. ground has been broken on a permanent memorial to the flight 93 crew and passengers who died on september 11th. and one mom who lost a child explains why her sadness has turned to joy.

hey there. welcome to hln news and views for this sunday. our top story, the house of representatives passed a sweeping health care bill along mostly party lines. last night's vote was 2 wi20-22 with one republican voting for it, joseph cao, who will deseat in predominantly democratic new orleans. >> in congress, you know we will never get a perfect bill and i had to make a decision and i felt that last night's decision was the right one for my district, even though it was not the popular decision for my party. >> $39 democrat crossed the aisle to vote against the bill. now, if it becomes law, the bill will represent the biggest expansion of health care coverage since medicare was created. house speaker nancy pelosi says the bill is a huge win for

democrats. >> if our bill prevails which i'm certain it will, being a woman is no longer a preexisting medical condition, that if you have a preexisting medical condition you cannot be denied insurance, you cannot have recisions, you cannot lose your insurance, just because you've become ill. and the list goes on and on if you're a senior, the doughnut hole is closed. if you're a young person, you you can be on your you parents' policy until your 27th birthday. if you're a consumer, you are protected by the public option. the list goes on and on. >> so what's in the health care bill that the house passed? perhaps the most controversial part of the bill is that it does contain the so-called public option. the government would sell insurance to those who can't find it elsewhere are. but the congressional budget office predicts those premiums would be more expensive than insurance from private companies. other provegas visions of the bill would ban insurers to deny

coverage to people for preexisting conditions. the house bill contains strict bans on using federal money to pay for abortions. it's predicted health care coverage will be extended to 96% of americans. the vote was a defeat for house republicans who stood almost completely united in their opposition to the bill. but at least one gop member of the house says that the outcome was not a surprise. appearing on cnn, congressman michael burgess said he expected the bill to pass after president obama was elected last year. he also saided a single gop vote does not make this a bipartisan bill and that he expects there could be consequences for democrats at the polls next year. >> many of those 38 or 39 democrats that voted against this bill were looking over their shoulders at the next election. i suspect there's some other people who will encounter some anxiety at home in their distri

districts because of this vote. >> the bill now moves on to the senate where it must also pass if it is to become law. as in the house, senate democrats are having a hard time winning over republican support for the bill. if the senate passes a bill, the senate version must be reconciled with the house bill that passed last night before it can be signed into law. it's going to be a tough day toerl for commuters in philadelphia. talks aimed at ending a transit strike broke down night. bus drivers walked off the job last tuesday. the union is demanding an independent audit to make sure pension funds are secure and it says it will not start talks if a national health care overhaul plan is passed. governor even rundell had been negotiating the talks, urging union members to vote on a contract proposal. no new talks are scheduled. a shooting at a bar near a resort town killed one man and left three others injured. it happened last night near vail, colorado. witnesses say a man was being

escorted out of the bar when he pulled a gun and started shooting. he went back inside the bar, fired several more shots. police arrested a 63-year-old man in the case. we are getting new information now about the people who were wounded in the ft. hood massacre. a texas surgeon says more of them are doing better. 42 people were injured in the shooting at the army post in tex thursday. an army official says 16 of them and the suspected gunman are still hospitalized. >> all evidence at this point indicates that the suspect allegedly acted alone in the actual shootings at the readiness center on 5 november. we have seen no evidence whatsoever to date of any friendly fire occurrences during the gunfight between ft. hood law enforcement and the alleged suspect. >> major nidal hasan is not on a ventilator anymore but still in intensive care. meanwhile, friends and family are honoring the 13 people killed in shootings.

one with of them was aaron nemelka scheduled to go to afghanistan. his uncle read a family statement yesterday. >> aaron was intensely proud to serve serve under the leadership of the president. aaron believed we are all first and foremost americans, not democrats, not republicans, not white, black, brown, or any other color. aaron felt keenly the responsibility of representing both his country and his family. he was proud to follow in the footsteps of both his grandfathers that served, two uncles that are in the military, currently, and one cousin. >> the first police officer who confronted the suspect after the shooting just had her second surgery. a military spokesman says

sergeant kimberly munley is in good condition after last night's surgery. she was injured during the shootout with hasan, but it is not believed to be life threatening. her supervisor initially said that she brought down the suspect, but another officer also fired at him so the army says that matter is still under investigation. police in cleveland have identified three more of the ten bodies found you in the home of a registered sex offender. anthony sowell served 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape in 1989. he was arrested two days after police discovered the first bodies in his home last week. authorities have now identified seven victims found in or near sowell's home. the skull of an 11th victim was also found. take a look at this. this is what hit washington state. the season's first big snowstorm. this heavy snowfall shut down several highways and caused problems for drivers. but not everyone was

complaining. >> just moved here from texas, and we don't get snow in texas at alled a all. we are planning on coming skiing and shredding. we just wanted to bring the kids out to play. >> for some people, the big sheet of white is a reason to celebrate. what do you think? can you get in trouble for throwing paper during a ticker-tape parade? some people did just that during the yankees parade here in new york, but they may have picked the wrong paper to throw.

♪ o christmas tree the capitol hill christmas tree has begun its long journey to washington. the tree is an 85-foot-tall blew spruce harvested yesterday in the mountains of northeastern arizona. the 7,000-pound tree is now on a statewide tour of arizona and. the tradition of having states provide a capitol christmas tree started nearly 40 years ago. this is the first year it's come from arizona. someone paid about 54,000 bucks for the hat worn by the man who shot lee harvey oswald. jack ruby's fedora was waun one of the items on the auction block yesterday, all items linked to john f. kennedy's assassination. it came weeks before the 46th anniversary of that event. a newspaper kennedy signed for a maid the morning of his death sold for about 39,000s. it was worth about a nickel in

1963. i'm larry smith. it's the football game that could prove fatal. that's why clark is going to sit out tomorrow's game. two years ago clark nearly died after the steelers' trip to the mile high city. he has a rare sickle cell disorder that's activated by high altitudes. he had multiple surgeries and lost nearly 30 pounds. now he's recovered but one report indicates the safety will make the trip to denver but won't play in the game. >> it's a tough decision, you know. tough to go home and tell your wife that's been worried about you for a year that you're going, you know. it's tough for me to tell the guys that i don't want to play even though i've been cleared. >> his teammate heinz ward says, i love life better than football. tiger woods was in shanghai, mickelson and woods playing in the final group.

for the first time, phil beat tiger playing together in the final group. tiger, the bad shot out of the sand on 7, phil the nice putt here to save par on 16. he gets the victory, his fourth on the year. that ties a career high and wins 1.2 million in the process. well done. for the first time, the breeders cup has been won by a mare. the 5-year-old is now the favorite to become horse of the year and won her owner $2.7 million. one dunk6'8" freshman is no officially the seventh woman to dunk in a game. 25 points, 11 rebounds in that game. look out. that's sports.

a lot of businesses hope that going green will put them back on the road to success, but one family founded that just being organic by itself is not enough. mary snow looks at how they made their "turnaround". >> reporter: it's become a place where hairstylists turn to, beauty products. simply organic hair product' rise to fame was far less glamorous. its start was nearly disastrous. these two started the family in 2001. it strives to use plant-based ingredients whenever possible. but the effects of 9/11 combined with the bankrupt supplier posed an almost insurmountable challenge. >> it got so bad i had to sell my house, my car. it got to that point where every dollar we could make went back in. >> quite frankly, 2004, i said, we are not going to recover unless something dramatic

happens. let's step back and take a look at where we are. that's when the boys stepped p up rfrmgts and step up they did. their sons jeremiah, gene know and cory decided to take over the business. >> they have taken a beaten-down horse and turned it back up into a racehorse. >> it was definitely nerve-racking at the beginning not knowing where our source of money was going to come from. >> reporter: but the boys partnered with a smaller local manufacturing company who gave them discounts on raw materials. they focused on the internet to drive sales. and they went beyonded hairstyling products and introduces accessories like lip balm and candles. >> we literally went from salon to salon telling our story and building our business that way. >> reporter: the result of all of this hard work is a growing fan base. >> so excited because it was a product line that i actually believed in, but then also gave me results. >> reporter: it also pumped up the bottom line. when the boys took over, sales were less than $100,000. this year the company's on track

to make close to $4 million. the future of simply organic looks just as promising. >> i really see this as being something that i'll be passing down to my kids someday and really, truly building an amazing family business. >> reporter: mary snow, cnn, new york. >> announcer: cnn's "the turnaround" sponsored by fedex.

well, it is just nerve-racking enough anticipating being parents for the very first the time, but one minneapolis couple decided to share their experience with thousands of people online. yesterday morning they welcomed their 6 pound 8 ounce baby girl here on a social networking site called moms like me.com. the site tracked new mom lindsay's experience from day one, following her around for checkups, all the way through her eight-hour labor and delivery. cute little baby. the former teacher looked at the experience as an educational

tool and a way to create a lasting memento for her baby girl. congratulations. passengers were forced to exit a plane after some of them saw smoke coming from the engine. delta airlines says everyone got out of of the plane while it was on the taxiway here in atlanta yesterday. no one was hurt. delta says there was an engine fire. investigators are working to figure out what caused it. our "beyond the surface" report takes on a topic that most of us really want to avoid, bad breath. >> a big concern among patients obviously is bad breath. it's really the bacteria that causes in part the bad breath. pa perry don't al or gum disease is the culprit. perhaps a crown is loose. you do get that bad breath from just the bacteria under that crown. >> i have gotten many concerned parents ask me about, my chile's

breath is awful. if you look and see two big golf balls in the back of the throat, the tonsils harbor bacteria. a lot of these mouth washes are just alcoholy, minty, and they try to mask it. hydrogen peroxide, usually diluted 50/50 with water is actually a good mouth rinse. another good thing that people don't always think about doing is brushing your tongue and get any areas that my harbor bacteria. >> our "beyond the surface" report this saturday takes you to a topic that you usually want to avoid -- bad breath. >> a big concern among patients, obviously, is bad breath. it's really the bacteria that causes, in part, the bad breath. pe peridontal or gum disease is the real cause for the bad breath. you're smelling the bacteria.

perhaps a crown is a little bit lose. you do get the bad breath from just the bacteria under that crown. i have gotten many concerned parents ask me about, well, my child's breath is awful. you look and see two big golf balls in the back of the throat, the tonsils. harbor bacteria. a lot of these mouth washes are just alcoholy, minty and they try to mask it. hydrogen peroxide, usually diluted 50/50 with water is actually a good mouth rinse. another important thing that people don't always think about doing is brushing your tongue and just get any areas that may harbor bacteria. one father just got to hug his daughter for the very first time in three decades. >> i never stopped looking. it's just, you know, i never forgot about you, ever. >> they looked for each other for years and years, but they found nothing. but then, a little coincidence changed all that.

the yeas are 220, the nays are 215. the bill is passed. >> health care reform passed the house of representatives last night and it did get some gop support. how many republicans backed the bill? and the next step in the health care battle. hurricane ida is headed for cancun as a category 1 storm right now. we're going to tell you how soon it could reach the u.s. gulf coast. ground has been broken on a permanent memorial to the flight 93 crew and passengers who died on september 11th. and one mom who lost a child explains why her sadness has turned to joy.

hey, there, welcome to hln kn newses and views for this sunday. the house of representatives passed a sweeping health care bill, along mostly party lines. last night's vote was with 220-215 with one republican voting for it. that vote came from first-term louisiana republican joseph cao who holds a seat in predominantly democratic new orleans. >> in congress, as you know, we will never get a perfect bill and i had to make a decision and i felt that last night's decision was the right decision for my district, even though it was not the popular decision for my party. >> 39 democrats crossed the aisle to vote against the bill. now, if it becomes law, the bill will represent the biggest expansion of health care coverage since medicare was created more than 40 years ago. house speaker nancy pelosi says the vote was a huge win for democrats. >> if our bill prevails, which

i'm certain that it will in these respects, that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing medical condition. that if you have a pre-existing medical condition, you cannot be denied insurance, you cannot have rescissions, you cannot lose your insurance just because you've become ill. and the list goes on and on. if you're a senior, the doughnut hole is closed. if you're a young person, you can be on your parents' policy until your 27th birthday. if you're a consumer, you are protected by the public option. the list goes on and on. >> so what's in the health care bill that the house passed? well, perhaps the most controversial part of the bill is that it does contain the so-called public option. the government would sell insurance to those who can't find it elsewhere, but the congressional budget office predicts those premiums would be more expensive than insurance from private companies. other provisions of the bill would ban insurers from denying coverage to people because of

pre-existing conditions. the house bill also contains strict bans on using federal money to pay for abortions. democrats project the bill will extend health care coverage to 96% of americans. the vote was a defeat for house republicans who stood almost completely united in their opposition to the bill. but at least one gop member of the house says that the outcome was not a surprise. appearing on our sister network, cnn, congressman michael burgess said he expected the bill to pass after president obama was elected last year. he also said a single gop vote does not make this a bipartisan bill and that he expects there to be consequences for democrats at the polls next year. >> many of those 38 or 39 democrats that voted against this bill were looking over their shoulders at the next election. i suspect there's some other people who will encounter, oh, some anxiety at home in their districts because of their vote on this bill.

so we'll just have to see how that plays out. >> the bill now moves on to the senate, where it must also pass if it is to become law. as in the house, senate democrats are having a hard time winning over republican support for the bill. if the senate passes a bill, the senate version must be reconciled with the house bill that passed last night before it can be signed into law. it's going to be a tough day tomorrow for commuters in philadelphia. talks aimed at ending a transit strike broke down last night. bus drivers and subway and trolley operates just walked off the job last tuesday. the union is demanding an independent audit to make sure that pension funds are secure and it says that it will not start talks if a national health care overhaul plan is passed. governor ed rendell had been negotiating the talks. he had urged union members to vote on a contract proposal. no new talks are scheduled. a shooting at a bar near a resort town killed one man and left three other injured. it happened last night near

vale, colorado. a man was being escorted out of the bar when he pulled a gun and started shooting. he went back inside the bar and fired several more shots. police arrested a 63-year-old man in the case. we are getting new information now about the people who were wounded in the ft. hood massacre. a texas sergeant says more of them are doing better. 42 people were injured in the shooting at the army post in texas yesterday. an army official says 16 of them and the suspected gunman are still hospitalized. >> all evidence, at this point, indicates that the suspect allegedly acted alone in the actual shootings at the readiness center on 5 november. we have seen no evidence whatsoever to date of any friendly fire occurrences during the gunfight between ft. hood law enforcement and the alleged suspect. >> major nidal malik hasan is not on a ventilator anymore. he is still in intensive care. meanwhile, friends and family are honoring the 13

people killed in the shootings. one of them is 19-year-old private aaron thomas nemelka. he was scheduled to go to afghanistan in january and his uncle, who is also in the military, read a family statement yesterday. >> aaron was intensely proud to serve under the leadership of the president. aaron believed we are all, first and foremost, americans. not democrats, not republicans, not white, black, brown, or any other color. aaron felt keenly the responsibility of representing both his country and his family. he's proud to follow in the footsteps of both his grandfathers that served, two uncles that are in the military currently, and one cousin. >> the first police officer who confronted the suspect after the shooting just had her second

surgery. a military spokesman says sergeant kimberly munley here is in good condition after last night's surgery. now, she was injured during the shoot-out with hasan, but it is not believed to be life threatening. her supervisor initially said that she brought down the suspect, but another officer also fired at him, so the army says that matter is still under investigation. the "uss new york" built with steel from the world trade center is officially in service. the ceremony took place yesterday on the hudson river pier and people in the crowd said the ship is a symbol of healing and strength. >> it just represents to me the heartache of september 11th and the resilience of our nation. >> people who survived hurricane katrina built the $1 billion warship. it will transport up to 700 marines to war zones and humanitarian missions. the "uss new york" will be open to the public before returning to its home port of norfolk, virginia, this thursday. police in cleveland have

identified three more of the ten bodies found in the home of a registered sex offender. anthony sowell served 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape in 1989. he was arrested two days after police discovered the first bodies in his home last week. authorities have now identified seven victims found in or near sowell's home. the skull of an 11th victim was al found. take a look at this. this is what hit washington state, the season's first big snowstorm. now, this heavy snowfall shut down several highways and caused problems for drivers, but not everyone was complaining. >> just moved here from texas and we don't get snow in texas at all. and so we're planning on going skiing and sledding and we just wanted to bring the kids out to play. >> looks like a lot of fun. for some people, the first big sheet of white is a reason to celebrate. what do you think? can you get in trouble for

throwing paper during a ticker tape parade? well, some people did just that during the yankees' parade here in new york, but they may have picked the wrong paper to throw.

♪ o christmas tree the capitol hill christmas tree has begun its throng trip to washington. it's an 85-foot tall blue spruce. it was harvested yesterday from the mountains of arizona. the 7,000 pound tree is now on a statewide tour of arizona and will arrive in washington on november 30th. the tradition of having states provide a capitol christmas tree started nearly 40 years ago. this is the first time the tree has come from arizona. someone paid about $54,000 for the hat worn by the man who shot lee harvey oswald.

jack ruby's any dora was one on the items on the auction block yesterday in dallas. all the items were linked to president john f. kennedy's assassination. a newspaper kennedy signed for a made the morning of his death sold for about $39,000. it was worth about a nickel in 1963. i'm larry smith. veterans day weekend. last week the "uss new york" arriving in the city for which its named, made of steel from the world trade center attack eight year ago. and the navy's football team making a big splash too. how about the second straight win in south bend. they were beaten up by the irish, 43 straight years, but no longer their whipping boy. 23-21, they knock off the ranked irish and knock them out of bcs bowl consideration. real ticker tape stopped being used back in the '60s, so

some new york citiers threw important documents on to the street below during the yankees' victory parade on friday, not even bothering to pay some of them. pay stubs, documents with sensitive and personal and sensitive information on them were later found on the street. hopefully, none of them belonging to you. you may find out soon the hard way if it was. a scary season in the cal/oregon state game. this is javid best going down. landing on his head and shoulders. he had to be carted off on a stretch. he had movement in all his extremities. cal didn't recover, losing the game big to oregon state. play of the day from the arizona state/usc game. watch the bouncing ball game here. how many players does it touch before it winds up in sun devil's hands for the interception. unbelievable. count the touches if there's one, two, three. this guy has it again, six guys touch it including a right

there. arizona state didn't match up to a win. they lost to the trojans 14-9. that's sports. her father and her son were diagnosed with brain disorders, but holly robinson pete, she didn't back away. hln's robin meade has more on this breakthrough woman. >> reporter: you might recognize her from "21 jump street" or "hanging with mr. cooper," but holly robinson pete's most important roll came when her son was diagnosed with autism ten years ago. >> i had no idea what autism was, no explanation, and very few examples of hope. >> pete used everything she could about his disorder and now she's encouraging other people to learn more about it as well. >> please keep up the good work in advocating for families, for yourself, for your child's best advocate. >> she has a heart for the un r underserved and the under

treated. >> reporter: another cause close to her heart is parkinson's disease, which claimed her father. she founded the hollywood foundation with her husband, former nfl running back rodney pete. >> we get them connected with the newest procedures. service is the rent we pay for living. and i feel it's not like what you have and what you give back, but how you give back. world war ii ended more than 60 years ago, but the battleship "massachusetts" is still seeing action. and one navyman who was with her from day one is still walking the planks to help preserve history.

well, it is just nerve

racking enough paeping being parents for the very first time, but one minneapolis couple decided to share their experience with thousands of people, online. now, yesterday morning, they welcomed their six-pound, eight-ounce baby girl here on a social networking site called momslikeme.com. the site tracked new mom, lindsay's, experience from day one, following her around for checkups and all the way through her eight-hour labor and delivery. cute little baby. well, the former teacher looked at the experience as an educational tool and a way to create a lasting memento for her baby girl. congratulations. passengers were forced to exit a plane after some of them saw smoke coming from the engine. delta airlines says everyone got out of the plane while it was on the taxiway here in atlanta yesterday. no one was hurt. delta says there was an engine fire. investigators are working to figure out what caused it. a world war ii veteran was one of the first people to walk the planks of the battleship

"massachusetts." and more than 60 years later, he is still doing. photojournalist bob crowley takes us on board for a tour. >> it's so important to have ships like this. so people will know what our history was, why we went to war, the sacrifice we made, and the lives that were lost. and we're very fortunate to have someone like arman with us, because he's living history. >> it's not as easy as it used to be. i'm 87. well, i came on board may 12th, 1942, the day they put it in commission. and i got off the ship september the 12th, 1946. the day it went out of commission. i still maintain the five-inch gun so we can use them to fire for several mornings. so he takes it here, then you shoot. when i first got into the navy, i'd only been out of school for six months. it was my first time away from

home, but i soon got used to it. to get to my battle station, for the last two years, this was my general direction. i used to stay behind this closed door for hours after hours, anytime we were in battle. it's loaded with 5,000 cans of powder in there. i thought it was a great ship. and i was proud to serve on it. very few veterans of world war ii there is. they're all over 80 years old. not many left. that's one more reason to preserve the ship so people will remember. it's worth preserving this ship. yeah, it's worth it. i think so. this is a group of kids who led the groundbreaking for a permanent national memorial to flight 93 yesterday. it's going to honor the crew and passengers who died in the

september 11th crash in pennsylvania. one mother who lost her daughter said it was a joyful day. >> i was thinking of my daughter, deorra, who was a passenger on flight 93, and, you know, what she would think of -- about today. and she would be very happy and proud that people will have a permanent memorial to come to and remember her and her fellow passengers. >> and organizers say they're going to push to make sure the memorial is completed by september 11th, 2011. that's the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks. one father just got to hug his daughter for the very first time in three decades! >> i never stopped looking. it's just, you know, i never forgot about you. ever. >> they looked for each other for years and years, but they found nothing. but then, a little coincidence changed. y8

the yeas are 220, the nays are 215. the bill is passed. >> health care reform passed the house of representatives last night and it did get some gop support. how many republicans backed the bill? and the next step in the health care battle. hurricane ida is headed for cancun as a category 1 storm right now. we're going to tell you how soon it could reach the u.s. gulf coast. ground has been broken on a permanent memorial to the flight 93 crew and passengers who died on september 11th. and one mom who lost a child explains why her sadness has turned to joy.

hey, there, welcome to hln news and views for this sunday. i'm natasha curry. our top story, the house of representatives passed a sweeping health care bill, along mostly party lines. last night's vote was 220-215 with one republican voting for it. that vote came from first-term louisiana republican joseph cao who holds a seat in predominantly democratic new orleans. >> in congress, as you know, we will never get a perfect bill and i had to make a decision and i felt that last night's decision was the right decision for my district, even though it was not the popular decision for my party. >> 39 democrats crossed the aisle to vote against the bill. now, if it becomes law, the bill will represent the biggest expansion of health care coverage since medicare was created more than 40 years ago. house speaker nancy pelosi says the vote is a huge win for democrats.

>> if our bill prevails, which i'm certain that it will in these respects, that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing medical condition. that if you have a pre-existing medical condition, you cannot be denied insurance, you cannot have rescissions, you cannot lose your insurance just because you've become ill. and the list goes on and on. if you're a senior, the doughnut hole is closed. if you're a young person, you can be on your parents' policy until your 27th birthday. if you're a consumer, you are protected by the public option. the list goes on and on. >> so what's in the health care bill that the house passed? well, perhaps the most controversial part of the bill is that it does contain the so-called public option. the government would sell insurance to those who can't find it elsewhere, but the congressional budget office predicts those premiums would be more expensive than insurance from private companies. other provisions of the bill would ban insurers from denying

coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions. the house bill also contains strict bans on using federal money to pay for abortions. democrats project the bill will extend health care coverage to 96% of americans. the vote was a defeat for house republicans who stood almost completely united in their opposition to the bill. but at least one gop member of the house says that the outcome was not a surprise. appearing on our sister network, cnn, congressman michael burgess said he expected the bill to pass after president obama was elected last year. he also said a single gop vote does not make this a bipartisan bill and that he expects there to be consequences for democrats at the polls next year. >> many of those 38 or 39 democrats that voted against this bill were looking over their shoulders at the next election. i suspect there's some other people who will encounter, oh, some anxiety at home in their districts because of their vote on this bill. so we'll just have to see how that plays out.

>> the bill now moves on to the senate, where it must also pass if it is to become law. as in the house, senate democrats are having a hard time winning over republican support for the bill. if the senate passes a bill, the senate version must be reconciled with the house bill that passed last night before it can be signed into law. it's going to be a tough day tomorrow for commuters in philadelphia. talks aimed at ending a transit strike broke down last night. bus drivers and subway and trolley operates just walked off the job last tuesday. the union is demanding an independent audit to make sure that pension funds are secure and it says that it will not start talks if a national health care overhaul plan is passed. governor ed rendell had been negotiating the talks. he had urged union members to vote on a contract proposal. no new talks are scheduled. a shooting at a bar near a resort town killed one man and left three others injured. it happened last night near vale, colorado.

witnesses say a man was being escorted out of the bar when he pulled a gun and started shooting. he went back inside the bar and fired several more shots. police arrested a 63-year-old man in the case. we are getting new information now about the people who were wounded in the ft. hood massacre. a texas sergeant says more of them are doing better. 42 people were injured in the shooting at the army post in texas yesterday. an army official says 16 of them and the suspected gunman are still hospitalized. >> all evidence, at this point, indicates that the suspect allegedly acted alone in the actual shootings at the readiness center on 5 november. we have seen no evidence whatsoever to date of any friendly fire occurrences during the gunfight between ft. hood law enforcement and the alleged suspect. >> major nidal malik hasan is not on a ventilator anymore. he is still in intensive care. meanwhile, friends and family are honoring the 13

people killed in the shootings. one of them is 19-year-old private aaron thomas nemelka. he was scheduled to go to afghanistan in january and his uncle, who is also in the military, read a family statement yesterday. >> aaron was intensely proud to serve under the leadership of the president. aaron believed we are all, first and foremost, americans. not democrats, not republicans, not white, black, brown, or any other color. aaron felt keenly the responsibility of representing both his country and his family. he's proud to follow in the footsteps of both his grandfathers that served, two uncles that are in the military currently, and one cousin. >> the first police officer who confronted the suspect after the shooting just had her second surgery.

a military spokesman says sergeant kimberly munley here is in good condition after last night's surgery. now, she was injured during the shoot-out with hasan, but it is not believed to be life threatening. her supervisor initially said that she brought down the suspect, but another officer also fired at him, so the army says that matter is still under investigation. police in clooefd cleveland have identified three more of the ten bodies found in the home of a registered sex offender. anthony sowell served 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape in 1989. he was arrested two days after police discovered the first boyds in his home last week. authorities have now identified seven victims found in or near sowell's home. the skull of an 11th victim was also found. take a look at this. this is what hit washington state, the season's first big snowstorm. now, this heavy snowfall shut down several highways and caused problems for drivers.

but not everyone was complaining. >> just moved here from texas and we don't get snow in texas at all. and so we're planning on going skiing and sledding and we just wanted to bring the kids out to play. >> looks like a lot of fun. for some people, the first big sheet of white is a reason to celebrate. what do you think? can you get in trouble for throwing paper during a ticker tape parade? well, some people did just that during the yankees' parade here in new york, but they may have picked the wrong paper to throw. it's just around the corner. one of the busiest travel days. >> this year's thanksgiving travel outlook will be different than years past.

you can expect that prices will be lower this year than last, which is great news for consumers. >> and in order to get a cheaper flight, travel on an off day, like thanksgiving day. >> you can sign up for things like fare alerts, which will automatically e-mail you when the price of a fright to your destination goes down. using tools like alternate airport search can be very effective in finding a lower fare. it allows you to see airfares into several airports in the area you're visiting rather than just one. >> reporter: and know how much to spend. >> about $300 round-trip for a domestic ticket, that's a price point to keep in mind when you're shopping. if you're seeing something in that price range, particularly on the peak travel days, you're going pretty well.

♪ o christmas tree the capitol hill christmas

tree has begun its long journey to washington. the tree is an 85-foot-tall blue spruce. it was harvested yesterday from the mountains of northeast arizona here. the 7,000 pound tree is now on a statewide tour of arizona and will arrive in washington on november 30th. the tradition of having states provide a capitol christmas tree started nearly 40 years ago. this is the first time the tree has come from arizona. i'm larry smith. it's a football game that could prove fatal. that is why steelers safety ryan clark is expected to sit out tomorrow night's game, matching up pittsburgh at denver. two years ago, clark nearly died after the steelers' trip to the mile-high city. he had a rare sickle cell disorder that's activated by high altitude. he had multiple surgeries, his spleen and gallbladder removed and lost nearly 30 pounds in the ordeal. the starting safety for the steelers will make the trip to denver, but he won't play in the game. >> it's a tough decision.

you know, it's tough to go home and tell your wife that's been worried about you, you know, for a year that you're going. you know, and it's tough for me to tell the guys that i don't want to play. >> reporte >> rarely does phil mickelson get the best of that man, tiger woods, but he was able today at shanghai. mickelson and woods playing in the final group, and for the first time, phil beat tiger when playing together in the final group. tiger, the bad shot there out of the sand on 7. phil, a good putt on 16. he gets the victory and wins $1.2 million in the process. well done. for the first time, the richest thoroughbred race in north america has been won by a mare. zenyatta is now the favorite to become horse of the year. she won her owner $2.7 million. brittiney griner, the

one-handed dunk. officially, she is not seventh woman to dunk in a college game, since this was an exhibition. what a star in the making she is. 6'8" freshman, 25 points, 11 rebounds in that game. look out if you're taking on brittney griner and the baylor bears. that's sports.

well, it is just nerve racking enough, anticipating being parents for the very first time. but one minneapolis couple decided to share their experience with thousands of people. now, yesterday morning, they welcomed their six-pound, eight-ounce baby girl here on a social networking site called momslikeme.com. the site tracked new mom, lindsay's, experience from day one, following her around for checkups and all the way through her eight-hour labor and delivery. cute little baby. well, the former teacher looked at the experience as an educational tool and a way to create a lasting memento for her baby girl. congratulations. a world war ii veteran was one of the first people to walk the planks of the battleship "massachusetts" and more than 0 60 years later, he is still

doing it. photojournalist bob crowley takes us on board for a tour. >> it's so important to have ships like this so people will know what our history was, why we went to war, the sacrifice we made, and the lives that were lost. and we're very fortunate to have someone like arman with us, because he's living history. >> it's not as easy as it used to be. i'm 87. i came on board may the 4th, 1942. and i got off the ship september the 12th, 1946, the day it went out of commission. i still maintain the five inch gun so we can use them to fire for several mornings. so he takes it here, and then you shoot. when i first got into the navy, i'd only been out of school for six months. it was the first time away from home. but i soon got used to it.

to get to my battle station, for the last two years, this was my general direction. i used to stay behind this closed door for hours after hours, anytime we were in battle. >> it's loaded with 5,000 cans of powder in there. i thought it was a great ship. and i was proud to serve on it. very few veterans in world war ii there is. they're all over 80 years old. not many left. that's one more reason to preserve a ship to people will remember. it's worth preserving this ship. it's worth it. i think so. this is a group of kids who led the groundbreaking for a permanent national memorial to flight 93 yesterday. it's going to honor the crew and passengers who died in the

september 11th crash in pennsylvania. one mother who lost her daughter said it was a joyful day. >> i was thinking of my daughter, deorra, who was a passenger on flight 93, you know, what she would think of, about today. and she would be very happy and proud that people will have a permanent memorial to come to and remember her and her fellow passengers. >> and organizers say they're going to push to make sure the memorial is completed by september 11th, 2011. that's the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks. do you ever wonder what happens to all those plastic forks, cups, bottles, bags, and so on when you're all through with them? well, unfortunately, they don't just disappear. environmental researcher doug woodring found out where a lot of that stuff is ending up and talked about the problems it's

causing for today's "ecosolutions" report. >> the pervasiveness of this small material, plastic does not biodegrade, most of it does not, but it it photodegrades. this means that uv influence on the plastic when it comes, the larger pieces which can be many things just household items, which somehow find their way into the ocean where the currents are basically swirling in the middle of the pacific. all of this gets broken down by the sun and when you look at the water, it looks beautiful, but when you look at the water, you see all those particles. almost if an airplane spread plastic debris across the surface. it's not that thick, but it's pervasive. >> is that just one of the things you found?

>> that's right. it's what some of the material, about a millimeter in size and was found in our sample in marine life, sometimes without. this is the problem that has snuck under our radar in the last 40, 50 years, when plastic has really expanded in terms of its use on the planet. you might think that when it comes off a beach, it goes to never ever land, but it's floating out there somewhere. >> for more on these problems, check out our website. one father just got to hug his daughter for the very first time in three decades. >> i never stopped looking. it's just you know -- i never forgot about you, ever. >> they looked for each other for years and years, but found

nothing. but then a little coincidence changed all that. 

by the time i was 31, i had earned enough to retire. so i embarked on a new mission, helping you take care of your money. >> now from his radio studio,

your money expert. >> the new stats on the housing market were awful. for the third quarter of this year, foreclosures hit an all-time record. but it gets worse. if you look in the pipeline of what's coming in terms of people already deling went on their home, wow. we're going to have a really, really rough time with the housing market in 2010 and it's really dmoktizing because instead of it being lower priced homes, it's homes of all price levels. now, there is a good side to this. there is great, great, great opportunity for you as a buyer and it's only going to get better, especially through the winter. i'm looking forward to seeing this first one. it looks really nice from the curb.

wow, these people beat the daylights of this place. like right here where this formics a damaged. it looks awful, but would be so inexpensive to repair. small dining room, small living room. we build so much more than most of us really need. so what do you think was going on here? people were just taking containers of greease and pourig them on the carpets? i think we got some water damage. i think an inspection would be really important. i give this one an "a." how would you grade it? >> it's a great price point, take advantage of the tax credit. get moved in, not have to do a lot of work. most of the work that has to be done is user friendly. >> right. this is not a real handy man special. this one is a good buy.

this is a nice house. i can tell right from the curb and this case, the bank is doing a good job taking care of the property. i bet the family that was here spent all their time right in this area right here. i'll be right here with my big screen tv sitting here watching the nfl. you know, when i lived in the north, i had a bedroom that was the size of this closet here. this house is in great shape. now, if you look at other distressed sales in the neighborhood, it's priced about right, but compared to nondistressed sales, this one's a deal. good things can happen to bad

neighborhoods. this neighborhood behind me, very well maintained. this foreclosure on the other hand, well, it's not looking so hot. you look right here, looks like termite damage here. over here, this bay window, look at this. this is either termite, water damage or a combination of the two. well, actually, it's not as bad inside so far. as it was outside. that play set's not looking so good back there. wow. i don't think you can have a better representation of the heartbreak that the mortgage meltdown has in saying that. that bathroom is not looking so good. let's go upstairs and see what we got.

danger, will robinson. we got some serious water damage here. yeah, there's been real water damage here and the tiles are just trying to cover it up. and then more water damage up above my head. this would be one that you'd want to watch and wait for and you have to be willing to use a lot of elbow grease to get this in shape. oh, this was somebody's self-help job doing this. if this was smell-a-vision, what you would be experiencing is the absolute mold smell. hide the children. no! no! no! what were they doing?

what in the world is this? oh, look at the mold -- i was telling the truth. this is something that would tell me, this house is more trouble that i could handle. so as you've seen on my video tour, there's both tricks and treats. you really got to think through when is something a real deal versus fair market value in the neighborhood and the cost it will take you to do the repairs that that house requires an are you up to those repairs. ic tell you, i'm not. >> next -- >> i've got to learn a lot of things, but the bottom line is responsibility. i want to be smart with my money, how to make it work for me. >> the best cd rate i can find is 2.2.

i'm considering buying $300,000 worth of gold. >> wow. that's a huge amount of gold to own.

bob is with us.

bob, how are you doing? >> caller: doing fine, clark, how about yourself? >> great, thank you. i understand you want to buy some gold. >> caller: i'm thinking about it. give you a brief outline. i'm 78 years old.

i own five pieces of real estate. three of them are rental houses. and i have eight cds at $100,000 each. i'm considering the best cd rate i can find is 2.2. i'm considering buying $300,000 worth of gold. >> wow. that's a huge amount of gold to own. generally, when people want to own gold or precious metals, owning some where 5-10% is fine. but like at a max, based on what you just told me, owning somewhere like 80,000 in gold would be appropriate, but owning $300,000 in gold would be too much of your assets tied up in something that's very volatile and has significant risk over time. >> caller: all right. >> but if you're going to buy gold, i would like you to buy something that's kind of like a mutual fund of gold known as an etf. exchange traded fund is the kind of gold you should buy. research this term. gold etf fund. because a gold etf allows you to own the underlying gold without you having to handle it, store it or paying big fees to buy and sell it, but i would be careful taking too much of that low earning cd money and throwing it into gold because that would ultimately prove to be very risky. michael's with us. hello, michael. >> caller: hi, clark, how are you? >> great, thank you. i understand that you were ill recently. are you okay now? >> caller: much better. thanks for asking. last month, i had to go to an emergency room locally for flu symptoms. and saw the doctor for a few moments. paid the bill, left, everything was fine. then i get about a month later, i receive another bill for

doctor services. and is this normal? because i asked when i left the hospital what my total was. they gave me a total amount. i paid it and now, i've received another bill. i didn't have any labwork, it was basically just a doctor visit. >> so you will have, in your case, they didn't do any culture or anything to confirm you have this, that or the other? >> caller: no, just asked for my symptoms, wrote a prescription and i left. >> so your surprises should be over. do you have insurance? >> caller: i didn't at the time because i just started a new job. so when the hospital bills you initially, initially, they bill you at full retail then the attending physician bills you at full retail as well. did you know those charges are negotiable? >> caller: no, i didn't.

>> what is the doctor's bill that you were charged? >> caller: $245 and initially, i paid $200 at the hospital. >> all right. the $245 is a full retail list price. and nobody pays full retail list. what you should do is you should contact the doctor and see -- you have insurance now, say, what would my doctor charge have been under your plan and whatever that is, that would be a reasonable amount for you to pay. by now, i hope everybody in america has a toyota or lexus has checked to see if your vehicle was one of the ones affected by one of the oddest

recalls at the time. 4 million vehicles were recalled because the driver floor mat could cause an accident or fatal wreck. it's weird, isn't it? the remedy, so simple. pull out the floor mat on the driver's side and let your carpet get dirty. but most recalls aren't so simple as that. the shocker though is that most of the time, even on a recall with serious safety stuff, people don't respond. i want you to take care of it. especially if it's steering, bra braking, something like that. there's a website you can learn what's going on with your car. check it out. next -- >> is it a credit card that you already had or is it a brand new one out of the blue that you heard from that somebody was pretending to be you? >>. >> caller: it's about ten of them so far. >> no, really?

do you have a question for me? well, it's so easy to ask. just go to my website, cnn.com/clarkhoward. and click to do a video submission of your question. and who knows, you could be like ashley, asking your question of me. >> hi, i'm ashley and i need a money coach. my biggest concern relating to finances would be that i'm ill-prepared for the future. and the future meaning tomorrow and the next day. and i'm just afraid i'll keep making mistakes and continue on this cycle of destruction, as far as finances go. i like to start saving for

retirement and saving for other big expenses. i've got a retirement account now. it only exists because i worked for a big company in my last job and i automatically contributed. to since then, which was about five years ago, i haven't contributed anything. my question is, as a single 30-year-old, how do i start preparing for the future for things like family and retirement. >> ashley, ashley, ashley. five years you haven't been saving any money? don't break my heart that way. you got to get cooking with this. now, because you're self-employed, you have available to you a wonderful retirement plan, very simple to set up -- known as a s.e.p., simplified employee pension. it's very flexible how much money you contribute to it. very easy to do, you can do it with many companies that are no-commission companies. that will take care of one-half of what you need to do. the other thing was more ill-defined, saving for a family. well, for that, simple savings will do. every month i want you to automatically deposit money into

a savings account to start building up a cushion for whatever near-term needs you might have for dough. now, as for you, it's always a juggling act. trying to figure out what to do with limited resources, where your money should go. your first dollar of savings should go into tax advantage plans. you work for an employer with a 401(k) or something equivalent? that's where you start saving. next thing, you do the roth account. and then after that, you save for other things like -- well, a kid's college education. danielle, how are you doing? >> caller: i'm good. how are you? >> good. now danielle, when did you get this duplicate personality? >> caller: i found out about it this week. >> what we're talking about here is that somebody has flattered you in a way that no one wants to be flattered. >> caller: that is correct. >> they have become your clone.

>> caller: they have. >> is it a credit card you already had? or is it a brand-new one out of the blue that you heard from that somebody was pretending to be you? >> caller: it's about ten of them so far. >> no, really? >> caller: really. and they've gotten my social security number and my birth. all that information and are opening up credit cards under my, my person. >> so this individual has been a human wrecking crew. >> caller: right. >> in that they have already -- think about all the effects here. they've opened ten credit cards as if they're you. they have trashed your credit score. because suddenly you have all of these new lines of credit that have been opened everywhere that you had nothing to do with. what solves the problem, and you're even allowed to do this upfront in all 50 states to prevent what happened to you. is to freeze your credit files.

the second you freeze your credit, which you can go online and you can freeze all three of your credit files, bam! from that second forward, nobody will be able to apply for credit as if they're you. you stop them cold, 100% in their tracks. you have -- as an identity theft victim, you have access to copies of your credit reports for free, where normally people would be allowed only a single free copy of each report a year. so you have extra rights because you've already been wronged. and in most states, when you actually need legitimate access to credit, you'll be able to temporarily thaw your credit for free as well. >> caller: okay. >> so it gives you the peace of mind that you are not going to have right now until you do freeze your credit. next on "clark howard" -- >> have you ever been to australia before? >> caller: i have not, no. >> it's a fun, fun trip. are you going to drive? i don't mean to there, i mean

once you get there.

today on the "clark howard" show, you're going to learn how to stay out of harm's way of identity theft. but that's just one way you're going to learn how to fatten your wallet. you give me this next half hour, and i'm going to show you how to be your own boss. ever since i can remember, i've been fascinated by money, making it, saving it, studying it. by the time i was 31, i had earned enough to retire. so i embarked on a new mission, helping you take care of your money so you can save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >> now from his radio studio, your money expert, clark howard. >> i'm not from the fbi, but i'm here to help you.

there is a new warning from the fbi about a hot, hot scam working where you get an e-mail that pretends to be either from the fbi or the department of homeland security with a claim that there is information there that you might be interested in. what kind of information? well, there are several versions. one of them says that it's a confidential fbi report on new patterns in al qaeda financing. another one says weapons of mass destruction directory. just to give you an example of what kind of things are floating out there. and what happens if you open one of these e-mails? you end up loading viruses on your computer. what are the criminals going to do with that? they're going to try to take over your bank accounts. they'll have access to all your passwords and all the rest. these are known as trojan and key logger programs. and the key thing to you is to know that the fbi is not sending any of these. you have to be smart about any

e-mail you receive and ever opening any attachment. now, how can i help you stay out of harm's way? what's your question for me? erin is with us. erin, hi. how are you? >> caller: hey. i'm hoping you can help me keep my sanity, clark, and then i'll be okay. >> tell me how i can be of service. >> caller: my husband and i are one of those unfortunate people who are upside down on the value of their home now. and through listening to your show and advice through friends, we learned earlier in the year about possibly refi'ing through our mortgage company or doing a loan modifications through our mortgage company. so in april we started a process with our then mortgage company, we got approved, and two days later, a new mortgage company called and said, we bought your loan. we thought, okay, it's coincidence. so we started the process over, faxed in all the 60 pages of paperwork.

about three weeks ago, we got approved and literally, the very next day, again, mortgage company called and said we can't continue with the loan modification even though you've been approved because we're selling your loan effective november 1st. >> are you fannie or freddie? is your loan, behind the scenes, owned by fannie mae or freddie mac? >> caller: no, sir. >> so your loan as a modification is done or a refi is done, it's up to the individual bank, not fannie or freddie, to say whether they'll do it or not, and amazingly twice -- this is an amazing story you're telling me -- twice you've been approved and each time the rug gets pulled out from under you. >> caller: yes, sir. >> here's what you do. i want to you go to the website nfcc.org. let me repeat that. nfcc.org. you're going to put in your zip code and then it will take you to the closest national

foundation for credit counseling office, where you will be able to make an appointment with a housing counselor. and with their help, hopefully you'll be able to get this thing moving for you and your family so that you can keep your home. steve, you are headed to retirement. congratulations to you! >> caller: well, i had things go right, clark. i appreciate that. i'm just laying it out right now. i guess my question is, i've been -- let me back up. i don't know if it's once a year or twice a year, you know, the social security sends you a statement saying you have so many credits based on -- shows your income over the years and shows if you retire at 62, it's approximately this or at 65, full retirement. first of all i was wondering if you know how accurate those numbers are. >> very.

>> caller: oh, okay. >> those are very accurate, because especially as you get close to retirement, they are almost right on the money. >> caller: that's good. i'm pleasantly surprised. >> so that's not something to worry about. by the way, your social security check is going to be fine if you're getting close to that stage. >> caller: in february i turn 62. >> you're going to be fine. >> caller: the trick is trying to figure out, of that check, if i keep working versus if i take something part time. my wife works part-time, i could get by on part-time -- >> do it. >> caller: but i'm just trying to figure out -- >> do it. sometimes i talk in absolutes and sometimes i hem and haw. i will tell you that you will smile so long through your retirement years if you defer taking that social security check at 62, keep working part-time, build up more credit,

and then ultimately take your social security benefit. you're perfectly capable of working now. it will generate a much larger check from social security the longer you wait to take it, and you will have earned money when you're capable rather than what happens to so many people that get older and they won't be able to work but they need the money. >> next on clark howard -- >> caller: when i logged in, the website asked for my bank name first, my routing number, and then my user i.d. and password to my bank account. and that's where i immediately stopped. >> if she knows about the money and she turns out not to be responsible -- >> caller: i hope not. >> -- you can't keep her from taking the money and blowing it. so kind of keep it quiet this money is there.

do you have a question for me? it's so easy to ask me a question. just go to cnn.com/clarkhoward and post your online video question for me. if you do so, you could be right here with me on "money coach" where you get to ask me your question about your wallet. we're going to meet somebody right now who has a question for me about whether or not something i've talked about is really safe to do. it's time to meet tasha. >> hi, i'm tasha and i need a money coach. i want help doing a budget,

because i want to know where the money is going. there's not any extra, and if we do need extra, it's put on a credit card. and that's what i'm trying to get away from. i heard about mint.com either on the clark howard show or in the paper. mint.com is a free website you can go to prepare a personal budget. of course, you log in, use your i.d. and when i logged in, it asked for my bank name, my routing number and then it asked for my user i.d. and password to my bank account. that's where i immediately stopped and -- you know, can't do this. my question is, is mint.com a safe website to use when creating a personal budget? >> tasha, you're on to something. i use mint.com, but there is a risk because you are coughing up your passwords.

if you read their security briefing, they'll tell you all the things they do to try to make your information safe. but nowhere there does it say if they have a breach that they're going to cough up your dough if there is a problem. but they do, in fact, give you alerts that let you know later, hey, there is a big transaction going on in your account. is this okay? so that you are able, over time, to monitor what's going on. and speaking of monitoring, for you, if you were trying to track your dough, i want you to know i love mint.com. i love their competitor wesabi.com because with these sites, you can track all your income, all your outgo, all your assets so you're able to see where you can trim expenses, where you need to beef up your savings and your retirement dough. >> collette is with us. i want to welcome you. how are you doing? >> caller: fine.

thank you, clark. thanks so much for taking my call. >> yes, ma'am. how can i be of service? >> caller: yes, please. i was calling to get advice from you. my 9-year-old daughter had an accident in 2006. >> oh, is she okay? >> caller: yes, she is. thank you. we just had a court settlement and just wanted to ask the best way to save this money for her. >> did the court specify a purpose for the money for your daughter? >> caller: no. it's just that it has to be for her. >> and how old is she now? >> caller: she's 9. >> 9. what would you like the purpose of this money to be? >> caller: to save it for her in an account to use it for school or maybe later in life for her first home or something like that, flexible. >> so pretty far down the road? >> caller: yes. >> and the total amount after taxes? >> caller: it's 17,250.

>> most often what happens when someone gets a settlement like this, the lawyer who negotiated it for you will try to hook you up with an insurance person, who would then sell an annuity for your daughter. and what i prefer instead is that because your daughter is only 9 and the goal is longer term in nature, is that you look at putting the money into a mutual fund for your daughter. in her case, there is one in particular that i would like you to look at that is what's known as a tax-managed portfolio. what that will do is put this money into a mix of stocks and bonds and there will be no tax that she will owe in the years up till the point that she's an adult, and only at the time that she would sell would she owe

tax, but the way it's set up, the tax that she would owe is tiny, tiny, tiny, if any, at the time she would need access to the money. >> caller: okay. >> next on clark howard -- >> caller: we're looking at these self-directed iras that supposedly you can put real estate in them. >> that is something that just freaks me out. that is such a smart way to handle car buying because it means that you will never owe more on the car than what it's worth. and it means you will own it free and clear without any monthly payment for years and years and years.

ed is with us. ed, how are you? >> caller: good afternoon. very well. and you? >> wonderful, thank you. >> caller: i need advice on an area that is a bit confusing, and that is self-directed iras. my wife and i have accumulated a little bit of money in regular iras, not roths. we've had them in cds, and as

you know, they're not paying much right now. >> the money in this ira, is it money you'll need in the next few years, next 10, next 20 or never? >> caller: we want to live off the ira. >> starting how soon? >> caller: we're starting to eat into the principle right now because of the low interest rate. we're looking at these self-directed iras that you can supposedly put real estate in them. >> that is something that just freaks me out. >> caller: they are scary. >> what are you thinking of doing in terms of real estate? are you thinking of owning real estate inside that ira? >> caller: yeah, buying a condo in a resort area, the kind that you can rent out, you know. >> owning an investment property inside an ira really costs you in so many ways, because real estate is best owned in a taxable way, because there are so many tax advantages to owning

it. you know, in an ira -- and if you have somebody handle the self-directed aspect of you actually owning actively managed real estate in one, you pay a lot of fees for that. i mean, there is a way for you to diversify into real estate without having to actually own and manage, and that is in your self-directed ira, you can own a real estate mutual fund. if you look at the tax advantages to owning that as a taxable asset, you won't consider any further at all owning that inside an ira. and rodha is with us. how are you? >> caller: very good, clark. how are you? >> wonderful. >> caller: thank you for taking my call. i love your show. >> thank you very much. >> caller: i do have a question. my husband and i are looking at buying a new car, and the manufacturer has incentives

going on right now. either you get cash back or you get 0% for 36 months. i'm trying to hear from you what is the better way to go. >> well, there is no one right answer on that because if you were to get the 0% financing versus what you might be able to get at a credit union -- are you a credit union member? >> caller: i'm not. but i got preapproved for a loan for under 4%. >> you're already in the right territory. if you compare, and you have to run the numbers on this, you do an amortization schedule where you figure out which is actually going to be the cheaper for you. some of the easiest calculators, you'll find some available for cars on edmonds.com, and then you'll be able to see exactly which of the two alternatives

would be cheaper. normally on a short loan cycle like that, with you getting such a cheap, cheap rate from whatever lending source you found at the under 4%, you'll usually do better taking the whichever lending source you found at the under 4%, you'll usually do better taking the $2,000 off and taking out the low-cost loan. and did you know you're a genius. >> caller: i am? >> yes. >> caller: how? >> for taking out a three-year loan. >> caller: oh, thank you. >> if you went back 40 years ago, the only loans people ever took out were three-year car loans. and we've gotten away from that. but that is such a smart way to handle car buying, because it means that you will never owe more on the car than what it's worth. and it means you will own it free and clear without any monthly payment for years and years and years. good for you.

i've had so many calls from people who are just absolutely fit to be tied by the notices they're getting from their credit card companies. credit card companies are racing new legislation that takes full effect in february of next year that restricts when a credit card company can raise interest rates on you and when they can change terms and conditions on you as well. now, they have to give you longer notices. that's already happened. well, what kind of things are credit card companies doing in advance? well, number one, they're switching how your interest rate is calculated on your credit card moving from fixed-rate offerings to variable rates. why is that significant to you? well, here's the deal. the rate that the variables work off of is something known as the prime rate. the prime rate's extra low right now. when the prime rate rises, your interest rate will rise on your credit card, as well. how do you fight back against a changing interest rate? pay off your balances. then they can't charge you. >> next on "clark howard" --

>> even if it means you have to delay finishing school for a while till you've saved up money, pay it with cash, do not under any conditions take out private student loans, because they are the most miserable experience.