i heard about mint.com either on the clark howard show or in the paper. mint.com is a site 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 said, i can't do this. 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

on "clark howard." >>> do you have a question for me? it's so easy to ask, just go to my website, cnn.com/clarkhoward. you could be like ashley. asking a 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

most important thing, though, is save, save, save. >> next on clark howard? >> we definitely always try to save. i think you've always got to be prepared for the worst. >> they then purposely messed up your computer and then held your computer hostage and wanted you to buy your computer back from them. they kidnapped your computer. >> caller: right. >> catch that and more this sunday at 4:00 p.m. on clark howard. >> dave, how can i be of service to you? >> caller: i'm in market for the home. in the particular area that we're searching, there's no shortage the properties. i'm very familiar with the area. and as a result. i haven't felt the need for a services of an agent at this point. i'm wondering if it's customary, or possible to expect that if there's a gap in the asking price versus what i'm prepared to offer, if agents would be known to make a deal with the seller to come down on the commission, after the fact? is that something that's -- >> not after the fact, but as part of the negotiations. let's say, let's say the listing agent has a listing agreemen

on clark howard. >> dave, how can i be of service to you? >> i'm in the market for a home and there's no shortage of properties in the area we're searching. i'm very familiar with the area and as a result never felt the need for the services of an agent at this point. i'm wonder fg it's customary or possible to expect that if there's a gap in the asking price versus what i'm prepared to offer if agents would be known to make a deal with the seller to come down on the commission after the fact. is that something that -- >> well, not after the fact but as part of negotiations. let's say the listing agent has a listing at 6%. you are coming there with no agent that they have to co-op with. where normally they would get somewhere -- depending on the real estate market, it's not quite 3-3, but it would be a share of the commission. >> caller: right. >> it would be completely customary that there would be some sharing in the savings by you and the seller, but what you're asking is correct, because that agent is likely to make a higher commission t

john, welcome to "the clark howard show." how are you? >> caller: hi, clark. thanks for taking my call. >> my pleasure. what's going on with your wife? >> caller: what's going on is very simple. back in, i believe it was, '94 and '95, she had a settlement for a credit card debt. and it was settled and there was a settlement drawn up and all, and it was a done deal. now, in '02, approximately, the same company sent a collection agency on her for the same debt that was settled, and i believe that she showed the settlement papers and it was dropped. now just yesterday, a subpoena was dropped here for the same company. >> no way. she was served court papers? >> caller: yes. i'm serious. yes. >> this is very important. very important. you ready? >> caller: yes. >> what happened was a collection agency bought what's known as zombie debt. the bank your wife reached a settlement with 15 years ago, they are reporting her still as not having paid this and some zombie collector paid the bank, a penny or two cents on a dollar on this debt. even if she had not paid it, it

>>> next on "clark howard --" >> that's not going to be an issue.my girlfriend's family lives there. >> free housing? >> caller: yes. >> free? you beat me, didn't you? 

. >>> now, from his radio studio, your money expert, clark howard. >> you know what? we as americans can do so much more with less. and it's rhetoric that we've all heard, maybe we've even talked it ourselves. but now we're walking the talk. and i got proof in several areas. first, you want video entertainment? well, you can entertain yourself all you want for $1. i can't guarantee the movies will be good, but redbox is booming. those are those fancy vending machines that are popping up all over the place, where you can rent all the late release moviesth and you know what? it's $1 per day. just don't forget about the thing, because it's $1 every day until you remember to return it. video games? i saw recently that the rental of video games as an alternative to buying them, is up 30% in the last year. again, another cheap way for you to have entertainment at home. and third? if you are in college, going to college, or know someone who is, how about renting textbooks instead of buying them? probably never heard of that. there's a website called chegg.com, where you can

on "clark howard." >> let me get do you complete this form right here. and your name and social right here. i need you to give this back to me. >> a lot of people are experiencing unemployment for the first time in their lives. and they don't know exactly how the process works. i'm at a state unemployment office. we're going to hear what people experience when they walk in, plus, what unemployment has been like for them. how are you today? >> all right. i put your advice to work. >> all right. we're here with elizabeth, who is a real brainiac. you have just completed a degree in -- >> physics. >> physics. >> from emory university, my masters, actually. >> your university where you just got your masters. are there services available to you there to help you network and look for opportunities? >> yes, there are. the career center at emory university is available for two years for any graduate. i came here just to expand my number of opportunities. to look for jobs. >> and you seem pretty energetic and enthusiastic about this. >> it is sometimes difficult t

. >>> now your money expert, clark howard. >> why am i smiling? when you hear what i'm going to talk about, you'll think -- have i lost my mind? foreclosure rates are likely to rise according to experts the rest of the year and into 2010. why would that make me smile? because i don't believe it. in spite of the fact that increasing numbers of americans are delinquent on their home loans as and you move up the price point in house, you have an increasing number of people in trouble, the reality is that lenders are finally getting smart about another way out. throughout the first half of this year, the idea of doing a short sale, where a lender agrees to negotiate a lower selling price for a house, and they take a hit on the mortgage balance? was really something talked about that really didn't happen. real estate agents were frustrated beyond belief. but now to the benefit of home owners and, yes, banks, and especially for people buying homes, short sales are actually working. so are we going to see the millions and millions of foreclosures? i don'

i'm clark howard. r more ways for you to fatten your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> and you can get much more advice from clark today at noon eastern time. clark's going to help you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. >>> one doctor is on a mission to help people see more clearly. >> if not for the doctor, i probably would have lost my vision in the not too distant future. >> and costly cataract surgery came at just the right price for people who had no job or no insurance.  >>> two suicide car bombings in baghdad have killed at least 74 people and wounded more than 265. one was outside the governor's building and one was near the justice ministry. and as many as 20 people died after two trains crashed right into each other outside cairo, egypt last night. officials say the wreck may have happened because the first train stopped after hitting a water buffalo. then a second train that was speeding plowed right into the back of the first train. >>> and global warming protesters to

i'm clark howard. for more ideas to protect yourself, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> more tips to protect your money are coming your way on clark's show today at noon eastern time. he will help you save more, spend more, and avoid getting ripped off. >>> it seems the recession has forced many unemployed women to retool. you're going to meetd a few who are learning how to hammer out a career in an industry still dominated by men. a few who are learning how to hammer out a career in an industry still dominated by men. >>> japan's former finance minister was found dead in his home today. police don't know what caused his death but ruled out foul play. he was 56 years old. he resigned from his post in february being three days after appearing intoxicated at a news conference. he apologized for his behavior but denied it was because he was drinking heavily. >>> the daughter of dr. martin luther king jr. may soon head the southern christian leadership conference, her father co-founded the group. bernice king

i'm clark howard. to are more ways for you to fatten your wallet, go to cnn.com/clark howard. >> for a whole lot more money saving advice, don't miss clark's show at 4:00 this afternoon eastern time right here on hln. >>> here is one of those, what in the world videos? a deputy's car got caught up in some dangling power lines after it knocked down a utility pole. it was hit by another car while racing to answer a car. it started a grass fire, as you can see, under the car. good news, the deputy was able to get out. no one was hurt. >>> so some chefs wanted to prove that their ancestors are the ones who came up with hummos. they wanted to say that hummus is a popular deal among israelis and a brabs. >>> have you ever wondered what a cross between a lizard and a dragon looks like? check it out. more than 100 slithering papermy shay monsters. hundreds of people on the streets to watch it. not just any will do. they have to be at least 13 feet high or nine feet wide. >>> most of rod stewart's long-time fan

i'm clark howard. for more ways for to you save a buck, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> oh, yeah, clark has more ways for to you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off on "the clark howard show" today at noon eastern time, right here on hln. >>> the defense department posted an online account of a massive firefight in afghanistan. this battle took place october 3rd and is told by u.s. service members who fought it. >> probably 90 seconds into the fight they ended up hitting one of our generators. so we lost all power. at that point, i made a call up to faubaustic, and basically said we're taking heavy, heavy contact. at that point, i knew that this was something bigger than normal. >> immediately we found out that mortar systems were unable to fire at that time, so we started working on other assets to see exactly what fire assets we could use. >> i think the numbers were so more significant than 25 to 30 that we got -- they got 25 to 30 with that initial push. because we were basically surro

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to pack a punch in your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> and if you want even more ways to make your money work for you, don't miss clark's show today at 4:00 p.m. eastern. he will help you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >>> it looks like cocaine, is marketed like cocaine and kicks like cocaine. but this kind of blow? yes, it is legal. the controversy surrounding a new energy drink. >>> after days of frantic searching, a newborn boy is found safe. police got a break in the case from parking lot surveillance video. >>> one is facing real tragedy after a violent beating outside an atlanta nightclub. >>> pushes limits with a controversial marketing campaign. just how close to a drug can caffeine get? >>> good saturday to you. you're watching hln on this first weekend in october. so glad you are. i'm susan hendricks. we'll have stories just ahead, but first a newborn boy kidnapped from his mother has just been found. >> seven days old, antho

i am clark howard, and for more ways for you to keep your wallet ship shape, go to cnn.clarkhoward. >> in these times clark will save you more and help you spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >> a city in guatemala is the cradle of civilization.  >>> nobody was asleep in the cockpit, and no arguments took place. other than that, i cannot tell you anything that went on because we're having hearings this weekends and having hearings on tuesday. all that information will come out then. >> the first officer of a northwest airlines flight over shot the destination about 150 miles spoke out there. neither he or the pilot was sleeping and he said there was a lot of misinterpretation going on about what happened. >>> and memorial services are going on today for a priest that was found dead yesterday at the church. police are investigating the death as a homicide. >>> with that, the stock market ended the week on a down note. the dow jones industrial average fell 109 points yesterday while all of the broader markets saw declines. the losses come after two weeks of gains and multimonth ad

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to invest wisely, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >>> and that's just one tip from clark. you'll get much more good advice by watching clark's show today at noon eastern. and in a struggling economy, clark will help you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >>> some car wash customers can see what they think is the virgin mary while they wait for service. you won't believe how the image ended up in such an unlikely place. >>> they're giving him the nobel peace prize? >> people all over the world are weighing in on obama winning the prize, but find out why many say he doesn't deserve it. >>> people found what appear to be human bone fragments found in the yard of phillip garrido. now they may know where those bones came from. >>> a tsunami in american samoa wiped out this parking lot in just a matter of seconds. >>> thanks for spending your saturday with hln. i'm holly firfer standing in for natasha curry. obama and his national security advisers met with

all you do is go to cnn.com/clark howard. you got a question about credit cards, checking accounts, cars, houses? you name it, go to cnn.com/clark howard and that's also the address you visit if you might want me to be your money coach. upload a video telling me your story or fill out the e-mail form and maybe you will be a candidate on money coach. you know what else is there? commentaries from me. i've got a website for you that is full of money saving tips. it's cnnmoney.com. here's hopi harlow with new info for you. poppy? >> rising unemployment is creating an interesting new trend. according to the census bureau, one of eight people between 25 and 34 are moving back in with the parents. so your mom or dad and your kid found their way back into the nest, cnnmoney.com has tips on how to deal with the situation. first of all, don't baby your babies. while your kid is looking for a job, charge them rent and assign responsibilities around the house. recommend job search websites or help them network with your friends and sugg

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to be smart with your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >>> for more ways to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. stay with us for the "clark howard show" right at on hln. >>> deaths from the h1n1 are rising, especially among children. but as kitty pilgrim reports, only a small percentage of the vaccine needed to combat the outbreak has been shipped. >> it's week 41 of the swine flu epidemic and the delivery of vaccine is still uncertain in many parts of the country. the injectible vaccine only shipped this week. >> initially, you know, we only had the nasal spray available but now it's about half and half available and it will be coming out towards the states relatively soon. >> the cdc has now ordered enough to provide 251 million doses, but as of this past monday, only a fraction of that order 9.8 million vaccines were available to be shipped. only one maker of the swine flu vaccine is manufacturing all its swine flu vaccine for the u.s. market

i'm clark howard, check me out at cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> don't miss t"the clark howar show" right here on hln. >>> it's safe, spooky and for some the perfect way to spend halloween. horror movies have some people so hooked they just can't get enough. so what exactly keeps these fear fanatics coming back for more?  . we want him off the streets, that's what we're trying to say, we want him off the streets as quickly, as quickly and as fast as possible. >> police make a gruesome discovery in a cleveland home. >> the coast guard and navy are pulling out all the stops in the search and rescue mission. but chances of finding survivors may be fading. >>> the stock market took a header just as the fed says the economy is growing again. but one thing may be missing to keep the recovery going is you. hey, good morning, it's saturday, i'm natasha curry, thank you for watching "hln news and views." police in ohio are looking for this man, 50-year-old anthony sowell. when they got inside his home, they found two decomposing bodies upstairs and a freshly dug grave in a basement with another body

i'm clark howard. for more ideas to protect yourself, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> more tips to protect your money are coming your way on clark's show today at noon eastern time. he will help you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. >>> it seems that the recession has forced many unemployed women to retool. you'll meet a few who are learning how to hammer out a career in an industry still dominated by men. >>> japan's former finance minister was found dead in his home today. police don't know what caused his death, but ruled out foul play. he was 56 years old. he resigned from his post in february, three days after appearing intoxicated at a news conference. he apologized for his behavior, but denied it was because he was drinking heavily. >>> former alaska governor sarah palin isn't the only member of her family to quit their job. last month, her husband, todd, walked away from his oil field job. his resignation comes nearly two months after his wife stepped down as alaska's governor.

i'm clark howard for more ways to protect yourself go to cnn.com/clark howard. >> and clark will teach to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. catch him at noon eastern on saturdays and sundays right here on hln. >>> a man told a jury that he was too fat to commit murder. he is accused of climbing a staircase to kill his former son-in-law who was in a custody dispute with his daughter. prosecutors say that he cleaned up the crime scene and made a fast getaway before police arrived. the defense says at the time of the crime he weighed 285 pounds and was just too unhealthy. >> short of breath, sleep apnea, diabetes, classic overweight guy and yet they say he fired a shot from four steps down, jumped up, fired five shots, all of which hit their target. >> i had no reason to want him dead. >> did >> did you care about him one way or the other? >> no, sir. >> did you murder paul? >> no, i did not. >> i have nothing further. thank you. >> prosecutors say he researched how to build gun silencers and did internet searches on how to commit the perfect murder. >>> bob van dillen h

i'm clark howard.heck me out at cnn.com/clark howard. >>> and you can get much more helpful advice today at noon eastern. don't miss the clark howard show right here on hln. >>> anna nicole smith's boyfriend and two others will have to go on trial. why a judge believes there is enough evidence to prosecute howard stern and two doctors. >>> nine banks, all part of the same major holding company are shut their doors. that brings it total to 115 banks, closed by the fed so far this year. an average of ten banks have failed every month in 2009. but that is still nowhere close to the 1989 record high of 534 bank closures which took place in the savings & loan crisis. >>> a tanker here has stopped leaking oil in to san francisco bay. the leak started yesterday morning when a fuel line ruptured on a panamanian flagged tanker in a fuel transfer. san francisco's mayor says hundreds of gallons of oil have spilled into the bay. officials are telling people not to swim in the bay and to avoid local beaches. the co

i'm clark howard. for more ways to be smart with your wallet, go to cnn.com/clark howard. >> clark will teach you how to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off, catch him noon eastern on saturdays and sundays right here on hln. >>> when a man learns how to harness electricity and invents bifocals you don't go stealing his hat, right? what ben franklin did to stop a guy who apparently tried to get away with his stuff. huh-hu! >>> hey, it's the 1st of october. time flies, doesn't it? good morning. i'm natasha curry in for robin meade today. >>> thousands of people may be buried in the rubble from a major earthquake. now a second quake hit. >>> the health care debate is getting nast yes. a democrat is refusing to apologize for a speech his republican opponents are calling despicable. >>> also, shades of former president george w. bush, a shoe thrower takes center stage. >>> the fear is thousands of people may be buried in the rubble from yesterday's earthquake in indonesia. a second quake hit

i would buy early, now. >>> next on "clark howard." >> that's not going to be an issue.y girlfriend's family lives there. >> free housing? free? you bet me, didn't you?   >>> richard heene, the so-called balloon boy's father, left us scratching our heads again today. we were told to expect a big announcement, but we got a big surprise instead. >>> pressure is mounting for a louisiana justice of the peace to resign. what he refused to do that has the state's republican governor and one of its democratic senators outraged. >>> and lots of people like to dress up for halloween, but an immigrant's rights group says this costume is more of a bad trick than a good treat. >>> you're watching hln news and views. i'm holly firfer. when you call a news conference, you're expected to make news. that's not what happened in colorado this morning. richard heene contacted the media to say he had an important announcement. he came out on time, approached the microphones, and then asked the media to write down their questions and drop them into a box at his front door. he then wa

i'm clark howard. more ways to save a buck, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark has even more ways for you to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off on the clark howard show today at 4:00 p.m. eastern time right here on hln. >>> if you have a sweet tooth, you may want to head to south florida after seeing this. we'll introduce you to an ice cream parlor where homemade treats are served up in massive proportions. kitchen sink, anyone? >>> this was the scene that turned into an all-out gun battle in a bar in toledo, ohio. people had already scrambled out the door. [ gunfire ] unbelievable. a few minutes later, a second camera captured several people outside firing into the bar. amazingly, no one was struck, even though as many as 20 shots were fired. police are trying to identify the gunmen and figure out what started the shoot-out. >>> a teacher who grabbed the wheel of an out of control school bus only to die when it crashed in a ditch is being hailed as a hero. officials from the utah schoo

go to cnn.com/clark howard. >>> if you want more ways to make your money work for you, don't miss clark's show today at noon eastern time. he's going to help you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped auchlt off. >>> in's a federal ban on pilots bantering while taxiing and flying under 10,000 feet. that rule is broken pretty often. in a few instances, the consequences have been deadly. >>> an 18-year-old driver will spend life in prison for the death of a classmate. he drank shots of rum in the party and then drove a car. the driver had been warned before about driving without a lie sense. >> pilots are banned from chitchatting while taking off and landing. that rule has been broken with deadly results. gene meserve explains. >> reporter: minutes before a 2004 plane crash in kirksville, missouri that killed 13 people, a joking pilot says, love to poke my head back around and say, you know, ladies and gentlemen, uh, we've thought about it. a laughing co-pilot, it was a unanimous up here. the pilot continues, we've come to the conclusion that you people should all shut the blank up

good deal. >>> next on "clark howard" -- >> not just players in the ballpark.ney questions for me. so do the fans. >>> president obama wins the world's most prestigous prize for peace the same week he plans the future of this nation's fight in two major wars. >>> a mother supported gun rights so much she wore one to her child's soccer game. then she became a victim of gun violence herself. this family tragedy was viewed live via web cam. >>> people joked about it being a bomb the moon mission. for astronomy buffs the bomb was no joke. when they got up in the wee hours to see two spacecraft hit the moon. what some of them are saying about the less than spectacular show. >>> hey there. thanks for having us over. you're watching hln. i'm virginia cha. baseball fans in colorado will have to wait another day to see the rockies play their home opener in this year's postseason. major league baseball has postponed tonight's divisional playoff game between the rockies and phillies due to this -- snow. it's the scene inside the stadium in denver earlier today. the game h

i'm clark howard. for more ways for to you save a buck go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> oh, yeah, clark has more ways for to you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off on "the clark howard show" today at noon eastern time, right here on hln. >>> surrounded by taliban fighters and outnumbered a battle on october 3rd lasted 12 hours. now the u.s. troops who fought on the front lines in afghanistan are reliving that attack. >>> the defense department posted an online account of a massive firefight in afghanistan. this battle took place october 3rd and is told by u.s. service members who fought it. >> probably 90 seconds into the fight they ended up hitting one of our generators. we lost all power. at that point, i made a call up to faubaustiv, and basically said we're taking heavy, heavy contact. at that point i knew that this was something bigger than normal. >> found out that moror mortar systems were unable to fire at that time, work on other assets to see exactly what fire assets we could use.

the clark howard show airs saturdays and sundays right here at noon on had hln. >>> in this struggling economy, clark will help you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >>> the fame kills tour is dead for kanye west and lady ga ga. what concert organizers are saying to those who bought tickets. >>> good mother. are you awake? in just a few hours you are going to know whether president obama's olympic bid was a slam dunk or a strikeout. the president stayed up you late last night to try to snag the summer games for chicago. we've got details on the fierce competition. >>> and you're going to hear david letterman's shocking revelation. he admits to having affairs with some of his employees and he also says he was the target of a blackmail plot. >>> plus -- a mom is accused of being so drunk she passed out in her minivan. and her young kids apparently wandered for miles. >>> and her own husband says she's stupid. >>> president obama and the first lady spent the wee hours of the morning pushing to get the summer olympic games to chicago. now they're headed back to the u.s. f

i'm clark howard. to protect yourself, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark will teach you to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off, so catch him at noon eastern on saturdays and sundays right here on hln. >>> a man drove into a huge sinkhole last month, but it may not have happened like we thought. in fact, the driver has now been arrested. there were supposed to be barrels blocking the road, but a witness tells police that the man drove around barrett rels and got stuck in the sinkhole then. so he moved the barrels to make it look like they were blocking the road. the driver is facing several charges. >>> people cannot stop talking about the balloon boy saga. there is a new zinger from the now famous cnn interview that will keep you talking about it.

i'm clark howard. check me out at cnn.com/clarkhoward. >>> clark, easy to save more and spend less. catch him at noon and 4:00 eastern on saturdays and sundays here on "hln." >>> getaway day friday, not such a hot day. here's bob. >> pretty rough, robin. so far, a 70-minute delay in philadelphia. that's probably going to grow. laguardia, 65-minute delays. an hour or more delay already beginning to pop up around new york city metro, including newark across the river. philadelphia, 70-minute delay that will continue through the morning with the low clouds and the wind. d.c. metro including baltimore, shorter dollars, same thing, wind and rain. san francisco, yesterday about an hour delay because of low clouds. today, roughly the same thing. that gets out by about noon pacific time. more on that in a half an hour. >>> most of us were on the edge when we thought a little boy may have been floating away in some crazy looking helium balloon. that didn't stop the late night comedians from pouncing on it.  >>

hln money expert clark howard is here to do that. listen to ken and lisa's story and listen to clark's advice. >> my name is ken. >> i'm lisa. >> and we need a money coach. our financial situation is pretty stable, but with the current economy you never know. we're trying to get a handle on our debts and how we should handle paying those off. our two largest debtses are a home mortgage and our home equity loan. one of the extra things is the car. it's really owed. it's got a lot of miles we're going to be needing another car. should we be paying more on the principal on our mortgage, or should we be throwing as much money as we should to the home equity loan as possible? >> love your question, but it's actually the wrong one. you know why? because you have relatively low balances on your mortgage and your home equity line of credit, the interest rates are reasonable, too. just pay those as agreed. but what you really need to be aabout is taking that money and stashing it into savings so that you can make a substantial down payment whe

i'm clark howard. for more money saving advice, go to my website, cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> the man has all of thing e angles. you couldn't get from point a to point b across the bay area today. a hellish commute for all of the drivers. they probably had to take b.a.r.t. or take the long way. many did not have a way to get to work and may not indefinitely. a piece of steel fell last night and it caused a minor traffic accident. >>> we picture a cozy home near the mountains with a summer college but not this family. their summer cottage 40,000 square feet that can be yours if the price is right. xxxxxxx >>> new developments in the brutal attack on a 15-year-old california girl. police in that area say they arrested three more people in the gang rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl outside her own homecoming dance. there are five people in custody. our affiliate has more on the shocking reaction among some of the students. >> reporter: this has really outraged the community here. let me tell you wha

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to protect your wallet gorks to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark will teach you to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. catch him noon eastern on saturdays and sundays here on hln. >>> it is breast cancer awareness month and here's a woman that took a stand before she was a statistic. lindsey aber in is today's breakthrough woman. >> at 23, lindsay took the extreme step of having both her healthy breasts removed. >> i have a very strong family history. when my mom was only 18, her mother and grandmother died a week apart both from breast cancer. >> abner's mother was diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer and carried a gene. >> when someone tells you up to an 87% risk lifetime risk of breast cancer, it changes everything. i couldn't live like that. >> she chose to -- >> i didn't have a cancer and yet i was living with this very, very significant increased risk. >> so she started bright pink, a network for cancer awareness and support. abner helped th

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to fatten your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark will teach you to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >>> an investigation is showing that the dallas cowboys practice facili facility should not have collapsed last spring. >> the video we saw was just horrible. one team assistant was left paralyzed. he and another coach are suing the buildings manufacturer. a probe has determined that the building was engineered to withstand winds up to 95 miles per hour. the attorneys say the agency's report contains incorrect asumtss. >>> two days after braylon edwards allegedly punched the cz trimm browns traded him to the new york jets. it could be a consequence dense? the nfl is investigating to see if he violated the league's conduct policy. the man he allegedly hit is a friend of lebron james. and that sparked some chatter that there is bad blood between the two cleveland athletes. of course, they're not in cleveland if the sports reports correct.

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to save a dollar, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >>> mild winds, cold temperatures, that's what you want to hear, if you're on the crews working this fast-moving wildfire in southern california. the sheet fire burn more than 7,000 acres and is threatening dozens of homes in san bernardino county. fire officials say between 4,000 and 6,000 people have been told to leave. the resort town of wrightwood is under a mandatory evacuation order. residents quickly gathered what they could and threw it in their vehicles and got out. >> got everything we could think of. clothe, computers, pictures. albums. >> mostly just clothes and valuables. this is stuff from my wife's family. >> we evacuated 40 head from my ranch last night. >> california governor arnold schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for the county. also ten area schools are closed because of this fire. >>> the man accused of secretly taping espn reporter erin andrews in the nude will go before a chicago j

i'm clark howard. for more money saving advice go to my website, cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> thank you, clark. clark will teach you how to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. catch him at noon eastern saturday and sunday on hln. >>> here's a sign of what you could face trying to get the h1n1 vaccine. health officials in mesa county, colorado, say they were offering 400 appointments for high priority groups to get the vaccine and all the slots were gone in just 35 minutes. crystal, who is pregnant, missed out. >> so i call it today and they told me that all the appointments are filled up. i'm trying to protect myself and my baby and it's kind of hard to when they don't have any. >> health officials expect more vaccines next week and says everyone who wants one will get it in the end. >>> princess kiana. >> and with that disney officially welcomed the first african-american princess to the magic king done. princess tiana is one of of the lead characters in the movie "the princess and the frog"

i'm clark howard. ou to protect yourself go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark will teach you to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. catch him at noon eastern on saturdays and sundays.

i'm clark howard. check me out at cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> catch clark at noon and 4:00 eastern on saturdays and sundays right here on hln. >>> that's new. he's got an additional showing at 4:00 p.m. if you're getting up late. >>> he may have been on the edge when we thought a little boy was floating away on a heal ylium balloon, but that didn't stop late night comedians from hopping on that story!

i'm clark howard.ore ways for you to pack a punch in your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark will teach to you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. catch him at noon eastern on saturdays and sundays right here on hln.

i'm clark howard.more ways to keep your quality ship-shape, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> so he's the guy to learn how to save more and spend less. clark howard on the weekends on hln. >>> fans in china will get to see the michael jackson documentary. china only allows 20 imported movies each year. the movie got the approval from government sensor. it premiers around the world on october 28. it features footage from michael jackson's final concert rehearsal before he died. >>> he's ripped on celebrities and politicians in sex scandals and now he's had the chance to make fun of himself. 

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to stretch your buck, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark will teach you to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. catch him at noon eastern right here on sartsz and sundays on hln. >>> the 30th national shrimp festival kicks off in alabama. you can buy what is believed to be one of al capone's old hideouts. the minimum is $6 million. >>> this woman was robbed, beaten and kidnapped. now she's talking about the ordeal, that she thought she would never survive.

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to fatten your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> so clark will teach you to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. catch him at noon eastern on saturday and sundays right here on hln. >>> you could call 2009 the year of the swine, the swine flu, anyway. and you've got to see the long list of celebs who now have it.

i'm clark howard. for more ways you can clean up your act, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> the die riff an angry black woman made a famous hollywood director pretty mad himself. >>> students from a college in st. louis filed complaints of racial discrimination against a pretty popular bar in chicago. this is what happened nearly 200 students were on a class trip and they say that every black student was told they couldn't come in. the class president says the african-american students were told they didn't meet the dress code, because their pants were too baggy. so they cooked up a little experiment. they'll explain. listen. >> he's actually wearing my pants. he actually rater on went back to the hotel, we did a switch of pants and he put my pants on. keep in mind, this guy's about three inches shorteder than me, and probably close to 40 or 50 pounds lighter than me. but he went back to the bar later on that evening with the same manager, same bouncer at the door and was able to walk in. while actually m

clark howard is on hln each week to help you. log on and submit your ireport.ld be selected to be profiled on our network and get valuable advice m and don't forget to watch the clark howard show at noon eastern on hln. >> a solar could not plooef the welcome he had waiting. snoelt i am proud to be an american ♪ ♪ where at least i know i'm free ♪ >> what the kids did before the soldier came home. ♪ god bless the usa ♪ >>> thursday up, friday down way down. the stock markets got clobbered yesterday with the dow jones industrial average losing 250 points. that negated thur's big rally and then some. news that consumer spepding helped drag the markets down. the s&p has dropped more than five and a half%. >>> president obama says the u.s. economy is moving in the right direction. the president put it out fresh seens of economic growth and noted that the economic stimulus package has created or saved jobs. >> economic growth is no substitute for job growth and we will likely see further job losses in the coming days. that is troubling for the economy and heartbreaki

clark howard is here to help. logon to cnn.com/clark and get valuable advice from america's money coach. >>> there's always lots of starpower at the white house. but last night, some real rock star power took center stage. what drew more than 100 of the kids to the south lawn. >>> a german author has won the nobel prize in literature. herta mueller was born in romania but had to flee. >>> president obama added astronomer in chief to his resume last night. he and the first lady joined 140 middle-schoolers on the white house lawn for scar-gazing. >> there are a lot of mysteries left and there are a lot of problems for you students to solve. and i want to be a president who makes sure you have the teachers and the tools that you need to solve them. and that's why we're working to reinvigorate math and science in your schools and attract new and qualified math and science teachers into your classrooms. >> former astronaut sally reid and hubble telescope scientists were on hand. >>> tomorrow's a big day for amateur astr

i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to fatten your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >>> and get much more advice from clark today at noon eastern time. clark will help you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. >>> south korea is known as a leader in innovation and technology. one of the areas it's focusing its attention on is the environment. souel is pushing for the country to turn over a green leaf in the coming years. how, in this week's "eco solutions." >> reporter: ssseoul, south korea. led lights are popping up all over, part of korea's green new deal. it was based on grow at any cost. korean president pledged the u.n. that a green-based economy will be his nation's ticket to prosperity. >> translator: the strategy is the most effective way to address global climate change and, at the same time, to overcome the economic crisis. >> reporter: in a comprehensive overhaul of its economy, the government says 2% of its gross domestic product will go toward the green sector. traditio