02.09.26 Gift Cards: Use Or Lose Them / Big Changes For Home Backup Power
In this episode Clark Howard warns listeners about the surge in restaurant closures and the risk of losing unused gift cards, urging prompt use to avoid forfeiture. He answers listener questions on topics ranging from gift‑card expiration to personal finance tips. The show then shifts to the growing need for home battery backup systems as severe winter storms cause extended outages, highlighting new affordable technologies that make residential power storage more accessible. Throughout, Clark provides practical advice to protect money and maintain comfort during power disruptions.
6 Weird But Successful Stock Market Indicators
The episode explores six unconventional stock‑market indicators—from the Super Bowl winner and lipstick sales to the nationality of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover models—highlighting their surprising historical success rates, such as the Super Bowl’s 71 % accuracy since 1978. It explains the...
Child Benefit and Credit Cards
The episode investigates a widespread HMRC error that suspended Child Benefit for over 60% of eligible parents after mistakenly interpreting travel data as a move abroad, affecting payments worth at least £100 a month. It reveals that 63% of suspensions...
1941: Ask Farnoosh: My Best Home Buying Advice, Investing for a "Mid-Term" Goal
In this episode Farnoosh answers listener questions about buying a home and investing for a mid‑term goal, such as a child's education or a career change. She outlines the three‑step framework for home‑buying: assess true affordability, prioritize a solid down‑payment...
#687: First Friday: The Retirement Rules That Changed While You Weren’t Looking
In this First Friday episode, host Paula Pant reviews the economic landscape of January 2026, highlighting a 2% S&P 500 pullback, a near‑10% Bitcoin drop, and a cooling labor market with job openings falling to 7.6 million. She discusses the surprise nomination of...
The Truth About Administrative Bloat At U.S. Colleges
The episode debunks the popular claim that U.S. colleges suffer from administrative bloat by examining federal staffing and enrollment data. It shows that student‑to‑staff ratios are far lower than viral rumors suggest—about 6.4 : 1 overall and 5.2 : 1 at four‑year institutions—and that...