Full Show: Stop Writing Checks and Assessing a Home's Risk
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2024
- Carrying a checkbook has become one of the most dangerous forms of identity theft. Clark explains the risks and why you should NEVER carry or mail a check. Also, Clark recently addressed issues with the home insurance market. There’s a new website that can help you assess the risk of a house you’re thinking about buying before you run into problems.
Plus, Christa shares your #AskClark questions and Clark gives his take. All this and more on the January 24, 2024, episode of The Clark Howard Show.
00:00 - Intro
02:08 - Stop Writing Checks
07:32 - Ask Clark - AI and Employment
10:39 - Ask Clark - Rollover 529 to a Roth
12:35 - Ask Clark - Limiting Spending Methods
15:00 - Assessing a Home's Risk
19:30 - Ask Clark - Donor Advised Funds (DAF)
22:41 - Ask Clark - Timeshare Closed and Assessment is Charged
24:57 - Ask Clark - Buy Now Pay Later
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Considering the amount of damage ID theft can do to victims, including financial ruin for entire families, I firmly believe ID theft should be considered as a capital offense.
I don’t write many checks, but our local water company charges 3% even for an ach transfer, or debit card transactions, so they continue get a check. Not paying a fee, period.
Some charity’s too, not paying a fee, and don’t want them eat it either.
But do you factor in the cost of postage, and your time? Totally agree though, fees are getting out of hand.
@@bv226 I can generate a check that my bank sends direct to to water company. Bank pays the postage , I pay no fee. Do it thru my online banking, takes less time than me writing a check
Charity’s, I buy the stamp if mailing, usually I’m giving it in person
@@bv226 Writing a check and mailing, is easier that opening an electronic account, maintaining it, and getting all the junk emails.
Always mail important documents, checks etc. inside the post office. Never place mail in a blue box and especially the outgoing mail box at an apartment or condo complex.
I don’t live in a condo, but I’m going to start doing this.
Good advice, but sad that we have to take those measures.
Locked mailbox is one of the things I like about living in a gated condo community.
Great tip, Clarkie! 🙌 We'd go even further and say place all mail inside the post office, not just the important documents. Just keep in mind that sometimes the theft is an inside job from postal workers, so it's not foolproof.
@Blackworldtraveler3711 Please be aware the advanced state of the criminal action and organization of mail check theft and wash. Your condo is a target right now and dastardly efforts may have already been tried in the "chain links" end to end delivery. Please do not send checks if at all possible. From South Florida and it's the #1hot finsncial fraud crime nowadays. Peace.
I love checks, I use them all the time. Never had a problem ordering them or getting them.
THANK YOU CLARK HOWARD for all your excellent excellent advice and encouragement over the years!!!!!!❤❤❤❤
Clark, I was scamed by a washed check that i wote to my utility company. Caught the discrepancy because i check ou my account avery cople of days. Bank took care of it. If i write a check i use a unibal 207- cannot be washed.
Good tip! ! I do that and was about to write that also!
If write your check with a gel pen it can not be bleach out and and take your mail to the post office
Some rental companies only accept checks, but they do have a manager that is on site for people to pay the rent directly. In NC recently 2 post office employees were stealing checks and gift cards. They were even selling them on the black market for a discount. NC insurance companies are asking for 42% increase & 99% for properties at the coast. Who can afford that?
I very, very rarely write checks, but last year I got the no-fee BILT credit card to pay my rent. BILT sends a paper check to my landlord, and I accumulate about 35,000 travel points per year. My landlord is not part the "Bilt Alliance," so the rent payment can't be made electronically. I pay off the card balance online as soon as I know my landlord got the check. I don't love that a paper check is sent by mail, but I don't want to give up those easy travel miles.
We reviewed BILT, when it first launched. We weren't sure how long the business was going to last because it seemed great for the renter, not so much for the business. Glad to hear that it's working out well for you! 💚
I write checks to avoid $40 credit card fees for rent and $25 electronic bank fees to transfer funds between banks and retirement accounts.
I write checks to pay for deceased family members mortgage as it has yet to go through probate
Change banks 😅
Ally Bank does not charge me for transfers. I pay my rent with ACH payment, again no charge.
@@noreenn6976 sometimes it’s not your bank but the servicer that charges these fees. My water company charges an extra percentage fee as well as state of Florida when I file sales tax for my business via credit card or electronic check
Yes, sometimes we have to determine if the fees outweigh the risk. 💚
Great show 👍
Clark Howard, my tenant makes so many mistakes even writing my name or correct amount that I don't DARE give them my bank account number with routing, etc. They'd send it to the wrong bank or account, and I'd be SOL!
Thank you.
It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the Clark Howard show 😅
I was a victim of check fraud. Someone stole my rent check for $1750 and wrote a new amount for $3500. Gladly USAA took care of me. But i had to do police and postal report.
Re Amazon 0% interest pmts…even though no interest…the service is not free. There is a small upfront fee charged, which may be more than any savings interest you are hoping to gain.
I use only a Uniball 207 pen to fill out a check. The ink is imbedded in the paper and difficult to "wash."
went to site to assess risk of a rental I own. Got no reply. Maybe there is a delay. I have a plot of bare ground with sewer and water hookups, 3 old trailers on it, no insurance company wants to insure it. Some will line me up with an out of state company. Would really like more info on assessing risk. Good luck asking your agent a question like "what do your actuarial guys say the risk is of my house burning down, or broken into." There MUST be some way to get at that information. Maybe my state insurance office?
What's with this new trend? Switched auto insurance companies. They gave me a better price by $400 annually. But when I chose to pay by credit card versus bank transfer they added almost $100 to the new premium. Anyone else experienced this?
I get postal money orders. I dont like venmo,cash app, wire transfers, credit cards or any hackable stuff.
I don't carry a check book with me, but I do require a check inthe mail from my renters. That is still the most secure way for a mom and pop landlord to do it, if mailed directly from the post office.
If you look at most agreements for paying or receiving money electronically, the find print will say they have a right to go into your bank account to correct any transactions. And guess what they make mistakes. I know of many cases where a vendor thought tried to recover payments they made in error, but the recovery was in error by magnitudes, and they withdrew large amounts causing transactions on the account to bounce.
You will always have stuff to talk about because financial crimes are everywhere. Folks that don’t like working lay around dreaming of how to rip their neighbors off everyday. And then act on it. Mailbox thefts for checks, porch pirates, even garbage can thieves for valuable information. The list goes on forever. Thanks for keeping us updated.
If you pay direct then all those places have your bank account # and routing # as you have to fill those in to pay direct.This doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
It’s unfair that Coverdall ESA’s are not being afforded the same Roth rollover option that the 529 is getting. My sons has 15000 left over, he had a full scholarship so was limited in using all the funds.
Even doctor offices are starting to pass on 3% credit card fee. So if you can't write a check, what to do? Cash? Thats dangerous too. 🤦
Ask about using debit? Or money order
My insurance has always taken care of this.
The biggest warnings here are 1). do not carry your checkbook in your purse/wallet on a daily basis, and 2). do not mail checks. If you keep your checkbook at home, grab it on the way to the doctor appointment, then take it back home afterwards, this should minimize the risk while avoiding the credit card fee. 💚
@@ClarkYou don't have to carry the whole checkbook, just tear off one check and put it in your wallet.
My dentist now charges me a 3% fee if I use a credit card. My other option is cash or check. What a pain...pun intended.
Our dentist charges a fee for credit cards, but gives a 10% discount for cash or checks.
@@karinhart489 Nice. Mine doesn't.
I've known for years that check writing is a dangerous and unnecessary risk. Going to the bank is also risky because of jugging.
Yeah Clark has been preaching this since the 90s.
I remember him telling people about those pens with ink that can’t be washed off back then among other things.
@@blackworldtraveler3711 Also there vintage check machines that emboss the information on the check .
Clark come to Daytona Beach for new Costco opening Feb 22.
Pay by credit card...you give acct.#., exp. Date. 3 digit....then anybody can use card...how is this more secure than checks?
If your landlord says pay by check, you can propose another way, but... you want to maintain a good relationship and not demand special accommodations with a landlord. Some might take money orders, but there's a risk there too.
Thank you Team Clark.
I drop mail only inside the post office. My checks are locked up.
No they are not.
Have you never seen a hopper full of mail sitting on a loading dock behind the post office that people like you mailed inside. If not, then you have not been paying attention.
Great strategy, unless it's an inside job. 💚
Yeah I rather walk inside as well.
I started doing this after constantly seeing those blue boxes stuffed to the opening almost spilling out with mail in the 90s especially during the holidays.
@TheLifetraveler1 my brother was a mail handler, then became a postmaster, my sister delivered mail, my cousin delivered mail also. I've heard a lot of stories. My checkbook is never outside the building where I live. Where I had a safe deposit box at a bank is now a Planet 13 Marijuana dispensary. The place next door to the police station where I vote is now a Marijuana dispensary, the cellular phone store next to my local McDonald's is now a Marijuana dispensary. Things are changing all the time. Sometimes the mail delivery person mixes up the mail also but it hasn't happened for a while.
@@John-isAround the post office is down the street from me. A man walked around the side of the post office one evening and killed his wife on the same loading dock, where I've seen postal hoppers, that are transferred to the trucks. My point is everything is not locked up.
You and Ramit need to have a discussion about auto bill payments. 😂😂
Yesterday I did my taxes with the TurboTax app, found out I owe, and it said I had to mail a check to the IRS because the direct debit option is not available to me. How do I get around that?
IRS.gov
Consider paying with a postal money order: ask the IRS if that is acceptable (I doubt that they will refuse).
See if you can send it certified mail
Try going to IRS.gov and click "make a payment." 💚
Most companies and storefronts allow you to log into your account and see your order history.
I remember years ago meeting Clark on a plane to Jacksonville... He told me that he had a beach condo at Sawgrass back then which was and still is the only high rise condo in Ponte Vedra Beach.. I would presume condo insurance on a high rise shouldn't be so bad but condo fees would be. Maybe Clark moved to a beach house where the insurers would clobber him.. I had to get a new roof and water heater for my more inland house that is not near any water.
@drhenning53. Did he buy you a drink on the plane? Didn't think so. He's cheap 😂
When I write checks, I use a gel pen
What's a check?
My bank is American Express.
#BonusTerm - “Gas Car Conundrum”: When someone wants to buy an EV, but their old gas-powered car just keeps running…, and running.
Nice way to be especially when FIRE like myself and only fill tank once a year.
And my check costs me 25 cents!
You have more of a chance of the post office just losing your envelope with a check in it than it getting stolen. Just like your suitcase getting lost. Clark overacts about the less than one percent of something happening.
Years ago when a new electronic system to pay a monthly bill was set up it was hacked so I returned to paying the bill directly by handing over a check and the person receiving it always signs a copy I make of it as a receipt.
Some call it overacting, others call it passion. 😂 The U.S Postal Inspection Service reported a 161% increase in stolen checks. 💚
Not true about the chance of the PO losing a check being greater than its being stolen. Where I am in SC, stolen checks are happening every day, and I know this is going on all over the country. In my area we have ben advised to NOT mail checks for this very reason. Some of the theft has been by postal employees, but not all--it's now "a thing."
@nancybabcock1461 that's interesting to know. A few years ago on the T.V. show Live PD a lot of crime was shown in SC. Earlier this afternoon someone I know in Easley sent me a texted picture of large birds at his bird feeder. I guess that was something unexpected also.
This is not just happening in SC--it's a nationwide thing of mailed checks being storlen en route.@@John-isAround
Ss card
Obvious to you and ME Clark, you and ME. Would you say it's obvious to I? No, you would day it's obvious to ME! Easy!
You're mistaken. Clark is right. Use "I" when you are the subject or actor. In this case, "to" is a preposition. Use "me" after verbs or prepositions.
So:
"to you and me," like "to me," or "for you and me," like "for me," would be correct. "You and I" go to school, but the teacher flunks "you and me."
You don’t take your own advice in your life 😂
Living a savers and frugal lifestyle allows the financial freedom to spend money on things that really matter and adds value to your life (it differs per person). 💚
Timeshare hickory hill gautier, ms.
Owner uffda
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🕊Check to see your mail 📬👀 before it arrives at your home 🏡 stay wise 🧐 safe!