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- 11 things on deep discount in January (1 1 26)
11 things on deep discount in January (1 1 26)
Sally McDonald
January 01, 2026
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💵 Today’s Top Stories
 | Christmas clearance items, TVs, exercise equipment and travel are just some of the items on sale this month. Read more. |
 | Saving for a house, car or another big item? Clark explains whether you should invest your money, stash it in a savings account or do something else. Read more. |
Sponsor | Get one line of unlimited 5G for just $25/mo guaranteed for 5 years. Taxes & Fees included in the price. |
 | Do you have the right number of credit cards? Should you close old cards? And how can you pay as little as possible in interest? Read more. |
 | The average traveler spends 30 hours researching and visits 38 websites before making a reservation for a big trip. Here are the times when hiring a travel agent makes sense. Read more. |
💵 Today’s Top Savings Rates
Check out our updated list of Clark.com-approved high-yield savings accounts with the highest rates. Here are the top five APYs on our list as of January 1, 2026.
🏠️ The Cost of Buying a Home in 2026
Is 2026 finally the year you buy a house?
If you missed the historically low mortgage rates pre-COVID and have been sitting on the sidelines, you may finally land on more reasonable rates.
Don’t expect to find anything in the 2s or 3s, as was common just a few years ago. But as of early this week, 30-year fixed mortgage rates averaged 6.25% and 15-year fixed rates averaged 5.58%.
That could come down a touch further if we get a few more Fed interest rate cuts.
But how much money will you really need to buy, say, a $500,000 house? That’s just above the Q2 national average of $410,800 and the subject of a recent Kiplinger article.
Assuming 20% down ($100,000) and a 6.5%, 30-year fixed mortgage on the remaining $400,000, the calculator Kiplinger used came to a monthly payment of $3,666 including utilities, taxes and insurance.
“To afford this mortgage, your monthly income would need to be $12,200, or you’d need a salary of about $146,640,” Kiplinger concluded.
The article also listed some key variables that can make the number go up or down for your specific circumstances.
Clark recommends a 15-year mortgage for anyone who can afford the payments.
Wondering how much house you can afford? This guide can help.
📊 Stat of the Day
🤖 1,300+: Approximate number of AI startups that have raised money at valuations of at least $100 million, including 498 with valuations of $1 billion. Overall, AI startups attracted nearly $200 billion in VC money from January to September.
💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
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🎙️ Podcast
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☎️ Need Money Help?
The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.
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