6 things keeping you from being rich (7 15 25)

Author

Sally McDonald
July 15, 2025

💵 Today’s Top Stories
Cash in hand

Most of us want to build wealth, if only for financial freedom. Here are six decisions you control that may be getting in your way according to Clark. Read more.

Costco Cart

Costco famously began selling gold bars in 2023. Does Clark think it’s a good idea to buy gold in general? And if you do, should you buy it at Costco? Read more.

Hotel five stars

Do you book hotel rooms through third-party websites rather than directly through the hotel chain? You should still avoid prepaying for your room – with one major exception. Read more.

Credit cards and cash

This 2.5% cash back rewards card at one of Clark’s favorite credit unions is no longer available. But you still need a 2% card in your wallet. Here’s where you can turn now. Read more.

💻️ Tech Tip From Kim Komando

Haven't used your PayPal account in forever? Delete it and erase all the data associated with your name. Log in and click the Settings icon. Select Data & Privacy > Delete your data and close account. Follow the on-screen prompts, and wait for the confirmation email. Join 670K people who get tech smart with my friend Kim Komando’s free newsletter, The Current.

✈️ Airlines Making Chump Change on Flights Right Now

If you wonder why airlines are skimping on premium snacks, beverage service and other perks, take a deep dive into their profit margins.

The average airline ticket last year cost $383. Of that money, just $3.80 equates to profit. That’s a margin of 1% on airline tickets.

Of course, airlines often make their biggest profits on branded credit cards. Delta made $2 billion on its American Express card in Q1 of this year alone (+13% year over year). Airlines are leveraging checked luggage fees as heavily as ever (a combined $7.3 billion last year for the largest airlines).

But for the airline tickets themselves, it’s razor thin, perhaps even surprisingly so.

The margin on plane tickets is getting squeezed over the intermediate term. Take the big four of Delta, United, American and Southwest. From 2016-19, they made an average profit of $19.26 per passenger. That tanked to $5.51 from 2021-24 (and even lower now).

JetBlue and Allegiant have fallen into the red. Airlines “could theoretically be losing money on some routes that they absolutely have to fly,” an aviation expert said of the trend.

Though there are much bigger profit centers than the currently break-even plane tickets, airlines also have to manage “terminal construction costs, leases, fuel prices, and labor contracts,” Sherwood reported.

📊 Stat of the Day

📬️ 78 cents: The new cost of a Forever stamp from the United States Postal Service as of July 13. That’s a 5-cent increase over the previous price of 73 cents, part of sweeping increases that raised mailing service product prices 7.4%.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
Barcelona Spain
Japan
🎙️ Podcast

Are you paying too much for auto insurance? You might be, and your own car and smartphone could be the culprits! Clark dives deep into the shocking truth about how your driving data is being collected and potentially raising your insurance premiums without you even knowing. We'll expose the shady practices of insurance companies and apps, including the recent lawsuit against Allstate, and tell you what you need to know about usage-based insurance. Is it a money-saver or a punishment? Also, Clark sounds the alarm on a nationwide ripoff happening at the gas pump. Gas stations are tacking on outrageous surcharges for credit card payments – sometimes as much as $1 per gallon. Learn how to spot these ripoffs, protect yourself from unfair fees, and ensure you're getting the best price at the pump.

☎️ 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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