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💵 Today’s Top Stories
Email may be the most common tool to scam you, install a virus on your computer or steal your personal info. Here’s a checklist to ensure your email is airtight. Read more.
Get your groceries delivered as soon as one hour without ever leaving home. Online grocery delivery is popular. But there are nuances to know before you fill your virtual cart. Read more.
“We’re pulling your credit score” can matter more or less depending on which type of pull they’re doing. Here’s how to know the difference – and what happens after each. Read more.
Term life insurance is a great way to protect your dependents’ financial futures in case something unexpected happens to you. But there are better and worse ways to go about buying it. Read more.
🛄 Unclaimed Baggage Releases Fascinating Annual Report
According to Unclaimed Baggage, more than 99.9% of checked bags “eventually” find their way back.
But with nearly 1 billion airline passengers in the United States in 2025, there is still plenty of room for permanently lost luggage.
That freight eventually finds its way to Scottsboro, Alabama, to the Unclaimed Baggage store. The store just released its third annual report on its findings from the past year.
That includes 209,986 shirts, 51,449 mobile phones and 34,101 books.
The most valuable item? A pair of white diamond earrings (estimated retail value: $43,400), followed by an S. Steel Rolex watch with an 18-carat yellow gold and diamond dial (estimated retail value: $35,000).
Among the weirdest items were a frog purse, a pre-World War I U.S. Army bayonet, a full-robot, a meteorite fragment that fell to earth in 1576 and a bee-keeping suit.
One of the store’s customers found a piece of art for $2.99. As it turns out, it was a 1930s French Art Deco statue worth nearly $2,000.
Unclaimed Baggage also hooked up a groom with a ring from its inventory … just four hours before his wedding! … when his bride decided the night before that she wanted a ring after all.
The report is so extensive and detailed that we can’t summarize it all here.
Clark, of course, does not check bags when flying and makes expert use of his carry-on. So he’s not at risk of losing his personal items.
If you do check a bag:
Label it inside and out, make it unique if possible.
Check it at least one hour before departure (avoiding last-minute baggage checks at the gate).
Use a tracking device such as an Apple AirTag.
📊 Stat of the Day
🌴 $126 million: Real estate sales in Florida from buyers relocating from California and New York in the last 60 days — from just two developers and one sales firm.
💰 Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
🎙 Podcast
With international stocks outperforming the S&P 500 recently, many investors are asking the same question: Is it time to pivot overseas? Before you overhaul your portfolio, learn why you might already have more international exposure than you think. Also, Wes revisits the most important metric for your financial peace of mind in 2026: The Rich Ratio. Retirement isn't about the total size of your nest egg; it’s about the "margin" between what you have and what you need. We explain how to calculate your ratio in under 60 seconds and why "financial richness" is often achieved more quickly by lowering your "needs"—specifically by tackling "big rocks" like your mortgage. Whether your ratio is currently above or below 1.0, this simple math will provide a clear roadmap for your retirement security.
☎ 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.
