Warning: cell phone scam targeting everyone (11 5 25)

Author

Sally McDonald
November 05, 2025

💵 Today’s Top Stories
Text message scam alert

SIM card swapping can give your personal and financial information to scammers in an instant. Luckily, these steps can help prevent it from happening to you. Read more.

Save money piggy bank cash

Interest rates of 4% are vanishing and may fall even further with more Fed cuts soon. If you’re still letting big banks cost you with microscopic interest rates, it’s time to review your options. Read more.

Credit score

You can reach a real person at the major credit bureaus. Team Clark just did. Here are the phone numbers, the magic buttons to press to get a human and how long we waited on hold. Read more.

Annuity

Clark calls “annuity” a curse word. Why does he dislike them so much? And does his take apply to all annuities or are there any exceptions? Read more.

🚘️ Used Cars Getting More Expensive

But not every segment is equal. Check out the month-over-month changes for an idea of what’s trending at the moment, according to CarFax data.

  • Luxury cars: +$400

  • Pickup trucks: +$225

  • Vans and minivans: +$100

  • Non-luxury SUVs: -$50

  • Hybrids/EVs: -$50

  • Cars: -$60

  • Luxury SUVs: -$270

📊 Stat of the Day

🏡 6.17%: Last week’s average rate for 30-year U.S. fixed-rate mortgages. That’s down from 6.72% one year earlier and marked the fourth consecutive week of rate declines just as the Fed lowered its own rates to a range of 3.75% to 4%. The rate hasn’t been below 6% since September 2022.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
Home Depot
JC Penney
Aldi
🎙️ Podcast

In this episode, Wes Moss shares startling JP Morgan research: just 41 AI-related stocks now account for nearly 50% of the S&P 500's weight, making the market severely overweight in a single theme. Wes offers actionable advice on how to rebalance your portfolio. Also, with the new COLA increase, Wes sets the record straight on Social Security, demonstrating that it has quietly been one of America's best inflation fighters since 1975. He examines the history of COLA adjustments and provides an honest assessment of the fear surrounding the Social Security trust fund running out, clarifying what that worst-case scenario truly means for current and future retirees.

☎️ 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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