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- Why you owe even after paying off a credit card (10 7 25)
Why you owe even after paying off a credit card (10 7 25)
Sally McDonald
October 07, 2025
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💵 Today’s Top Stories
 | A Clark listener paid off her credit card balance. She felt surprised when she owed “residual interest” the next month. Is that legal? Read more. |
 | Auto insurance companies allow you to sacrifice your privacy (via a device that monitors your driving) in exchange for cheaper rates. In what ways can this backfire on you? Read more. |
 | Clark suggests a specific formula to determine how much money you need in your “rainy day” fund. Here’s how to calculate your monthly expenses to figure out the number for you. Read more. |
 | You can get Metro by T-Mobile for as little as $35 per month, per line, while locking into a five-year price guarantee and getting an Amazon Prime membership. Read more. |
💵 Calculator of the Week: Retirement Calculator
 | Use Team Clark's retirement calculator to figure out if you're on track to retire. Input your savings, contributions and more to get a projection of your retirement financial future. |
🍟 McDonald’s Brings Back Monopoly Game With Scandalous History
Whether you stopped by the Golden Arches or you’ve seen the ubiquitous commercials, you may have heard that the popular McDonald’s Monopoly sweepstakes is back.
Exploding in popularity in the 1990s, the game ran continuously from 1987 to 2016. But unlike the McRib, which seems to always come back, the peel-to-play promotion vanished for the last nine years.
Why is that?
Well, former police officer Jerome “Jerry” Jacobson rigged the game for 12 years. Jacobson stole valuable pieces by guiding them to people he knew and sharing in the riches, diverting more than $24 million in prizes from the public. He roped more than 50 people into his scheme.
The FBI eventually got involved. Yikes!
It didn’t directly end the promotion, as Jacobson was sentenced in 2003 to 37 months in prison and more than $12.5 million in restitution.
McDonald’s has added safeguards this time around to prevent such an incident. It has also tied the contest into its digital app.
Here’s how to play, including which McDonald’s items come with physical or digital game pieces. The contest ends Nov. 2.
Clark is a big fan of fast food apps due to the consistent deals and savings they offer in hopes of generating loyalty.
📊 Stat of the Day
💰️ 31%: The share of American wealth held by the top 1%. That’s approaching the wealth held by the bottom 90% (currently 33%). The top 1% owns about half the equities (stocks) vs. just 12.8% for the bottom 90%.
💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
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🎙️ Podcast
Clark unpacks a viral TikTok hack claiming you can become a multi-millionaire by making some serious sacrifices in your teens and 20s. Could this extreme plan actually work? Clark breaks down the math and explains why the most important part of this whole equation is simply starting early. Also, he shares why he's so optimistic about the future of affordable housing and how new technology and innovative building methods could solve a big part of the housing crisis.
☎️ 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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