Never click on these dangerous texts, Why you should prepay for a year of cell service

Scammers are turning to increasingly sophisticated text messages to try to rob you, Clark says.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

April 06, 2026   |   Read online Advertisement 💵 Today’s Top Stories Never Click on Random Text Messages Even From Businesses Scammers are turning to increasingly sophisticated text messages to try to rob you, Clark says. Be extremely careful clicking on links from any random text you get. Read more. Should You Prepay for a Year of Cell Phone Service? If you’re willing to pay in advance, you can pay as little as $5 per month for talk and text, $15 for high-speed data and $32.50 for unlimited premium data. Here’s how. Read more. 7 Ideas for Saving Money on Your Streaming TV Bill in 2026 The average American is paying more than $1,000 a year on streaming, often as much or more than they did for cable. But it’s easier than ever to lower your streaming bill with one or more of these ideas. Read more. Is This Anticipated New Credit Card Any Good? A major credit card company just launched a new unlimited 2% cash back card. But this one has a catch. Team Clark’s credit card expert separates marketing from reality with this new option. Read more. 🏠️ Today’s Current Mortgage Rates According to Freddie Mac, 30-year mortgage rates are 6.46% and 15-year rates are 5.77% as of April 2, 2026. The following chart shows the 30-year mortgage rate trend over the last year. Mortgage Refi Calculator 💼 Workers Aren’t Confident in Finding Quality Jobs Right Now The times they are a-changin’. That may be a Bob Dylan song from 1964. But it also describes the labor market in the United States in the last several years. A little less than four years ago, 70% of U.S. workers said it was a good time to find a quality job. Indeed, the market was skewed toward workers, not companies. Those willing to job-hop or leverage other offers could increase their salaries. Those times are going, going, gone. Just 28% of workers say it’s still a good time to find a quality job – including just 19% of college graduates. The Labor Department reported better numbers in March, with the U.S. adding 178,000 nonfarm jobs. That’s on the heels of a revised loss of 133,000 jobs in February. But the zoomed-out, longer-term trend has been down. AI automation and some high-profile layoffs have contributed. But all is not lost. The market is more “frozen” than sickly … meaning that many companies are neither hiring or firing. It’s an interesting time to be in the job market. For a lot of people, it’s a good time to hold onto the job you have. But it’s also a reminder to be prepared. If you do find yourself facing a layoff, it may take longer than expected to land your next role in a slower hiring environment. That makes having a solid emergency fund more important than ever — giving you the financial cushion to weather a longer job search without added stress. 📊 Stat of the Day 🍫 413,793: KitKat bars stolen from a truck in route from Italy to Poland, the company announced. That’s about 12 tons of chocolate candy bars. Manufactured by Swiss firm Nestle, the bars are traceable with batch numbers on the back. So there’s hope for recovery – or at least for identifying the perp. 💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals The best Walmart deals happening now Get this deal. Rain-X Microfiber glass defogging sponge for $4 Get this deal. See All of the Best Deals Today 🎙️ Podcast Full Show: Clark Stinks! & This Simple iPhone Update Stops Dangerous Spyware From Stealing Your Data It’s time for "Clark Stinks!" Christa reads the latest "Clark Stinks!" submissions and Clark responds. Also, criminals want your phone, your bank account, and your money. Clark discusses a frightening new security threat specifically targeting iPhone users: DarkSword. This sophisticated spyware can dig deep into your device, giving hackers access to almost everything you have stored. The good news? The "fix" is incredibly simple. Clark breaks down the essential "software hygiene" you need to stay safe and why you shouldn't ignore those pesky update notifications. He also dives into the next generation of online security – Passkeys – and why they are vastly superior to traditional passwords. Watch the Full Episode ☎️ 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. Advertisement Did You Enjoy Today’s Newsletter? Let us know what you think so we can better serve you! It was great! It was OK. It wasn't very good. Team Clark uses beehiiv to create and send our newsletters.   Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Clark Howard, Inc. 1601 West Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309, United States Terms of Service