Clark Howard's Living Large for the Long Haul

CONTENTS

The Rising Star | Anthony raised his credit score by 300 points while earning under $30,000

The Fallen Angel | Joyce and Don killed $40,000 of debt in twenty-four months

Golden | Melinda and Doug’s income dropped by 80 percent, but they kept their credit rock solid

Credit Newbies | Patricia navigated the American credit system as an immigrant

HOMES AND REAL ESTATE

The Happy Renters | Foreclosure leads Rowena and Rodolfo to a less stressful life

Welcome to the Foreclosure Jungle | Janet buys homes for up to 75 percent off—critters and all

The Wannabe Hotelier | Samantha turns an underwater property into a cash cow

The Twenty-Eight-Year-Old Landlord | Joel is a real estate mogul in the making

“Can’t Get Any More American Than That” | Robert and Cia dumped their cars for bikes and saved more than $90,000

Confessions of a Retired Auto Salesman | Gerry sold new cars for forty years but drove one that cost him $300

That New Car Smell | John proves that leasing isn’t a lemon

The Gadgeteers | Betsy and Scott slash their technology budget by $2,000 annually without suffering

The Negotiator | Krista wheels and deals to save big bucks on monthly bills

Requiem for a Deal | Martin has made sacrifices to stay on top of technology

Keep On Truckin’ | Unable to retire, seventy-two-year-old Grandpa John stays behind the wheel

Silent Endurance | At thirty-two, Mandy has amassed almost $200,000 for her future

The Early Retiree | Hilly hangs it up ten years early. You can too!

Welcome to the Eleventh Hour | Mike is playing catch-up on his savings at fifty

Gold Digger | Rick puts all his eggs into one shiny basket

Bright Future | Mike is under twenty-five and sitting on a $50,000 retirement nest egg

Big Sky, Big Savings | Cathy and Ned realize it’s the little things that make the biggest difference in your financial picture

All the Right Moves | Matt realizes saving for his future is as easy as pie

Scared Stiff | Burned by the stock market, immigrants Victoria and Dan stash money under the mattress

BBQ My Ride | Raye and Jay use kitchen grease to fuel over $2,000 in auto savings a year

Solar Saver | For Steve, being green is all about the money

Off the Grid | Laura and Rutherford’s EcoManor shows you can save big bucks with small changes in your home

LIVING BELOW YOUR MEANS

Making Lemonade out of Lemons | Darcy exemplifies resilience by finding freebies and silver linings

The Thrifty Dentist | On the edge of “affluenza,” Steph and Steven pull back and decide to live more modestly

El Cheapo Man and Wife | Living below their means gives Matt and Jamie the freedom to enjoy small splurges

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Self-Made Man | Fired at thirty-five, Arthur Blank goes on to co-found one of the world’s most successful companies

Dress for Success | Raymond turns T-shirts into treasure with $2,000

Dying—Everybody’s Doing It | Mike turns a personal tragedy into a thriving business to help grieving families

Around the World on a Dime | From Dumpster diving to couch surfing, Michael made a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Antarctica

The Savvy Business Traveler | Professional road warrior Chris reveals his secrets for scoring great deals on the go

Staycation Paradise | Tony and Peggy show that sometimes there really is no place like home

Full House | It’s diapers to degrees for Scott and Jeannine, raising five kids from ten months to twenty-two years

The Great American Sandwich | For Heather and Tim, taking care of two generations meant major life changes

Boomerang | Cesar is part of a generation of college grads moving back in with parents—even while making good money

Meet Mr. Mom | Tony learned the hard way that his job was not recession-proof

Chronic Illness and Never-Ending Bills | Heather looks on the bright side while dealing with chronic illness and medical debt—the No. 1 credit score killer

Feet Don’t Fail Me Now | Even with health insurance, small business owner Mimi struggles with medication costs

You Gotta Have Heart | At the crossroads of health care and bargain travel, Willy discovers medical tourism and pays pennies on the dollar

The Young and the Riskless | Sara and Travis are young, healthy, and saving a boatload of money on health care with a high-deductible health plan

WORKING AND LEARNING

Clark Smart Classroom | With the cost of college a hardship for many, Alex finds a way to pay the bills and hone his skills

The Graduate | Kate finds a way to defuse her share of debt from the nation’s $1 trillion student loan time bomb before it blows

Search and Employ | Adrift in the age of the joblet, Jannet pieces together opportunities to make ends meet

The Iceman Cometh | Steven got laid off from an insurance giant and reinvented himself as the King of Pops in the frozen-treat business

THE EMPOWERED CONSUMER

Going Social | Megan uses technology to help other consumers spar with misbehaving businesses

Old School | Polite persistence and a pen that’s mightier than a sword allow Betty to enjoy customer satisfaction

Expert Advice | Anita shows why sometimes calling in outside firepower is the best way to handle an insurance dispute

CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INDEX

ABOUT THE AUTHOR