Showing posts with label Highly Recommended. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Highly Recommended. Show all posts

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Highly Recommended: Clark Howard

Clark Howard is a radio/television personality, author and the subject of today's Highly Recommended post. I have been listening to Mr. Howard for years now and I have turned many of my friends into regular listeners. He offers common sense financial advice that is easy to understand and implement. He doesn't offer stock picks or get rich quick stuff just solid everyday advice.


You can get your Clark fix a few different ways. He has a regularly airing radio program, a spot on CNN's Headline News (HLN) and he has authored a stack of books. He has also created a website filled with resources for the consumer.

On the Clark Howard website you will find a host of tools to help you "Save More, Spend Less, and Avoid Rip-Offs", who could ask for anything more? The 'Clark Smarts' are in particular a great source of information about anything from purchasing a car to travel tips. I Highly Recommend Clark Howard.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Highly Recommended: Planet Money

This is the first of what will likely be many: Highly Recommended, posts. Basically these posts will be a way for me to recommend some of my favourite products, services, websites or business resources. I will always be open and up front about my involvement with said products. I have mixed feelings about floging, which I will likely address in a future blog (keep reading!). Suffice it to say that RBfS will never have intentionally misleading posts, and I will never post about products or services without explaining my relationship to them.



Today's Highly Recommended is NPR's Planet Money Blog and Podcast.



The Planet Money Podcast is a radio program found on NPR affiliates throughout the US. It currently airs three times a week and the episodes run about an half an hour. I have been listening to the Planet Money Podcast since it started back in September of last year. I subscribe to the podcasts and listen to them on long trips. Planet Monet helps those that are "lost in a galaxy of economic news" to "make sense of the rapidly changing global economy". What I like most about them is their casual and sometimes irreverent attitude. The stories always have a ton of information about some very complicated economic topics, but they present them in a very accessible way. I remember one episode in particular where they explained some aspect of the mortgage industry using the purchase of a dollhouse with monopoly money as a metaphor. They often consult with top economists on issues but are always good about explaining jargon to the layman listener.



The Planet Money Blog is equally worthwhile. They have several small posts a day focusing not only on the big economic questions but also how they relate to us normal folks. That is the charm of Planet Money, they are able to explain the most complicated issues by relating them to everyday situations or demonstrating them through simple scenarios.



I highly recommend checking out both NPR's Planet Money Blog and Podcast. Enjoy.

DC