Have you been considering trying Peacock?

The time to commit may be now.

The NBCUniversal-backed video streaming service is offering a 60% discount on annual subscriptions for a limited time.

And since Peacock is the streaming home for popular shows like “The Office,” “Yellowstone” and “Parks and Recreation,” there’s a chance you could quickly get your money’s worth with this streaming deal.

‘Summer of Peacock’ Promotion Offers Limited-Time Discount

Peacock is offering a “Summer of Peacock” discount for new customers.

You can get one year of Peacock Premium for $19.99 by using the code “SUMMEROFPEACOCK” when purchasing the annual subscription on Peacock’s website.

The regular price for this subscription is either $4.99 per month or $49.99 for the annual subscription, so you can lock in some significant savings if you jump on this deal.

The promotional period began on May 24, 2023 and will run until June 12, according to the fine print of the offer.

This deal is good only for new customers, so existing subscribers of Peacock Premium or Peacock Premium Plus won’t be able to take advantage of it.

(If you’re a subscriber, you may want to see if another member of your household is eligible for the cheaper price.)

Peacock Premium: What’s Included?

If you’re not familiar: Peacock is NBCUniversal’s value video streaming service that launched in 2020.

The Peacock Premium subscription tier blends on-demand content, which includes the library of popular shows such as “The Office” and “Yellowstone”, with live TV streaming options.

It is an ad-supported tier of the service, so you can expect commercials sprinkled into your TV shows and movies.

In addition to legacy NBCUniversal TV shows and movies, Peacock Premium also features shows that are exclusive to the Peacock app called “Peacock Originals.”

The live TV streaming includes English Premier League (EPL) soccer, exclusive Sunday morning MLB games in the summer, Sunday Night Football in the fall, summer and winter Olympics, WWE events and various other sporting events. It also has news content from NBC News and MSNBC.

You can read more about the content offerings here.

Xfinity Internet Customers Soon Will Lose Free Peacock Premium

It’s not all good news during the “Summer of Peacock.”

Xfinity internet customers have received a complimentary subscription to Peacock Premium since the streaming service launched in July 2020. But that perk is going away soon.

Xfinity has informed their internet customers that Peacock Premium will no longer be free beginning June 26, 2023.

This is likely because Comcast Xfinity would like to sell them that Peacock Premium subscription as part of its new $20 streaming bundle called NOW TV.

If you’re an internet subscriber looking for a way to keep your Premium subscription on the cheap, it may be worth seeing if a member of your household not named on the current subscription could sign up as a new customer to get the $19.99 deal.

Final Thoughts

Peacock is trying to attract subscribers in a crowded streaming marketplace that includes major players like Netflix, Disney+ and Max.

This promotion is pricing a year’s worth of the NBCUniversal service well below the monthly cost of each of those.

If you’re a fan of one or two of the popular TV shows that are exclusive to Peacock, a full year of Premium for $20 is a very good deal. That’s less than $2 per month!

Are you going to take advantage of this Peacock promotion? Have you enjoyed the service in the past? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

The post Peacock Offers Big-Time Discount with ‘Summer of Peacock’ Deal appeared first on Clark Howard.

Friday – Clark Stinks day! Christa shares Clark Stinks posts with Clark. Submit yours at Clark.com/ClarkStinks. Also – Approaching Memorial Day, Clark shares perspective on regaining a sense of national purpose in America with regard for the ongoing sacrifices made by our military, and wants to ensure veterans and active personnel know about all the benefits available to them. 

• Clark Stinks: Segments 1 & 2
• Military Benefits: Segment 3
• Ask Clark: Segment 4

Mentioned on the show

• Amtrak
• YNAB Review: 5 Things To Know About the Budgeting Tool
• Best Budgeting Apps in 2023: Our Top 6
• Schwab Certificate of Deposit
• Apple News+ 1 Year Subscription
• Clark.com – Buying Tires
• How To Make Your Online Accounts Accessible When You Die
• Homeowners Insurance Archives – Clark Howard
• How To Find a Good Moving Company
• Military veterans can now receive free emergency mental health care
• Military and Veterans Guide: Free Resources for Your Finances
• The Best Veterans and Military Charities
• Army National Guard – Get Started
• Do Debit Cards Still Stink in 2023?
• The Safer Way To Use Your Debit Card
• 7 Places to Get the Best Deals on Lab-Created Diamonds
• Best Renters Insurance Companies and Ones To Avoid
• Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions

Clark.com resources

• Episode transcripts
• Community.Clark.com
• Clark.com daily money newsletter
• Consumer Action Center Free Helpline: 636-492-5275

Learn more about your ad choices: megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The post 05.26.23 Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / Memorial Day Spotlight: Military Benefits appeared first on Clark Howard.

I want to donate to charity but I’m not sure about the most effective donation method. What’s the best way to give to charity?

If that’s a question you’ve ever wondered, you’re not alone. That’s what a listener of the Clark Howard Podcast recently asked.

What’s the Best Way To Donate to Charity?

What’s the best way to donate my money to charity? That’s what a Clark listener wanted to know on the May 15 podcast episode.

Asked Javier in Maryland: “What’s the best way to donate to a charity? I’ve typically used credit cards when donating online because I don’t feel comfortable connecting my bank account to their systems, but I know they’re charged fees when I donate this way.

“Do you have a recommendation on the best method for donating?”

We’ll get into Clark’s recommendation for donating to charity shortly. But first, don’t totally dismiss the credit card option.

“So Javier, why do all charities pretty much accept credit cards?” Clark says. “Because people are much more likely to donate if you [allow credit card donations].

“A typical charity pays 2.5% to receive that money. But when you look at what it costs a charity to fundraise, 2.5% is a low cost to them. So don’t feel guilty about using that credit card to donate to a charity.”

The Best Way To Donate to Charity? Give Stock Shares or Mutual Funds

According to Clark, the best way to donate to charity isn’t via any sort of cash.

He wants you to consider donating stock from your investment portfolio.

“If you have stocks that have grown in value, under the tax code, you get a double benefit,” Clark says. “You pay no tax on the gain of that stock from when you bought it. But the charitable donation is based on what it was worth on the day you donate.

“And so it is a crazy double benefit of the tax code, which is like a rocket booster to the deductibility of your charitable donation.”

So there you have it. The best way to donate to a charity is to provide stock or mutual fund shares that have appreciated in value. You avoid paying capital gains taxes. You get to deduct the full amount of their value. And the charity can sell the assets without paying taxes.

Most charities will be familiar with receiving stock donations, Clark says. But if the charity is tiny and isn’t set up to receive stock, you can set up a donor-advised fund. These funds are for the explicit purpose of donating to charity.

You get to receive an immediate tax benefit when you put money into the fund. Then you can earmark your investment money in a donor-advised fund for a specific organization over time. That’s true even if your charity of choice isn’t typically set up to receive stock.

Other Alternatives for Donating to Charity

Aside from the fees associated with credit card donations, you do get some healthy benefits:

• You don’t have to share your bank account information.
• Your credit card offers you fraud protection.
• Credit card donations give you a clear record for tax purposes.

1. Bank Transfer

You can transfer money to a charity directly from your bank account.

Pros: Must share your bank account info.

Cons: Lower fees than credit card donations.

2. Personal Check

You can go old-school and whip out your checkbook.

Pros: No processing fees, 100% of the money goes to the charity.

Cons: Slower, risky to send via mail.

Final Thoughts

Clark loves giving to charity. And he thinks it’s a great idea for you as well, assuming you’re otherwise on track to take care of your own retirement financially.

Don’t feel guilty about donating to charity via a credit card (or any other method that involves fees), he says.

But the best way to donate is via appreciated shares of stocks or mutual funds.

The post What’s the Best Way To Donate to a Charity? appeared first on Clark Howard.

Are you sharing your Netflix account with friends and family?

If so, you might want to brace yourself for a higher monthly bill from the popular video on-demand streaming service.

Netflix recently announced plans for charging customers who are sharing accounts in the United States. This news comes after months of testing policies in other countries and signaling that the U.S. might be next on their crackdown list.

In this article, I’ll walk you through what this new policy could mean for your wallet.

Netflix Will Soon Charge a Fee for Multi-Household Usage

Netflix made a clear statement to customers with its latest announcement: “Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with.”

Terming this arrangement as a “household,” Netflix says people who live together can use the same account at home, on the go and while traveling without any penalty.

However, the days of letting friends and family (that don’t live with you) use your password to watch shows and movies appear to be coming to an end.

Netflix introduced a $7.99 per month charge to “buy an extra member” for sharing with people outside your household.

Though the announcement did not set a clear date on when this policy will be enforced, it’s worth noting that Netflix has already started contacting customers it believes are account sharing to go over their options.

Beginning May 23, 2023, Netflix began sending the following message to members who it detected were sharing Netflix outside their household in the United States:

What Can You Do to Make Sure Your Netflix Account Is Compliant?

If you’re someone who wasn’t knowingly sharing your account or someone who is looking to come “above board” to make sure your account is compliant moving forward, there are a few steps you can take.

1. Check Who Is Using Your Netflix Account

You can login to your Netflix account and review the devices that have been accessing your Netflix account.

If you spot a device from someone you don’t know, notice an old device is still logged in, or flag one of your non-household friends or family as a signed-in device, you’ll need to take action.

You can manually select those devices from the list and choose to sign them out of your Netflix account. This will make them have to log back in with the correct password the next time they try to access the Netflix app.

2. Change Your Netflix Password

Now that you’ve confirmed only approved household devices are logged into the account, you may want to take the extra precaution of freshening up your password.

This will ensure that the people who were previously accessing it won’t just log right back in.

3. Offer To Help Non-Household Members Transfer Their Profiles

Netflix is trying to make this policy shakeup as painless as possible, so they’re allowing people to take a profile from an existing Netflix account and transfer it to a new membership with no penalty.

So, for example, let’s say you’ve been sharing an account with your friend a few states over for the last decade. They probably have developed quite a collection of favorites and have progress being saved on all their binge-worthy shows.

Netflix is allowing for them to take all of that saved profile information with them to their new membership. It’s going to cost your friend more money, but, then again, Netflix is probably right in implying that they’ve been enjoying free access for long enough.

4. Pay Up for the Extra Member

If the thought of splitting up your Netflix friendship is just too much to bear, you still have the option to pay to keep your arrangement in place.

Netflix is going to charge you $7.99 per month per extra member on the account. This price point may force some tough decisions on whether to keep your non-household members on the account.

You may want to suggest they look to buy a membership on their own. At $6.99 per month, the ad-supported version of Netflix (Standard with Ads) is actually a little cheaper as a standalone option than paying to keep someone on an existing account.

Final Thoughts

We all knew this day would come.

Netflix has been signaling for months that the United States would experience a crackdown on password sharing between households.

But they’ve done plenty to soften this announcement.

First, they introduced an affordable ad-supported subscription option for those on a tight budget. Then, they announced that they’d let users transfer a profile from an existing account to a new membership to keep you from losing your favorites.

And, now, they’re even offering a way to keep the party going for $7.99 per month per person outside the household.

It’s a bummer that password sharing for Netflix appears to be ending, but you can’t say they haven’t given ample notice and provided a variety of solutions.

Do you share a Netflix account with someone outside your household? How will this impact your situation? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

The post Netflix Unveils Plans To Charge U.S. Customers for Account Sharing appeared first on Clark Howard.

Passwords. There’s got to be a better way. Clark discusses the password problem and security key solution, including the passkey system from Google. Also – Memorial Day weekend begins tomorrow kicking off what looks to be the busiest summer travel season ever. Clark has advice for both road and air travel, including ways to save on today’s higher airfares.

• Security Keys VS Passwords: Segment 1
• Ask Clark: Segment 2
• Summer Travel Strategy: Segment 3
• Ask Clark: Segment 4

Mentioned on the show

• Hate passwords? You’re in luck – Google is sidelining them
• Security Key Series | YubiKeys | Yubico – Security Key Series
• Fidelity Rewards Credit Card Review: Invest with 2% Cash Back
• Clark.com: Best Rewards Credit Cards / Best Credit Cards for Investing Rewards
• Brace yourselves, travelers: This summer could be ‘one for the record books’
• US airlines thrown a curveball as consumer habits change post-pandemic
• Travel Archives – Clark Howard /  Clark.com – Save on Airfare
• Clark.com Top Travel Deals / Clark Deals – TRAVEL
• Airline Customer Service Dashboard
• Fly Rights | US Department of Transportation
• Life at Sea Cruises

Clark.com resources

• Episode transcripts
• Community.Clark.com
• Clark.com daily money newsletter
• Consumer Action Center Free Helpline: 636-492-5275

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The post 05.25.23 Passwords Yield To Passkeys & Security Keys / Summer Travel Survival Guide appeared first on Clark Howard.

Ken Fisher has been one of the most recognizable investment personalities for decades.

Outside of the biggest names — BlackRock, Fidelity, Schwab and Vanguard — Fisher also founded and owns one of the most recognizable investment companies in the United States.

But is Fisher a glorified robo-advisor propped up by strong marketing and sales? Is it a trustworthy fee-only fiduciary? Or something in between? I’ll address that and more in this Fisher Investments review.

Table of Contents

• Fisher Investments Review: Quick Look
• What Is Fisher Investments?
• Who Should Use Fisher Investments?
• Where Fisher Shines
• Where Fisher Falls Short
• Is Fisher Investments a Fiduciary?
• FAQs About Fisher Investments

Fisher Investments: Quick Look

What Is Fisher Investments?

Founded in 1979 by Ken Fisher, Fisher Investments is based in Plano, Texas. Fisher Investments managed nearly $200 billion in assets as of March 2023.

Fisher, who served as CEO until 2016, remains the executive chairman.

He wrote an investing column for Forbes Magazine from 1984 to 2016, the longest-running column in the publication’s history. Fisher also has written 11 books on investing. Forbes counts his net worth at $6.9 billion as of February 2023.

Fisher Investments offers 401(k) services for companies and institutional investing. But the majority of its business caters to high net worth individuals via financial advisors.

The company offers services that are typical for a financial advisor, including financial planning, retirement planning and estate planning. But it has built a reputation on two fronts: an aggressive sales team and its Investment Policy Committee.

Fisher Investments’ Portfolio Management Philosophy

The Investment Policy Committee is unafraid to take positions in the market. Fisher’s investment philosophy is that no one strategy is always right. Its founder remains involved as the co-chief investment officer.

So the company’s committee studies market conditions under Fisher’s own framework called “The Four Market Conditions.” Then it projects forward and repositions its holdings accordingly as active investors.

Fisher Investments publishes in-depth research about its market view each quarter. It also prefers investing in individual stocks rather than in funds, a key tenant to its investment philosophy.

That allows the firm more flexibility for reallocation and end-of-year tax-loss harvesting. It also offers a way for Fisher to market its product in the face of objections over high fees. That’s ironic, though. Because Fisher talks about avoiding mutual funds and their expense ratios while charging exorbitant fees to its own investors.

The company’s investment team has a reputation for optimism, seemingly choosing to stay aggressive and weighted toward high-performing growth stocks even during market downturns.

How Fisher’s Strategies Clash With Clark Howard’s Beliefs

Money expert Clark Howard has always been a proponent of low-fee, diversified investing.

His most common recommendation is a target date fund. And he recently stated on his podcast that although he does business with Fidelity and Schwab as well, he keeps the highest percentage of his own investments at Vanguard. Vanguard is known for its low-cost index funds.

Clark does not recommend investing in individual stocks and prefers to bet on the U.S. economy as a whole rather than on individual companies.

So Clark’s recommendations and preferences are almost opposite to the philosophies of Fisher Investments.

Who Should Use Fisher Investments?

Who should become a Fisher Investments customer? That’s a great question.

First, you need at least $500,000 to be assured a spot as a customer. However, the company does accept applications for those with at least $200,000 on a case-by-case basis.

Fisher Investments charges a progressive fee rate. If you get accepted with less than $500,000, expect to pay 1.5% in annual fees. The benchmark for a typical financial advisor is 1%, including all services (not just portfolio management).

Here’s the fee schedule at Fisher:

$200,00-$499,999: 1.5%
$500,000-$999,999: 1.25%
$1 million-$5 million: 1.125%
$5 million+: 1.00%

Remember that if you invest enough money to reach a less expensive tier, you’ll only get the discounted rate on subsequent dollars. In other words, if you invest $2 million, you’ll get charged 1.25% on your first million and 1.125% on your second million for an effective rate of 1.1875%.

Compare that to Schwab where $1 million will get you annual fees of 0.80% (and gets cheaper from there). You can’t get below 1% at Fisher even if you’re putting in $10 million.

Although Fisher Investments offers fairly robust advisor services, their investment strategy seems like a pseudo robo-advisor.

They divide their portfolio management into equity accounts, fixed income accounts and blended accounts with a few different allocation setups depending on your age, goals and risk profile. From a pure investment standpoint, Betterment and Wealthfront offer similar (but more automated) services for less than 0.40% all-in each year.

I suppose that if you’re a high-net-worth individual that believes in Fisher Investments’ allocation committee and hopes that over time they can outperform their competition enough to offset their higher fees, this company is an option for you.

However, I think there are better options whether you’re looking for an investment company, a robo-advisor or a financial advisor.

Where Fisher Shines

Here are the biggest benefits to trusting Fisher Investments with your financial planning and investing.

• Potential upside. Risk often comes with potential rewards. Not certain rewards, but potential. If you invest in the broad market, your returns are going to mirror that of the broad market. Fisher Investments gives you a fighting chance to outperform. And their bias toward aggressiveness even during down markets can be a positive if you’re not skittish about short-term losses or underperformance.
• Intense market focus. The Investment Policy Committee offers written reviews, quarterly statements and bi-annual videos on its market outlook. Other companies have well-educated and experienced hires focused on evaluating the macro economy as well as various market sectors. But Fisher Investments derives much of its public identity from its investment decisions. Plus, it actually puts real stakes on those beliefs.
• Narrow product offerings. Operations like Fidelity and Schwab try to be all things to all people. In many ways, those companies succeed. But if you’re ultra-focused on just a few services — portfolio allocation, retirement and estate planning, for example — you may like the fact that Fisher Investments focuses all its resources on fewer product offerings.
• Annuity evaluations. Fisher seems to be mostly in lockstep with Clark in terms of discouraging people from putting money in annuities that aren’t consumer-friendly. For a fee, the company also offers a service that helps customers unwind poor annuities, although it’s not clear to me how good or bad that option is.

Where Fisher Falls Short

Here are the biggest downsides to working with Fisher Investments.

• High fees. You’re certain to pay an effective annual rate of more than 1%. Possibly well above 1% depending on how much money you hand over to Fisher. Clark prefers low-cost investing options such as Vanguard.
• High minimum deposit. The stated minimum to invest with Fisher is $500,000. But you may be able to get approval for as little as $200,000 if Fisher Investments decides to accept you (for a 1.5% annual fee.)
• Reports of high sales pressure. The Fisher Investments brand has a reputation for aggressive marketing. And if they get your information as an interested client, you can expect frequent phone calls that may drift from annoying to ridiculous in volume.
• Potential for less than stellar returns. Because Fisher Investments isn’t afraid to take a position on the market and be aggressive about reallocating based on their future view of the market, you can probably expect more variation in results (good or bad). If you’re a high net worth individual, that’s probably not what you want or need.
• Lack of collaboration. Some customers reported pulling their money out before the end of the year when Fisher apparently executes its tax-loss strategy and faced higher-than-normal tax liabilities. Others said that Fisher invested all their cash immediately when they preferred dollar-cost averaging. The general theme is that in some cases, customers don’t get as much say in how their money gets invested as they may want. Fisher is a giant advisor company and the quality of each of their individual advisors likely varies.
• Lacks certain products. Compared to Clark favorites like Fidelity and Schwab, Fisher lacks features such as banking services, trusts and robo-advisors.

Is Fisher Investments a Fiduciary?

It’s hard enough for the average retail investor to define “fiduciary.” Figuring out whether a financial advisor is a fiduciary is one of the trickiest things to navigate in all of personal finance.

Fisher Investments bases much of its marketing on the fact that they’re fiduciaries. That means that they’re under a legal obligation to do what’s in your best interest as a client. There are multiple types of fiduciaries as well: fee-only or fee-based.

Fee-based fiduciaries can still earn commissions and revenue for slotting you into certain investments above and beyond the fees you pay them.

Here’s what we know: Fisher is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). So they are held to a fiduciary standard. I looked at Fisher’s disclosure document and read third-party Fisher Investment reviews. It seems like Fisher is actually a fee-only fiduciary.

That’s the standard that Clark wants you to find in any advisor you hire. However, Fisher also charges extremely expensive fees. So not every investment advisor that’s a fee-only fiduciary is worthy of your money.

FAQs About Fisher Investments

Here’s a look at some questions you may have about Fisher Investments.

What Happened With Ken Fisher in 2019 That Caused a Controversy?

About three years after discontinuing his long-running Forbes column and stepping down as CEO of Fisher Investments, Fisher made some controversial and damaging comments during a fireside chat at an investment conference.

Among other remarks, he compared winning potential clients to “trying to get into a girl’s pants.” He’s also drawn criticism for making sexual jokes on Twitter among other controversial remarks.

His 2019 remarks caused retail investors to pull $20 million from his firm and institutional investors to pull more than $3 billion.

What Are Some Alternatives To Fisher Investments?

The answer to this question depends on what you’re looking to accomplish.

If you’re only worried about your investment portfolio, and you don’t want to manage your own investments, I’d strongly consider a robo-advisor. As I mentioned earlier in the article, Betterment and Wealthfront are my top two choices. You can get a well-managed portfolio as well as some self-service financial planning tools for less than 0.40% per year.

Want a financial advisor at a big, high-level company that manages big-time assets? Fidelity and Schwab are probably better options. You can also turn to your local, independent financial advisor if you can find a good fee-only fiduciary with whom you mesh well. That may give you more specialized and personalized attention.

Looking for financial planning at a cheaper price? Consider hybrid robo-advisors such as Vanguard’s Personal Advisor Services. You can also hire a fee-only fiduciary from the Garrett Planning Network.

Garrett’s member advisors are also required to be accessible, meaning they can’t reject clients based on income or assets. They provide financial planning and investment advice on an hourly, as-needed basis. So you can, for example, get financial planning help on a short-term basis without paying ongoing annual fees.

What Is Clark’s Strategy on Investing?

Clark’s No. 1 financial tenant is to live on less money than you make. If you’re doing that, you’ll have a chance to build real wealth over time.

He also wants you to build an emergency fund before you start investing. That way you have a financial cushion for the “oops” that happen in life.

Next, Clark says that you should take advantage of the tax benefits and potential for a company match with 401(k) accounts and IRAs. Preferably through the Roth version of those.

From there, he advises you to increase the amount of money that you’re investing over time.

Final Thoughts

Fisher Investments is a fee-only fiduciary that pays close attention to the stock market and isn’t afraid to take a real position.

However, it also features high fees, pressure-packed sales tactics and a lack of broad financial services.

I think Fidelity is the best option if you’re looking for a behemoth investment company with trustworthy financial advisors and low fees. And if you’re only looking for investing help, you can get more done for less money elsewhere.

The post Fisher Investments Review: Is Fisher Really a Fiduciary? appeared first on Clark Howard.

Are you a Comcast Xfinity internet customer?

If so, you soon will have a new live TV streaming service worth considering.

The telecommunications and media conglomerate recently announced that it will be rolling out a streaming service called “NOW TV” in the coming weeks.

The marketing hook is that you’ll get more than 40 live TV channels and a Peacock Premium subscription for $20 per month. No fees, equipment add-ons or contract commitments.

In this article, I’ll walk you through what Comcast has promised for this service and how it stacks up against some other live TV options in a similar price range.

What Is Included With NOW TV?

The NOW TV service will be accessible through the Xfinity Stream app and includes three sources of content:

• 40+ live TV streaming channels
• Peacock Premium subscription
• More than 20 “freebie” FAST streaming channels

To be eligible to subscribe, you must be a Comcast Xfinity internet customer.

I’ll walk you through more details on each of these categories.

NOW TV: Live TV Streaming

NOW TV’s live TV streaming offering include 40+ channels, 20 hours of cloud DVR storage and access on three concurrent streams.

But, you’re not going to find access to live sports or news here.

ESPN, FS1, CNN, FOX News and the like are not included in this channel bundle. So, it’s probably not fair to expect this to be a full replacement for more expensive streaming services like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.

Instead, you’ll get access to a skinnier bundle that features Warner Bros. Discovery channels such as Food Network and HGTV, as well as the Hallmark bundle of channels.

This is similar to the strategy of Philo, which offers many of the same channels for $25 per month. (It does not require a Comcast Xfinity internet connection to subscribe, though.)

Here’s a look at the full channel menu for NOW TV:

Peacock Premium Subscription

Peacock is NBCUniversal’s value video streaming service that launched in 2020.

The Peacock Premium subscription included with this bundle has a $4.99 monthly retail value. Comcast Xfinity internet customers previously received complementary Peacock Premium subscriptions, but that perk will be going away in June 2023.

So, it’s fair to say that Comcast Xfinity is trying to sell that previously free perk back to its internet customers as part of this bundle.

Peacock blends on-demand content, which includes the library of popular shows such as “The Office” and “Yellowstone”, with live TV streaming options.

The live TV streaming includes English Premier League (EPL) soccer, exclusive Sunday morning MLB games in the summer, Sunday Night Football in the fall, summer and winter Olympics, WWE events and various other sporting events.

NOW TV: FAST Streaming Channels

The third content branch of this subscription is the most easily replaceable.

“FAST,” which is short for “free, ad-supported television,” is an acronym used to describe channels available on many free streaming services.

These are usually low-cost productions that either broadcast reruns or condensed clips of content.

NOW TV is promoting that it has two FAST news channels, as well as 19 genre-specific channels provided by Comcast-owned free streaming service Xumo Play:

If this type of content interests you, give Pluto TV, Tubi TV and Amazon’s Freevee a try. You may be able to get what you want without paying for a subscription.

Final Thoughts

With the popularity of cable television subscriptions on the decline, Comcast is trying to lure its cord-cutting internet customers back into TV subscription fold by offering a live TV streaming service.

It’s smart to adapt to consumer behavior, but I can’t help but wonder how successful this will be without the inclusion of popular live sports channels like ESPN and FS1.

The depth of offerings in live sports and live news/commentary channels are the one advantage that live TV streaming bundles have over video streaming services like Netflix or Amazon’s Prime Video. Without them, sports fans and news junkies may not be interested.

And trying to sell Comcast Xfinity internet customers a streaming service that Comcast has been giving them for free for years is an interesting strategy.

But if you are a Comcast Xfinity cable subscriber who cares little for live sports and news, this live TV streaming channel bundle could be a great way to slash your monthly entertainment bill.

Are you a Comcast Xfinity internet customer? Will you be giving this streaming service a try? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

The post Comcast Introduces $20 Streaming Service: Is NOW TV Worth It? appeared first on Clark Howard.

Max is in. HBO Max is out.

Warner Bros. Discovery made headlines in May 2023 when it rebranded HBO Max into simply “Max.”

But is it a new name playing mostly the same game?

The new video streaming service offers all the favorites you likely enjoyed with HBO Max in addition to some new content that you may associate with sister streaming service discovery+.

If you weren’t paying for this before, is it worth subscribing now? That’s what I want to help you decide.

I was an HBO Max subscriber before the name change. For the purposes of this review, I subscribed to the ad-supported version of Max. I downloaded the app onto my cell phone, tablet and smart TV to experience it on various platforms.

This article was updated in May 2023 and I review it every six months. Detailed notes on all updates can be found here.

Table of Contents

• What Is Max?
• Max vs. HBO Max: What’s the Difference?
• How Much Does Max Cost?
• What Is Included With Max?
• My Experience With Max
• Final Thoughts

What Is Max?

Max is a subscription streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery that launched on May 23, 2023.

It is positioned to compete with non-live video streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ in the ever-growing and ultra-competitive cord cutting market.

Max includes 45 years’ worth of HBO content as well as options from popular Warner Bros. Discovery entities including TLC, HGTV, Discovery and Food Network.

It also carries titles the company has acquired or reacquired licensing rights to in recent years, such as the libraries of “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Sesame Street” and “South Park.” And, yes, there is plenty of new content that is exclusive to the platform as well.

In total, Max features more than 35,000 hours of content.

Max vs. HBO Max: What’s the Difference?

HBO Max, which launched in May 2020, is a defunct streaming service that is no longer available. Max effectively took its place as of May 23, 2023.

HBO Max customers were automatically given Max subscriptions at their same pricing. Their HBO Max login credentials were also ported over to the new Max app to avoid losing any content.

You may be wondering: Is this simply a name change? Do subscribers get anything else?

Think of it as a consolidation of two streaming products that happened as a result of the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger. Discovery already had a popular streaming service in discovery+, and Warner Bros. had HBO Max.

To compete with Netflix and The Disney Bundle, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to combine the best parts of its content library and repackage it in a new app.

Max features the entire HBO Max library PLUS most of the top content from Discovery-produced channels such as HGTV, Magnolia Network, Food Network and TLC.

Note: discovery+ is still available as a cheaper standalone subscription for those who enjoy the Discovery-branded content.

How Much Does Max Cost?

Max has three different subscription tiers. These are available via either monthly or annual payment plans.

Paying for an entire year will net you some savings, but you do lose the ability to cancel from month-to-month.

Here’s a breakdown of the pricing for a Max subscription:

The addition of Ultimate Ad-Free is a change from the old HBO Max subscription options. It offers four concurrent streams, up to 100 offline downloads and 4K UHD streaming.

Note: If you get HBO with your TV package, internet service, or wireless plan, you may have access to Max at no extra cost. You can check with your HBO provider for more details.

You also may be able to secure a discount on Max through your wireless phone, internet or live TV streaming provider.

What Is Included With Max?

Max includes the entire HBO library, content from some of Warner Bros. Discovery’s other brands, licensed television series and movies, as well as original content.

In total there’s more than 35,000 hours of content that ranges from children’s content like “Sesame Street” to adult dramas like “Game of Thrones.”

Here’s a quick sampling of the different types of TV show content you can find on Max:

HBO

• “Game of Thrones”
• “The Sopranos”
• “Succession”
• “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
• “Sex and the City”

Popular Classics

• “Friends”
• “The Big Bang Theory”
• “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
• “South Park”
• “Rick and Morty”

Max Original Children’s Content

• “Sesame Street”
• “Looney Tunes”
• “Tom and Jerry in New York”
• “Jellystone!”
• “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai”

TLC

• “90 Day Fiancé”
• “Dr. Pimple Popper”
• “Sister Wives”
• “Say Yes to the Dress”
• “You, Me and My Ex”

HGTV

• “Hometown Makeover”
• “Property Brothers: Forever Home”
• “Renovation 911”
• “Love It or List It”
• “House Hunters”

Food Network

• “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”
• “Beat Bobby Flay”
• “Chopped”
• “Restaurant Impossible”
• “Cutthroat Kitchen”

Magnolia Network

• “Fixer Upper”
• “Fixer Upper: The Castle”
• “Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines”
• “For the Love of Kitchens”
• “Maine Cabin Masters”

You’ll also find a large menu of movies on Max. “Harry Potter” and DC Comics fans are likely to find themselves happy with the collections available.

Movies on Max

• “Harry Potter” collection
• “Batman” collection
• “007” James Bond collection
• “Men in Black”
• “Step Brothers”
• “Wedding Crashers”

Max Streaming Service: User Experience

As I mentioned earlier, I tested out the Max service shortly after it was released.

Let’s take a look at some key takeaways.

How Bad Are the Ads?

Since I was using the ad-supported subscription for this review, I decided to test the commercials you were required to watch on a variety of content types.

I sampled an episode of “Friends” (typical 30-minute sitcom) and “The Sopranos” (hour-long drama). I checked the ads for a two-hour movie (“Wedding Crashers”) as well.

Here’s a breakdown of what I experienced:

Those are manageable numbers that are much better than what you’d experience watching similar content on cable television.

That being said, you can forgo the advertisement experience altogether by paying to upgrade to the ad-free subscription tiers.

New App

Aside from the content additions, the most notable change for the transition from HBO Max to Max is the new app.

Prior to launch, Warner Bros. Discovery promised the following for the new app:

• App load times that are 20-30% faster
• Personalized recommendations for individual user profiles
• Improved video start times upon selection
• Reduced glitches

After my test drive of the new app, I can attest to the faster speeds, and I did not experience any glitches. It felt like I was zipping from one landing page to the next. I also saw personalized recommendations based on my viewing patterns.

Here’s a peek at what the app looks like on an Apple iPhone:

Supported Devices

Want to make sure your smart device will support Max? Chances are good that you can find the app on your phone, tablet, streaming dongle or smart TV.

Here are some of the supported devices for streaming Max:

• Amazon TV
• Android TV
• Apple TV
• PlayStation
• Xbox
• Samsung TV (models made in 2016 or later)
• Google Chromecast
• iOS devices (ex. Apple iPhone or iPad)
• Android phones (ex. Samsung Galaxy)
• Roku devices
• Amazon Fire devices
• LG Smart TVs
• Vizio Smart TVs (2016 and later)
• Xfinity Flex and X1

You also can watch from your computer by logging in on the website.

Final Thoughts

I love what I’m seeing from Max so far.

It’s basically all of the cool stuff you loved from HBO Max combined with lots of new content from Discovery-produced channels.

There is a broad base of consumers who could find this video streaming service worth $99 per year. That includes fans of HBO’s long list of award-winning series, movie buffs, “Harry Potter” or DC Comics fanatics, and reality television junkies.

Oh, and the app is fast and easy to use.

I recommend paying for a month of ad-supported streaming to check it out for yourself.

This service may be a bit more expensive than Peacock or Paramount+, but I think it’s worth it!

Are you a Max subscriber? We’d love to hear your thoughts about it in the Clark.com community!

The post Max Review 2023: Is the HBO Streaming Service Worth It? appeared first on Clark Howard.

As parts of the economy emerge from inflation, post pandemic conditions remain rough for retailers and that means discounts to attract buyers. Every form of discounting is going on, including on some of life’s necessities. Be on the lookout for lower prices & special offers. Also today, a cautionary tale about a senior scammed out of millions, right under the nose of his bank and credit union. What is the responsibility of financial institutions, families and loved ones to protect the life savings of our vulnerable elders?

• Happy Deals Are Here Again: Segment 1
• Ask Clark: Segment 2
• Our Mission Must Be Elder Fraud Prevention: Segment 3
• Ask Clark: Segment 4

Mentioned on the show

• Barrons.com: Retailers Ramp Up Discounts to Try to Bring In Shoppers
• CLARK DEALS – Deals You Can Trust
• 7 Things on Deep Discount in May
• Life Insurance Archives – Clark Howard
• An elderly man was scammed out of millions. Could the bank have done more to prevent fraud? – from USA TODAY
• Why Structured Notes Might Not Be Right for You
• What Is a Fiduciary Financial Advisor and Do I Need One?
• Best 529 College Savings Plans By State
• Why hitting the lottery could leave you broke

Clark.com resources

• Episode transcripts
• Community.Clark.com
• Clark.com daily money newsletter
• Consumer Action Center Free Helpline: 636-492-5275

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The post 05.24.23 Retailers Responding With DISCOUNTS / Fraud Protection For Seniors appeared first on Clark Howard.

If you own a home, there’s a good chance you’ll want a home security camera.

There are just too many porch pirates stealing packages and other shenanigans.

The problem is that there are so many options on the marketplace in terms of camera quality, monitoring and installation. Which one should you pick? And are any security cameras out there even better than the ever-present Ring?

That’s what a listener of the Clark Howard Podcast recently asked.

The Home Security Cameras Clark Recommends

What’s the best home security camera? That’s what a listener wanted to know on the May 11 podcast episode.

Asked Carolyn in Georgia: “What is your recommendation for a home security camera and what are the pros/cons of different ones?”

Clark remarked that there are a mind-blowing number of home security cameras on the market today. Along with a variety of capabilities and price points. However, two stand out to him: one for the value and one for the quality.

“I’m a big fan of the Wyze cams. They have a variety of cameras with various levels of sophistication. And they are the lowest price for the capabilities of the cameras offered,” Clark says.

“If you want to get into specs and what’s absolutely the best, ironically enough, Amazon [Ring] has become the market leader in home security cameras.”

Why Does Amazon Sell High-Quality Ring Cameras at Good Prices?

Why has Amazon gotten into the home security system market via Ring? And why does the online retail giant sell cameras below cost, in Clark’s calculations?

“Amazon suffers so much from porch pirates. If you look at the quality of the video of the cameras, the doorbells, all of that Amazon sells under the different brand names they subsidize or they own, the Amazon line of cameras is extremely high-quality video,” Clark says.

“And it’s so that they can try to reduce the number of porch pirates that are invading our castles, our homes, and stealing our packages.”

Home Security Cameras: Wyze vs. Ring

Clark has experience with Wyze and Ring. So, forced to choose between the two, which one would Clark recommend?

“I’m just telling you, bang for the buck, Wyze is the runaway choice in terms of cost and quality and features,” Clark says. “Not only are their products cheap to start with, but they’re very promotional as well on the sale of their cameras [with offering deals].

“And the Wyze cams are so easy to set up, even a techno idiot like me has been able very easily to set up and monitor the Wyze cams.”

According to the Consumer Reports rankings, Ring Alarm Pro and Kangaroo generate better scores than Ring. So although Ring is a high-quality system that Clark judges to be great value, there are plenty of competitive options.

Final Thoughts

Clark says the Wyze home security system is the best bang for your buck. Although he’s also personally used Amazon’s Ring cameras and finds them to be well-priced and high-quality.

Not surprisingly, if you force Clark to recommend just one, he’ll go with value over quality and pick Wyze.

Which home security camera do you use? Tell us why you like it in our Clark.com Community!

The post What Home Security Camera Does Clark Prefer Ahead of Amazon’s Ring? appeared first on Clark Howard.