07.13.26 How Much $ Is In Your Payment App? / Weddings: Less Is More Forever

When a listener wrote in about finding the same box of mangoes for $14.99 at one Costco and $19.99 at another, a corporate buyer confirmed the reason: the lower price was a markdown to move inventory before spoilage. That single detail — a price ending in .99 even on a loss leader — opens a window into how Costco's inventory system works, and it's just one of several practical, money-saving topics Clark Howard covers in this episode. The throughline is about protecting your money from hidden risks and unnecessary costs, whether that money is sitting in a payment app, being spent on a wedding, or tied up in a family estate.

The Uninsured Money in Your Payment Apps

Clark opens with a warning about a risk many people overlook: money stored in payment apps like Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal is not FDIC-insured. Unlike money in a bank or credit union account, which is protected up to $250,000 per depositor, cash sitting in these apps is vulnerable if the company itself runs into financial trouble. Clark notes that he has no knowledge of any of these apps being in financial distress, but the point is structural: "Your money is at risk if one of them got into financial trouble." The one exception he mentions is Zelle, because Zelle is embedded directly in your checking account, which already carries FDIC coverage. For the others, Clark warns against storing significant amounts of i