10.27.25 The Credit Card Rewards Game / New Tax Brackets & Your 401(k)

The Clark Howard Podcast

Clark Howard

Investing, Entrepreneurship, Business

4.6 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today Clark covers reward credit cards - how they profit the issuers, when they make sense for you, and when they do not. Also, the new tax brackets are out and Clark has specific advice for you if you have the option of a Roth vs. Traditional 401(k) plan. Reward Credit Cards: Segment 1 Ask Clark: Segment 2 Tax Brackets And 401(k)s: Segment 3 Ask Clark: Segment 4 Mentioned on the show: NYTimes: They Each Own 50 Credit Cards. Should You? seats.aero - Home / Point.me Best Travel Credit Cards: Top Rewards Picks for 2025 Best 2% Cash Back Credit Cards: Top Options for 2025 Citi Double Cash® Card Review: 5 Things To Know in 2025 IRS Announces New Tax Brackets and Other Changes for 2026 Roth vs. Traditional 401(k): What's the Difference? Best 529 College Savings Plans By State What Can I Safely Use for Peer-to-Peer Payments? Clark.com resources: Episode transcripts Community.Clark.com / Ask Clark Clark.com daily money newsletter Consumer Action Center Free Helpline: 636-492-5275 Learn more about your ad choices: megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's great to have you here on the Clark Howard Show. I hope you had a great weekend.
0:09.4	Our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you, so you make better
0:15.4	financial decisions in your life. And if you're subscribed to our free newsletter, free, I hope you enjoyed yesterday's
0:24.8	Clark Smart Investor Edition.
0:27.7	It comes out every Sunday.
0:29.8	If you want to sign up, go to clark.com slash newsletter or newsletters.
0:34.4	Either works.
0:35.9	Today, I'm going to talk about the credit card rewards game.
0:39.6	Who should play it and who should stay far, far away?
0:44.9	Also, the new tax brackets are out.
0:47.8	The new tax brackets are out.
0:49.9	And I was so excited.
0:51.6	What a loser I am.
0:52.9	Anyway, I want to tell you how you use that to make a decision with money you're investing.
1:00.3	If you should be in the Roth version of, let's say, 401K, IRA, whatever, or you should be in traditional.
1:08.4	I've got the exact dollars and cents for your choices you make
1:13.4	for 26. So reward cards are where all the action is right now with the credit card companies.
1:23.0	In fact, wow, read a industry story recently that Delta Airlines makes virtually 100% of its profit,
1:35.3	not from flying planes all over the world, but from the money they get from American Express
1:41.4	from people who are using the American Express Sky Miles credit cards,
1:49.2	that Delta will get $10 billion that falls straight to profit this year estimated from the American Express
1:59.9	Sky Miles.
	...

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