What is Clark Howard's Net Worth?
Clark Howard is an author and talk radio host who has a net worth of $20 million. Clark Howard specializes in personal finance and consumer protection advice. In 1989, he began hosting "The Clark Howard Show," a daily syndicated radio program broadcast on over 200 stations throughout North America. As an author, Howard has co-written such books as "Get Clark Smart: The Ultimate Guide for the Savvy Consumer" and "Living Large in Lean Times."
Early Life and Education
Clark Howard was born on June 20, 1955 in Atlanta, Georgia to Jewish parents Joy and Bernard. As a youth, he attended the Westminster Schools. Howard went on to attend American University in Washington, DC, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in urban government. He subsequently earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University in 1977.
Radio and Television
While traveling between Florida and Georgia in the late 1980s, Howard was approached by an Atlanta-based radio station that offered him a job giving travel advice to its listeners. He accepted, and subsequently made a name for himself on radio as the host of "The Clark Howard Show." Later, in 1991, Howard became a consumer affairs TV reporter for Atlanta's WSB-TV. A couple of years after that, he founded the Consumer Action Center to have volunteers answer off-air consumer questions. Following the launch of his website in 1997, Howard saw his radio show go into syndication in 1998. "The Clark Howard Show" was broadcast daily on over 200 radio stations throughout North America, and was syndicated by Westwood One until the end of 2020. After that, Howard launched a shorter daily podcast.
Beyond his own shows, Howard has frequently talked about consumer issues on other radio and television programs. In 2009, he hosted a weekend program on the cable network HLN on which he gave fiscal advice to callers. Later, from 2012 to 2013, Howard co-hosted HLN's daily weeknight program "Evening Express," a news and lifestyle roundup. He also made guest appearances on HLN's "Morning Express with Robin Meade." Howard continues to appear regularly on Atlanta's WSB-TV, where he offers consumer tips and warnings about scams. Also for the network, he created the Radio Care-A-Thon, an initiative that raises funds every summer for the AFLAC Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
(Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage)
Books
As an author, Howard has penned a number of books, most co-authored by Mark Meltzer, focused on consumer advice. His first book was "Clark Howard's Consumer Survival Kit III," which was published in 1999. The next year, he published "Get Clark Smart: The Ultimate Guide for the Savvy Consumer." Howard followed that in 2002 with "Get Clark Smart: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rich from America's Money-Saving Expert." In 2003, he published "Clark's Big Book of Bargains: Clark Howard Teaches You How to Get the Best Deals."
Howard's next two books were 2005's "Clark Smart Parents, Clark Smart Kids: Teaching Kids of Every Age the Value of Money" and 2006's "Clark Smart Real Estate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying and Selling Real Estate." In 2011, he published "Living Large in Lean Times," about how to be frugal and avoid being ripped off. A follow-up, entitled "Living Large for the Long Haul: Consumer-Tested Ways to Overhaul Your Finances, Increase Your Savings, and Get Your Life Back on Track," came out in 2013.
Philanthropy
Howard has been significantly involved in some philanthropic endeavors. With help from his radio show listeners, he has partnered with Habitat for Humanity since 1996 to build houses in the Atlanta area. In 2018, he and his team built their 75th Habitat home. Howard has also launched a number of civic programs in his community, including Atlanta Volunteer Action and the Big Buddy Program.
Personal Life
With his wife Lane Carlock, an actress and producer, Howard has three children.
Howard has been through some health struggles over the years. In 2009, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and later, in 2023, he had heart surgery to replace an aortic valve.
