Best CD Rates - Best Certificate of Deposit Rates

Top Roth IRA Rates from mwafcu

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:59:06 +0000

Midwest America Federal Credit Union has great Roth IRA
with Checking money rates.
Their 23 month term account pays 2.13% dividend rate / 2.15% APY. There is a $500 minimum deposit to earn this rate and dividends are distributed on a quarterly basis. Here are all of MAFCU’s IRA Rates.

ING Direct’s Highest CD Rates

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:31:12 +0000

ING Direct currently has the highest 12 month CD rates of 2.00% Annual Percentage Yield. Merry Christmas!

Sweet CD Rates: PenFed.org

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:48:39 +0000

PenFed Credit Union has sweet certificate of deposit rates with 2.50%
Annual Percentage Yield on 3 year certificates. There is a $1,000 minimum deposit for these CDs. Pentagon Federal Credit Union compounds earned interest daily for maximum returns.

There is a convenient location for travellers at Fort Shafter in Honolulu, Hawaii.

CB2 Coupon

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:17:59 +0000

CB2 (the modern spinoff of Crate and Barrel) offers a nice selection of furniture that is suitable for modern homes. Some of their furniture is made from recycled and reclaimed materials. Crate & Barrel is their parent company – you can even use Crate and Barrel gift cards on merchandise from CB2.

From November 9 – 25 CB 2 is offering 15% off all of their furniture excluding flor tiles (neat modular carpet tile system). Just donate 5 cans of food to any of their locations to receive this discount. 15% off is a substantial discount on their already reasonably priced furniture. This discount code is also valid on sale items that carry a reduced price of up to 50% off. So if you were hesitating on making a big purchase on maybe a couch, bed, dining room set, rug, or anything else from CB2 then donate some food and save some bucks.

CB2 doesn’t have many locations right now however there are two in the San Francisco Bay Area: Union Square (SF) and Berkeley.

Current CD Rates

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:12:07 +0000

Daily certificate of deposit interest rates are updated daily. Go to the Best CD Rates finder to find the top interest rates of the day. Bank rates change often so check for the highest bank rates before opening a new deposit account.

Chevy Chase Bank Rates

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:38:36 +0000

Chevy Chase Bank has current interest rates at 2.08% APR, 2.10% Annual Percentage Yield for 24 month (2 year) personal jumbo certificates of deposit. A Jumbo CD requires a minimum deposit of 100,000 dollars.

Capital One Chevy Chase Bank Merger
Capital One Bank recently purchased Chevy Chase Bank for only 520 million dollars. With this acquisition Capital one will also receive the 250 or so banks that Chevy Chase owned.

On a side note, San Francisco Bay area residents were plesantly surprised by the early bay bridge opening.

Connexus Credit Union 4.15% APY Xtraordinary Checking

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:05:43 +0000

Investing your money these days is challenging. With the incredibly low interest rates the banks are offering, it’s hard to be a saver. You might as well be stashing your cash underneath the mattress. Instead of depositing your cash away for months, even years and getting a measly 2.00% return (if you’re lucky), open up an Xtraordinary Checking account with Connexus Credit Union and earn a whopping 4.15% APY on balances up to $25,000 with no minimum balance requirements. Have access to your cash, spend it, save it and earn more cash while you do what you normally do. Some of the other perks of opening up a checking account with Connexus Credit Union are no monthly fees, ATM surcharge rebates up to $25 per month, free identity theft protection and free direct deposit.

Chase Free Business Checking Account

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:11:39 +0000

Chase Bank is new to California since they bought WAMU (Washington Mutual). The old WAMU banks in CA have been converted to Chase Banks.

Chase offers a free business checking account for small business owners. Is this account for you? Well that depends. Free means that there is no monthly maintenance charge (no monthly minimum balance to maintain). There is no direct deposit requirement either. Normal bank fees will apply for returned or unpaid checks and overdrafts.

There are definitely a few drawbacks to Chase/WAMU’s free business checking.

Online money transfers take FOREVER. Typical online transfers should only take about 1 to 3 days. Chase takes FOUR days to transfer the money AND that does NOT mean that your money will be available in 4 days. They might decide to put an additional hold on your funds if they believe the amount is too large. This means you might not have money available for over nine days. RIDICULOUS.
Customer Service – two comments here.
Phone customer service: POOR – Customer service representatives are not very helpful and don’t seem to make an effort.
Branch customer service: EXCELLENT – Since online transfers were disastrous and telephone customer service was horrible we decided to try out the branch (King Street in San Francisco) to see if things would be any different. The banker notified us that there would be a hold on a small deposit because of the amount which was understandable. After some quick research it was determined that the hold would only last 2 days. The staff was friendly and helpful.

The checking account is “free” but if you bounce a check because the bank took too long to transfer funds or because of a hold that is put on after a balance transfer then you will be charged the stated fees. Then it goes back to dealing with customer service…

WAMU Personal Free Checking Account

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:29:23 +0000

WAMU (now Chase Bank) has been offering “Free Checking” for quite some time now. But what exactly does this mean? The name of the checking account implies that the customer will be able to use a Washington Mutual checking account without incurring any ridiculous fees. Here’s a long term bank review.

Free personal checking from WAMU sounds great when the facts are taken into consideration:

no minimum checking account balance. This means no monthly maintenance fees. Other banks may charge a fee of 5 or 10 bucks per month if a minimum monthly balance is not maintained (minimum balance necessary could be between 300 – 1000 dollars)
no direct deposit requirement (some banks such as BofA and Wells Fargo require either a minimum balance OR at least 1 monthly direct deposit to have “free” checking)
free online bill pay and online account services (more details below)

Remember the bank still charges fees for the following:

over draft fee (a check is paid even though your account balance cannot cover it)
returned item fee (a check is not paid and it is returned to the depositor. The depositor will probably incur a fee from their bank.)
check reorder fee

I’ve used personal free checking from Wa Mu for years and it has been ok. It is definitely a decent account since there is no minimum balance requirement. Online banking is definitely not as nice as US Bank online banking but it does the job.

Related Articles:
WAMU Business Banking Review

800 457 3732

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:22:03 +0000

I have received numerous phone calls from this phone number from someone claiming to be from Bank of America. They want to speak to me about my Bank of America Account. Of course I never provide any additional information and simply take down the number and a message but they never want to leave a message.

So what’s going on here? I do occasionally receive legitimate phone calls from credit card companies and banks in the event of potential fraud on my account. Sometimes I will get a phone call to verify that large charges (especially outside of my local area) are valid.

Protecting your personal information is very important these days, so I decided to contact BofA to inquire about this mysterious phone number. This is the email I received back:

Dear [],

Thank you for your inquiry dated 6/22/09 regarding the calls you are
receiving. We will be able to assist you.

Our records do not show that the number in question is a registered Bank
of America phone number. However, if you may require more information if
there was a recent call made by Bank of America, please contact us at
1.800.622.8731. We are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through
Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Pacific Time.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. If we may be of
further assistance, please contact us again by e-mail. Thank you for
contacting Bank of America.

Sincerely,

[bofa rep]
Bank of America

To sum up, phone calls from 800-4570-3732 are NOT coming from any bank or financial institution. These people are trying to steal your information which leads to IDENTITY THEFT. Tell them to put you on the do not call list and never provide any more information to these criminals.

Best Bank CD Rates at Ally Bank

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:46:53 +0000

Ally Bank has the highest CD rates on 1 year CDs at 2.49% Annual Percentage Yield. No minimum deposit is required.

Here’s a bank rate comparison for 12 month certificates of deposit:

Etrade CD Rates: 0.70% APY
Eloan CD Rates 1.60% APY
ING Direct CD Rates: 1.50% APY

Save money with Ooma Phone-no more phone bills!

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:58:35 +0000

The hottest new VOIP system out there has to be Ooma Phone System. Ooma works just like most other Voice Over IP phone systems since it uses the Internet to provide telephone service for your home (like a landline). Ooma is better than the competitors since there are no more monthly phone bills to pay! Vonage Voice Over IP Phone service costs 25 bucks a month.

Unlike normal landline telephone service, VOIP phone service does not work when the power is out since it requires AC power as well as an active internet connection. But that’s about it for the negatives. Let’s get on to the positives:

1. no more monthly phone bills (with the basic Ooma service)
2. ability to port your old number over or get an entirely new phone number at no additional charge
3. choice of area codes if new phone number is chosen
4. free domestic calling and low rate international calling
5. voicemail included
6. easy installation
7. ability to add on additional Ooma Scout units at any time to expand your phone network

The Ooma core system comes with a base station and an Ooma scout. The Ooma base station connects to your internet router and phone line. It can also connect an existing phone to the Ooma phone service. The Ooma scout is module that plugs into any existing phone line and allows you to add an additional normal telephone to your Ooma system. The Scout also requires AC power. Additional Ooma scouts can be purchased as needed however it is possible to split the Ooma phone signal to multiple phones from any of the units.

Ooma VOIP Review
A “landline” phone was necessary for us since we needed the ability to let people into our place remotely. We don’t ever use “landline” phones for any other purpose so the Ooma seemed to fit the bill. Cheap, easy to install and use, and good sound. It’s not exactly the same as a normal landline phone since conversations through the Ooma system sound a little muffled. Since it is only used to answer the door it definitely meets our needs and will save tons of money in the long run. Go Ooma and save some money! It’s only about 200 bucks for the Ooma core system with 1 Ooma scout included.

ING Direct Receive a $25 Account Bonus

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:21:15 +0000

With the stock market looking up these days, the thrill of trading is back. Open a new Sharebuilder account and buy stocks the same day when you use funds from your Orange Savings Account or Electric Orange checking. To get you started, ING Direct is offering a $25 bonus when you open your new account and make a trade before 7/15. Use ING Direct promotion code 25RT. Invest in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs with no account minimums or no inactivity fees. Who doesn’t love free money?

Highest Jumbo Bank CD Rates at First State Community Bank

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:27:29 +0000

First State Community Bank has great long term bank CD rates for large deposit jumbo CDs that require at least $100,000 to open. The FDIC will insure your money up to $250k per depositor for a total of up to $500,000 at any single financial institution. It is definitely wise to diversify risk by spreading out extremely large investments across several banks to get the maximum protection from the government. Current fscb.com jumbo certificate of deposit rates:

Jumbo Bank CD Rates ($100,000 minimum opening deposit)
Jumbo CD Term	APR Interest Rate	APY Interest Rate
30 Day	0.60%	0.60%
90 Day	0.60%	0.60%
6 Month	1.15%	1.15%
12 Month	1.40%	1.41%
18 Month	1.40%	1.41%
24 Month	1.90%	1.96%
30 Month	1.90%	1.96%
36 Month	2.40%	2.42%
48 Month	3.00%	3.03%
60 Month	3.25%	3.29%

Best IRA Rates from Nationwide Bank

Best Rate Finder — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:20:56 +0000

Nationwide Bank has highest IRA rates on a tiered basis with a $500 minimum. The interest rates go up as the deposit increases.

IRA Term	$500.00 – $9,999.99	$10,000.00 – $99,999.99	$100,000.00 +
3 Month	1.20%	1.20%	1.25%
6 Month	1.60%	1.60%	1.65%
12 Month	1.90%	1.90%	1.95%
24 Month	2.25%	2.25%	2.30%
36 Month	2.70%	2.70%	2.75%
48 Month	3.00%	3.00%	3.05%
60 Month	3.30%	3.30%	3.35%

Nationwide also offers:

ESPP: Employee Stock Purchasing Plans

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:02:40 +0000

Many companies give their employees the option to engage in ESPP (employee stock purchase program/plan). The specific details vary by employer.

If your company offers ESPP at a discount then it makes sense to take advantage of it as long as you can live with the impact on cash flow. The profit from the ESPP plan can be pretty good and well worth the wait if stocks are purchased at a discount.

Here’s an example of how participating in ESPP can be beneficial. Your company may offer a discount on the purchase of stocks as part of the ESPP. If the discount is 15%, then you get a discount on your lock price (the first of a set of offering periods) or the value of the stock at closing of the last day of the ESPP period, whichever one is lower. So if you sell all of the stock immediately then a gain of 15% can be made on this investment. You’ll have to pay income tax on this gain so you won’t pocket the whole 15% but it is a great return on investment with no risk.

401k (Tax Deferred Retirement Plans)

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:06:05 +0000

401k and similar employer provided retirement investment plans can be a great asset for those that want to put some money away for their future.

Benefits of contributing to retirement funds

Free money: If your employer matches any portion of your contribution then not electing to go with a 401k or similar plan is just throwing money away. At a minimum it’s best to contribute the maximum that your employer will match. For example your employer may match 50 cents to every dollar that you contribute to the plan up to 6% of your salary. This means that if your paycheck is 1000 and you contributed 6% of your salary to 401k then the amount deducted from each paycheck would be $60. Since this is a tax deferred investment it really won’t hurt much. Now add in $30 (free money!) for the 50% employer matching and that is $90 per paycheck.
Take advantage of compounding interest: This This reoccurring investment along with the power of compounding interest will really add up over time. The earlier you can start a 401k plan the better since there will be more time to compound interest.
Tax Deferred Investment: The money elected to go into this type of retirement account does not get taxed by the government at the time of deposit. You will end up paying taxes on this money however it will be when you are retired and potentially in a lower income bracket.

401k investments not guaranteed and can lose value. The best way to keep this investment as safe as possible is to diversify risk by diversifying your investment portfolio. Some investment retirement plans allow a wide variety of choices while others offer very few. Spreading out the investment through different types of funds will help to absorb the effects of constantly fluctuating market. This is also called changing the asset mix. Right now I own about 6 or so different types of funds but I only contribute to two or three of them at a time since I change them around a few times a year. This is not a suggestion, just an example of how I have spread out my 401k investments.

Many people that can afford it will simply max out this pre tax investment (around $16k per year currently.)

Highest Jumbo CD Rates at Metlife

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:47:05 +0000

Metlife Bank has the best 9 month jumbo certificate of deposit rates (CD’s with an initial deposit of over $100,000) at 2.00% Annual Percentage Yield. Here’s a full list of Met Life Bank’s current CD rates:

CD Term	$2,000- $14,999	$15,000- $24,999	$25,000- $49,999	$50,000- $99,999	$100,000+
3 Months	0.15%	0.95%	1.60%	1.70%	1.80%
6 Months	0.25%	0.95%	1.70%	1.80%	1.90%
9 Months	0.25%	1.40%	1.80%	1.90%	2.00%
12 Months	0.65%	1.75%	1.90%	1.95%	2.00%
18 Months	0.65%	1.85%	2.00%	2.10%	2.15%
24 Months	0.70%	2.00%	2.10%	2.20%	2.25%
36 Months	0.80%	2.10%	2.20%	2.30%	2.35%
48 Months	1.00%	2.10%	2.20%	2.30%	2.35%
60 Months	1.15%	2.10%	2.20%	2.30%	2.35%

The minimum deposit for any new bank CD is $2,000 and the interest rates earned have a direct positive correlation with the amount deposited. Larger deposits can earn higher rates.

Apply online, call them at 1-866-BankMet (1-866-226-5638) or download an application and send it in to get started.

Highest Money Market Account Rates at Evantagebank

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:48:28 +0000

evantage bank rates

Evantagebank.com has great money market rates at a high interest rate of 3.10% APY. It’s called the Mega Money Market account which earns a high yield interest rate without any minimum balance requirement. This high rate only applies to balances up to $35,000. Account balance in excess of $35000 only earns 1.65% APY. Key features of this money mkt acct:

electronic delivery of monthly statement
up to 6 free withdrawals each month (there is a $5 charge for additional withdrawals, and the month cycle resets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month)
Evantage MasterCard CheckCard provided for easy instant ATM access
No minimum balance requirement

ING Direct Sharebuilder Promo Code

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:11:49 +0000

INGDirect is giving out a $25 bonus for opening a new ShareBuilder investment account. The Share Builder account can be used to trade stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs. Normal real time trades are $9.95 and there is no minimum account balance that must be maintained for this low price. There are many different rates including discount rates for Automatic Investments (scheduled investments).

To get the $25 bonus punch in promotion code 4BUCKS when signing up and make a trade before May 1, 2009. ING Direct will automatically deposit the bonus into the new acct within 4-6 weeks.

Best Bank Rates at Capital One

Best Online Savings Rates — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:24:57 +0000

CapitalOne Direct Banking has top online savings rates at a very high rate of 1.99% APR / 2.01% APY. This is a very competitive interest rate for online savings accounts which don’t have the same early withdrawal penalties that bank certificates of deposit have.

The savings rates are tiered based on the average daily account balance:

Account Balance	APR	APY
$0.01 – $99.99	1.00%	1.01%
$100.00 – $4,999.99	1.00%	1.01%
$5,000.00 – $9,999.99	1.00%	1.01%
$10,000.00 – $24,999.99	1.99%	2.01%
$25,000.00 – $49,999.99	1.99%	2.01%
$50,000.00 – $99,999.99	1.99%	2.01%
$100,000.00+	1.99%	2.01%

These rates are better than current short term Jumbo CD rates.

Money Market Rates at Umbrella Bank

Best Rate Finder — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:42:07 +0000

UmbrellaBank.com has highest money market account rates on a tiered basis. Here are the current MMA rates for UmbrellaBank’s online Pot O’Gold Money Market Accounts:

Daily Balance	Annual Percentage Yield
<$1,000	2.24% APY
$1,000-$4,999	2.24% APY
$5,000-$9,999	2.24% APY
$10,000-$24,999	2.41% APY
$25,000-$49,999	2.60% APY
$50,000+	2.65% APY

There’s a $1,000 minimum balance requirement to open a new money mkt account. Interest earned from this bank account is compounded daily for the maximum benefit to the account holder and deposited into the MMA account on the 10th of every month.

Money market accounts differ from fixed rate certificate of deposit investments since the interest rate varies over time. Money market rates have been lower than CD rates in recent months however UmbrellaBank has some of the highest interest rates today. There is no guaranteed rate of return since money market account interest rates are based on current market conditions and subject to the same fluctuations that the market is prone to.

Money deposited in an Umbrella Bank money market account can be accessed in several ways:

Standard electronic transfers (typical of any online banking account)
Check writing
ATM withdrawals

Service fees, penalties, and other limits of this MMA:

Monthly service fee for accounts with less than $1,000 average daily minimum balance
Only 6 non ATM transactions are allowed per month

Discover Bank $50 Promotion

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:55:25 +0000

Discover Bank is offering $50 for opening a new Certificate of Deposit account online. Open a new CD account at DiscoverBank.com with a minimum of $10,000 by 2/28/2009 and and Discover Bank will credit your certificate of deposit account with an additional $50 dollars.

You must use Offer Code D100743 on the online form in order to qualify (the above link will automatically fill it in for you). You are welcome to share this code with friends but they’ll need to either come to this site and click the link or enter the offer code on the application form in order to get the free $50.

Discover Bank CD Rates are very high CD rates indeed. Here’s a quick snapshot of their long term CD rates (jumbo CD rates are the same):

5 years CD: 3.51% APY
7 years CD: 3.75% APY
10 years CD: 4.00% APY

This promotional offer is good through February 28, 2009. To earn the cash offer, a minimum deposit of $10,000 in new funds must be received by March 15, 2009 and those funds must remain on deposit for at least 90 days. The cash offer will be credited to your Discover Bank account 4 to 6 weeks after the 90-day period. Offer limited to one per customer and not applicable for accounts opened via phone or mail.

HSBC Direct Special CD Rates

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:32:38 +0000

HSBC Direct has top C.D. rates for 18 month CD’s at 2.75% APY. They call this a special interest rate but really no rate is guaranteed until you open the certificate of deposit. HSBCdirect can change their CD rates on a daily basis if they choose to do so.

The minimum opening deposit for a C.D. account at HSBC Direct Bank is only $10. Online checking accounts and savings accounts can be accessed through a network of ATMs. These rates apply to online accounts only and do not apply at local HSBC banks.

24 hour customer service for HSBC Direct: 1-800-975-4722

Bank of America Email Scam Alert

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:14:57 +0000

Here is an email that I received today that got through yahoo’s spam blocker, looks legitimate, and appears to come from Bank of America but it is totally a scam. Important things to note:

Bank of America would NEVER have a contact email address at GMAIL
The “contact” at Bank of America would provide their FULL NAME
Of course google maps can’t even map the fake branch address provided

Please do not believe for a second that you will actually get a single penny from this scammer. Idiots that send out garbage like this deserve jail time for preying on hard working Americans especially in such tough economic times. I forwarded these emails to abuse [at] bankofamerica [dotcom] and abuse [at] gmail [dotcom].

I also have heard about this same type of scam targeting older folks (senior citizens) but coming through normal US mail. They ask for some money as a fee in return for some large sum of money. While I believe that most people are not gullible enough to believe this I do want to put this out there so people are aware of these horrible scams.

***************** WARNING SCAM EMAIL BELOW *****************

(apparently) FROM: customerservice@bankofamerica.com SUBJECT: Bank of America Alerts: Confirmation of Telegraphic Wire Transfer This email was sent to you by Bank of America. To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add customerservice@bankofamerica.com to your address book or safe sender list.

Bank of America
Corporate Headquarters
100 North Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28255
BANK OF AMERICA ONLINE NOTIFICATION This message is to officially inform you that on Friday, February 6, 2009, we received a Telegraphic Wire Transfer of $450,090.00 from the United States Government as your compensatory grant for the current economic hardship.
Please be aware that this compensatory grant has been deposited into an escrow account at Bank of America/Alabama branch office and is available for remittance immediately.
The standard payment procedure is as follows:- The funds will be wired into any bank account of your choice by Bank of America and the time frame for delivery is 24-48 hrs.
It is mandatory that you activate the escrow account by making a one-time payment of $500.00 via the western union money transfer or money gram to enable the wire transfer function of the escrow account.
Please Note: The Escrow Account Activation Fee could not be deducted from your funds as your funds are protected by a Federal Government Premium Hardcover Insurance Policy installed to prevent any deductions from your funds.
The fee must be paid by you via the western union money transfer network or money gram to the payment secretary at branch office in Alabama. CONTACT BANK OF AMERICA PAYMENT SECRETARY IN ALABAMA TO RETRIEVE THE INFORMATION ON HOW TO PAY THE ESCROW ACCOUNT ACTIVATION FEE IMMEDIATELY: PAYMENT SECRETARY: Ms. Pell BRANCH OFFICE: 77 Crow Drive, Birmingham, AL 35201 CONTACT E-MAIL: paysecretary@gmail.com UPON CONFIRMATION OF PAYMENT OF THE ESCROW ACCOUNT ACTIVATION FEE, YOUR FUNDS WILL BE WIRED DIRECTLY INTO ANY BANK ACCOUNT OF YOUR CHOICE AND THE TIME FRAME FOR DELIVERY IS 24-48 HRS. The remittance procedure can only be completed through the payment secretary. This notification is for information purposes only.
Please do not reply to this message.

Sincerely,

Bank of America Contact us about this email
Please do not reply to this email. If you have any questions, please contact the official in charge.

Privacy and Security
Keeping your financial information secure is one of our most important responsibilities. For an explanation of how we manage customer information, please read our Privacy Policy. You can also learn how Bank of America keeps your personal information secure and how you can help protect yourself.

Bank of America Email, 8th Floor, 101 South Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28255. Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender
© 2009 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

* END SCAM EMAIL *

ING Checking Coupon – $25 Bonus

Best Online Savings Rates — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:59:54 +0000

Electric Orange Checking from ING Direct is a high interest bearing free online checking account that includes the Electric Orange MasterCard Debit Card for instant access to your investment funds. INGDirect pays high interest rates on your checking account balance. The rates vary depending on how much money is in the account and the annual percentage yield goes up as your balance increases. Here are ing’s checking rates:

2.50% APY electric orange checking account balances over $100,000
2.30% APY electric orange checking account balances between $50,000 and $99,999
0.50% APY electric orange checking account balances up to $49,999

go to: http://www.ingdirect.com/electric/
sign up for ING Direct Electric Orange Checking
activate the free debit card from INGDirect (Electric Orange Mastercard)
use the Electric Orange MasterCard to make a minimum of three purchases with a signature (pin transactions do not count) within 45 days from the opening of your ing Electric Orange Checking account

The free $25 is deposited automatically into your new Ing checking account on day 50.

$25 for free with interest bearing checking and great interest rates. If you’re looking for an online checking account that will earn some interest then look no further.

Reference Code EM245 shouldn’t be needed but you can punch it in to ensure the $25 dollar bonus coupon kicks in.

We the Savers

Discover Gas Card-5% cash back

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:11:21 +0000

Gas is very expensive now a days so the best way to save money on gas is to use a gas credit card that gives you the maximum cash back for your gasoline purchases. You are going to buy gas regardless of the price so having a credit card that pays you back is the best way you can fight the prices at the pump.

I suggest getting a gasoline credit card that can be used at most gas stations such as this Discover card. The drawback to other gas cards such as Chevron gas cards or Shell gas cards is that you’re restricted to receiving the maximum rebate at those gas stations only. With the Discover Gas Credit Card you can go anywhere it’s accepted and get the full 5% rebate for buying gas (Discover is accepted at most places such as Chevron, 76, Mobil, Shell, Vallero, BP etc.).

With gas fast approaching 5 dollars a gallon this card is a very smart move. I’ve received over 100 dollars in cash back in less than 1 year (took me about 9 months) since you get 5% cash back on all gasoline purchases. This card has no annual fee-click the link below to get started:

Smart Financial Credit Union – Best CD rates

Top CD Rates — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:56:16 +0000

Smart Financial Credit Union has the best CD rates for 60 month certificates of deposit at 3.5% APR (3.56% APY). Smart Financial CU has a minimum deposit requirement of $10,000 for new CD accounts to receive this high interest rate.

5 year jumbo CD rates are extremely high at 3.7% APR (3.76% APY). Calculate CD interest to estimate the potential net profit gained from a CD investment account from a this reputable NCUA insured financial institution. The NCUA is similar to the FDIC since they are both government institutions that essentially insure deposit accounts up to a certain limit (currently $250,000 per account owner).

smartcu.org reserves the right to charge a penalty for early withdrawal of funds from a CD before maturity however it’s not clearly stated how much this penalty could be on the website.

Capital One Jumbo CD Rates

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:21:52 +0000

Many online banks have not been offering higher interest rates for jumbo CDs with the exception of Capital One Direct Banking (Capital 1’s online bank). Here are the current jumbo CD rates from the Capital One website:

Jumbo Certificates of Deposit for Capital One Bank (USA), N.A.

Jumbo CD Rates (minimum deposit of $100,000)

CD Term	Interest Rate	Annual Percentage Yield
6 month CD	1.49%	1.50%
1 year CD	1.49%	1.50%
18 months CD	2.47%	2.50%
2 years CD	3.05%	3.10%
30 months CD	3.05%	3.10%
3 years CD	3.34%	3.40%
4 years CD	3.54%	3.60%
5 years CD	3.78%	3.85%
7 years CD	3.92%	4.00%
10 years CD	4.16%	4.25%

Citigroup’s New 50 Million Dollar Jet

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:38:30 +0000

Citigroup ordered a brand spankin new $50 million dollar corporate jet 4 years ago and was scheduled to take possession of it this year. However there was pressure from President Barack Obama dissuaded the deal. Citigroup already received $50 billion dollars in federal bailout money. Even though they claimed that the bailout money would not be used for the corporate jet purchase the deal was in fact cancelled.

Had Citigroup bought the new airplane they would have added to their existing collection of 5 jets. Investment banks shouldn’t even be considering spending money like this amidst our current economic crisis.

Citibank actually has 5 year top jumbo bank CD rates at 3.5% APY.

source: sfgate-citigroup jet

Happy Chinese New Year!

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:00:42 +0000

2009 is the year of the Earth Ox.

Earth Ox

Those that are fortunate enough to receive red envelopes for Chinese New Year should consider investing their money this year. If you like to have 24×7 account access then electronic banking is the way to go. Lower overhead equates to higher interest rates for consumers. Traditional banks offer similar investments but the return on investment is lower since interest rates are usually lower.

Make the Most out of your Investment

Current online savings account interest rates are very high right now compared to short term certificates of deposit. Both online savings accounts and online CDs are very safe, near zero risk investments (as long as you’re banking with an FDIC insured financial institution).

Best Online Savings Rates at Dollar Savings Direct

Best Online Savings Rates — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:12:08 +0000

DollarSavingsDirect.com claims that their Online Savings Account has the highest savings interest rate in America. This is actually not hard to believe since they’re giving away such a great interest rate of 4.00% APY! This beats most certificates of deposit (even jumbo CD rates).

DollarSavingsDirect.com is actually the online branch of Emigrant Bank (Emigrant Bank has been around since 1850). Here are some brief details:

No minimums beyond the initial $1000 dollar deposit.
There’s 24 hour access to your account since this is an online bank.
Dollar Savings Direct Bank is FDIC insured up to $250000 per depositor.
Electronic transfers to and from external account can take 2 to 4 business days to complete.
Check deposits are held for 10 business days initially with the possibility of 5 day holds later.

This is a great opportunity to earn a high return on your investment while retaining liquidity of your funds. Open up an online savings account today by going to their website or calling DollarSavingsDirect.com at 1-866-395-8693.

iGObanking.com Online Savings Rates

Best Online Savings Rates — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:17:42 +0000

iGObanking.com

has one of the highest current online savings interest rates at 3.08% APY. This is a great place to invest if you want to make some money in interest while still having relatively instant access to your funds. It’s very easy to open an account online and there is no minimum deposit required to open a new savings account (okay I lied, it’s a $1 minimum).

iGObanking.com is a member of the FDIC. Toll Free number: 1-888-432-5890

Online CD Interest Calculator Added

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:20:51 +0000

I’ve created a little Flex app that calculates the amount of interest you can make given a certain certificate of deposit term length in months, APR or APY, and amount of initial deposit. Check it out: CD Calculator

Automatic Renewal of your CD

Best Rate Finder — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 06:17:01 +0000

Many banks have opted to have your certificate of deposit renew automatically upon maturity. Some banks, such as ING Direct, will even send you a notice in the mail to give you fair warning that your C.D. is maturing and that it is set to auto renew into the same term deposit. If you don’t want to reinvest your money in the same length certificate of deposit then make sure to log in to your online account and take the necessary steps to stop it.

Some banks may have a grace period (it can be a few days to as many as 10 days) to get your cash out of the new certificate of deposit. Make sure you check with your financial investment institution.

CDARS

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:16:49 +0000

CDARS, the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service, is a product that may be offered at a local bank. It is one way to reap the benefits of FDIC insurance with a large deposit. A bank that offers CDARS will give you one interest rate while they spread your money across many other financial institutions to give you full FDIC coverage on your investment. For more information and for a list of participating banks go to the CDARS website.

Compare Electric Orange vs Thunderbolt Checking

Best Online Savings Rates — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:24:49 +0000

If you need instant access to your money then a certificate of deposit or online savings account may not be right for you. However you can still earn interest on money that is sitting in your checking account by considering one of the following bank investment products.

Electric Orange (from INGDirect) and Thunderbolt Checking (from UmbrellaBank) are high yield interest bearing checking accounts. Both banks are online banks (Umbrella bank is actually the online division of New South Federal Savings Bank) so electronic transactions are utilized.

Here’s a quick comparison:

	Electric Orange from ING Direct	Thunderbolt Checking Basic Interest Checking from UmbrellaBank	notes
Initial Minimum Deposit	$1	$500
Paper Checks	no	yes	unlimited check writing from UmbrellaBank
Send Paper Checks	yes	no	ING Direct lets you send paper checks to people/businesses online
Send Electronic Checks	yes	yes	online payment to businesses/online bill pay
ATM/Debit Card	yes	yes	instant access to your money through ATMs
Monthly Fees	no	maybe	$4.50 monthly fee is waived if you have 1 of the following: direct deposit minimum daily balance of $500 an existing home equity loan with Umbrellabank

Electric Orange users can send a paper check overnight to arrive by the next business day for a fee of $15 but you must get your request in by 11AM Eastern Time.

Interest Rates

Here’s where the two online checking accounts are very different.

Electric Orange from ING Direct
Account Balance	APY Annual Percentage Yield
$0 – $49,999.99	0.50%
$50,000.00 – $99,999.99	2.60%
$100,000.00 or more	2.80%

Thunderbolt Checking Basic Interest Checking from UmbrellaBank
Account Balance	APY Annual Percentage Yield
$0-$499.99	0.15%
$500-$1,999.99	2.00%
$2,000.00 or over	2.00%

Based on today’s online checking account rates it makes sense to go with UmbrellaBank’s basic interest checking Thunderbolt Checking Account only if you have less than $2000 AND meet the requirements of getting the monthly fee waived. It’s better to go with Electric Orange from ING Direct if you have $50000+ to invest OR if you would have to pay the $4.50 monthly fee by going with Umbrella Bank.

Best C.D. Rates at Discover Bank

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:07:23 +0000

Discover Bank (the same bank behind DiscoverCard) is offering the some of the highest current C.D. rates around. Here’s a look at their current certificate of deposit rates:

Term	C.D. Interest Rate	APY
3 months	1.25%	1.25%
6 months	1.74%	1.75%
9 months	1.99%	2.00%
1 year	2.47%	2.50%
1½ years	2.47%	2.50%
2 years	2.96%	3.00%
2½ years	3.01%	3.05%
3 years	3.30%	3.35%
4 years	3.49%	3.55%
5 years	3.73%	3.80%
7 years	3.93%	4.00%
10 years	3.93%	4.00%

There is a minimum deposit requirement of $2500 to open a new CD account and they are FDIC Insured.

Risk Management

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:34:03 +0000

Investing in CDs is a safe investment when an FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) bank is chosen for your electronic banking. The fed raised the limits of FDIC insurance to $250,000 through the end of 2009. If a financial institution that you are banking with fails, the FDIC insurance will protect your money up to the limit of coverage.

Investing in the stock market can definitely be risky because of all the recent volatility in the financial markets in America. A certificate of deposit by comparison incurs zero risk. The best way to manage risk is to diversify your investments. If you “put all your eggs in one basket” then you run the risk of your single investment failing. A combination of CDs and online savings accounts will net you a safe investment but you may not yield the highest returns simply because they are considered no risk investment products.

Search for CD rates and start investing your money today.

High Yield Savings Account Interest Rates at ETrade

Best Online Savings Rates — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:12:17 +0000

ETRADE Financial is offering high savings account interest rates at 3.01% APY. This is actually higher than certificate of deposit rates at many other financial institutions. E trade’s CDs are only at 1.70% APY at the highest for their 5 year CD! Current online savings account interest rates are so much better than other bank CD rates that it makes more sense to open a saving account at Etrade instead of a CD. This is the best deal in electronic banking right now.

Etrade Financial Bank is FDIC Insured and there are no minimums or account fees.

Best 1 year bank CD rates at GMAC Bank

Best Rate Finder — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:25:45 +0000

GMAC Bank has 12 month bank CDs (1 yr cd rate) at 3.75% APY making their certificate of deposit rates highest right now. Countrywide bank by comparison has their 1 year CDs at only 2.10% Annual percentage yield. INGdirect’s 12 month CDs are at 2.75% APY.

Ing Direct: $25 free for opening a Orange Savings or Electric Orange Account

Best Online Savings Rates — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:18:13 +0000

ING Direct is giving away 25 dollars to those that open a new Orange Savings Account or Electric Orange account. Your initial deposit must be at least $250. You can only receive this offer via an email invite so leave me a comment (I won’t publish your email address) and I’ll send you an invite while they last.

I’ve had an INGDirect online savings account and CD accounts for over 3 years. Their website is easy to navigate and it’s very easy to open additional accounts and new Certificates of Deposit. You have the ability to transfer funds immediately as well as schedule future transfers and set up automatic recurring deposits to your bank accounts. You can also cancel accidental transfers within a certain amount of time (unlike ELoan when I banked with them last about a year ago.)

WaMu Free Checking Bonus Coupon

Best Rate Finder — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:11:01 +0000

Washington Mutual is giving away 75 bucks for signing up for their free checking account. I’ve had a free checking account with WaMu for over 10 years and haven’t had a problem with them. Here are the details:

Open your account by January 24, 2009
One offer per household
$100 minimum opening balance
75 dollar bonus is deposited within 12 weeks of account opening

Your money will be safe with WaMu since they were recently acquired by Chase. A benefit of this merger is that you’ll be able to access your money at more places since you can use WaMu and Chase ATMs.

Promo code: 0028-ADBM-5675

CD Rates at GMAC Bank

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:33:08 +0000

GMAC Bank has the best certificate of deposit rates for right now for CDs with a life of 3 months to 3 years. They only require $500 minimum to open a new CD account and they are FDIC insured.

Here is a list of GMAC Bank’s current CD rates:

Term	Rate	APY
3 months	3.20%	3.25%
6 months	3.68%	3.75%
9 months	3.73%	3.80%
12 months	4.16%	4.25%
18 months	4.17%	4.26%
2 years	4.35%	4.45%
3 years	4.40%	4.50%
4 years	4.40%	4.50%
5 years	4.78%	4.90%

Better CD rates can be found at Eloan for 4 year, 5 year, and 6 year CDs. Eloan requires $10,000 to open a new certificate of deposit account.

Don’t get stuck with a low CD rate from another bank and invest your money in the best rates that you can find to maximize your return on investment.

Highest CD Rates for 6 Month Certificates of Deposit at Eloan

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:53:05 +0000

Eloan has the best CD rates for 6 month CDs at 4.00% APY. Eloan has a minimum deposit requirement of $10,000. Their high CD rates also the same as Eloan Jumbo CD rates (Certificates of deposit that are $100,000 or greater).

Comparison of other banks 6 month CD rates:
Countrywide: 3.00% APY
Etrade: 2.25% APY

Eloan’s 12 month CD rate (1 year CD rate) is also at a very competitive 4.36% APY.

FDIC raises coverage to $250,000

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:03:19 +0000

The FDIC has raised their insurance limits on deposit accounts from $100,000 to $250,000. This means joint accounts can now be covered up to $500,000 in the event of a bank failure.

This should help build some confidence in our nation’s banks and possibly encourage people to save some money. Here’s the breakdown from FDIC.gov:

Single Accounts (owned by one person): $250,000 per owner

Joint Accounts (two or more persons): $250,000 per co-owner

IRAs and certain other retirement accounts: $250,000 per owner

Trust Accounts: $250,000 per owner per beneficiary subject to specific limitations and requirements

Corporation, Partnership and Unincorporated Association Accounts: $250,000 per corporation, partnership or unincorporated association

Employee Benefit Plan Accounts: $250,000 for the non-contingent, ascertainable interest of each participant

Government Accounts: $250,000 per official custodian

Highest Interest Rates on Online Savings Accounts

Best Online Savings Rates — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:24:05 +0000

Dollar Savings Direct is offering an incredibly high interest rate for online savings accounts at 3.75% APY. While this online savings account interest rate is not as high as current CD rates, it is definitely higher than most brick & mortar banks and comparable online banks. They do require a low $1,000 minimum deposit to open a new savings account. DollarSavingsDirect.com is a an online division of Emigrant Bank and is FDIC insured.

Other online bank account savings rates:

fnbo direct – 3.50% APY
hsbc – 3.25% APY
ing direct 3.00% APY
eloan – 3.01% APY

Taking advantage of FDIC: Protecting your money

Best Rate Finder — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:07:37 +0000

The FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) is a government institution that insures bank deposit accounts up to 100,000 in the event of a bank failure. Most people know that their normal savings, checking, or CD accounts are covered but there are ways of getting more coverage. If you have over 100,000 in investments then it may be wise to spread out your money if you want to take full advantage of the FDIC.

Joint Accounts
The FDIC insures up to $100,000 for each joint account holder so you can be covered for up to $200,000 if you open a joint deposit bank account.

Brokerage CDs
Brokerage CDs are CDs that can be bought and sold on the market. These CDs are riskier than classic certificates of deposit because they may gain or lose value since they are subject to market risk. The FDIC does cover these brokered CDs for up to 100,000 each.

Retirement Accounts
IRAs and some 401k accounts are covered by the FDIC for up to $250,000. Be aware that you are covered for the total of all your covered accounts up to $250000 (not separate coverage for each account).

Credit Union Accounts
The NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) provides similar coverage to Credit Unions. Of course the Credit Union must be a member of the NCUA to be covered.

Best CD Rates at WAMU-Hot Deal!

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:17:48 +0000

Washington Mutual (WAMU) has the best CD rates for 12 month CDs at an amazing 4.50% APY interest rate! This is a very high CD rate for a nationwide, reputable bank. This rate only applies to certificates of deposit accounts opened online and does NOT apply at their normal bank branches.

Only $1000 minimum required to open a new CD account
FDIC Insured
Can take as little as 7 minutes with their online application

Comparison of 1 year CDs (12 month CDs) at other banks:

etrade: 3.45% APY
eloan: 4.35% APY
countrywide: 3.90% APY

American Express Costco True Earnings Credit Card

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:43:49 +0000

American Express has one of the best all around credit cards with cash rewards right now. This card is basically exclusive to Costco members since the annual fee is waived for Costco members.

Main benefits:

3% cash back for gasoline purchases
3% cash back for restaurant purchases/dining out
2% cash back for travel
1% cash back for everything else, including Costco purchases

This card is great because you can replace several cards with this one card if you are so inclined. Most credit cards won’t give you such high cash back rewards for everyday purchases AND give you decent rewards for gas purchases. Typically gas cards can reach up to 5% cash back however they usually don’t give you much cash back on your other daily purchases.

Highest CD Rates for 6 month CDs at Amtrust Direct

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:47:45 +0000

AmtrustDirect has the best CD rate of 3.51% APY on 6 month CDs. The minimum deposit is only 1000 dollars. Here are some online reviews for Amtrust Direct Bank.

If you are interested in 9 month certificates of deposit then AmtrustDirect also has a great rate of 3.76% APY. E-Loan also has 9 month CDs at 3.66% APY (10,000 minimum). Both AmtrustDirect and E-Loan beat Countrywide’s CD rates by a wide margin. Their 9 month CD is only at 3.00% APY with a 10,000 dollar minimum deposit. Countrywide’s CD rates are likely falling because of their recent merger with Bank of America.

AmtrustDirect.com says that you can open a new CD account with them online in less than 10 minutes. If this is true then it’s definitely a plus; it’s sometimes painful to wait for snail mail to complete a new online account creation.

Best 3 month CD rates at ELoan

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:33:47 +0000

Eloan currently has the highest CD rates for 3 month CD rates at 3.26% APY. Now this is definitely one of the best rates right now on a short term certificate of deposit. There’s a $10,000 minimum deposit required to open a CD at E-loan and they are FDIC insured.

I’ve had experience with Eloan before and although I didn’t like how their online savings account worked I still might back to them if they had the best rate for a CD with the appropriate length. I would not open another online savings account with Eloan.

The good news about Eloan is that it was easy enough to get my money out of there and my money still earned the best savings account interest rates at the time.

Indymac Bank Fails-FDIC Insured

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:21:37 +0000

Indymac Bank has been shut down however those that had up to the maximum insured amount by the FDIC should be reimbursed 100%. The FDIC will cover up to $100,000 for deposit accounts and up to $250,000 for some IRA accounts. In some cases, amounts over $100000 are also insured (the FDIC has full information as well as an Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator (EDIE) calculator).

The failure of Indymac Bank is a good example of why you should ALWAYS choose an FDIC insured bank for your banking needs.

Mortgage Rates

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:56:12 +0000

Here are some links that you can check out for lowest mortgage loan rates. Remember it is always best to shop around to get the best mortgage rates.

Quicken Loans:

Bank of Internet:

Top CD Rates: 12 Month Certificate of Deposit at 3.95%

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:00:27 +0000

Countrywide Bank has the highest APY for 1 year CDs. Countrywide has a minimum deposit $10,000 for new CD accounts. They also have the best jumbo CD rates since they offer the same 3.95% APY for balances over 250,000 dollars. You will incur a penalty if you withdraw your money out of their CD account early.

Special 1 year high CD APY at IndymacBank

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:54:12 +0000

indymacBank has a promotion going on right now for new certificates of deposit with a 5000 dollar minimum deposit. They are offering a great 12 month CD rate of 4.15% APY which edges out Countrywide’s 1 year CD rate of 4.10% APY. Countrywide’s minimum deposit is also double indymacbank’s at 10,000 dollars.

Highest 6 month CD rates at GMAC Bank

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:04:06 +0000

GMAC Bank has the highest short term CD rates around at over 3.4 % APY for all of their certificates of deposit. If you want to invest your 2008 tax stimulus check money with zero risk then a CD may be right for you. Here’s a list of GMAC Bank’s current CD Rates:

Term	Rate	APY
3 months	3.44%	3.50%
6 months	3.54%	3.60%
9 months	3.54%	3.60%
12 months	3.83%	3.90%
18 months	3.54%	3.60%
2 years	3.68%	3.75%
3 years	3.92%	4.00%
4 years	3.92%	4.00%
5 years	4.07%	4.15%

CD’s at GMAC Bank only require a $500 minimum opening deposit(compare that with Countrywide Bank’s $10,000 minimum deposit for opening CD accounts) and they are FDIC Insured. GMAC Bank’s rates are even better than Countrywide’s CD rates right now which are only at 3.25% APY for 3month, 6month, and 9month CDs.

Highest CD Rates for 6 month CDs at Countrywide Bank

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:05:44 +0000

Countrywide Bank again has some of the highest CD rates around. Their 6 month CD is at 4.05% APY. This applies for Certificates of Deposit with $10,000 minimum deposit.

Best CD Rates – 5 Years at 4.30% APY

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:28:53 +0000

iGOBanking has high rates for 5 year CDs (60 month CDs) at 4.30% APY. Their minimum deposit is only $500, so this is a good option for those that may not want to make a long term investment without a large sum of money. If you only invested $500 and let this deal run the full term (you don’t withdraw early and incur a penalty) then you would have about $617 dollars total in 5 years. That’s a net gain of 117 bucks with no risk.

Best Certificate of Deposit Rate of 4.00% APY for a 15 month CD

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:11:30 +0000

iGObanking has a high APY for their 15 month certificate of deposit at 4.00% APY. This is somewhat of a nonstandard rate since most banks offer 12 month CDs and 18 month CDs with nothing in between. Countrywide bank in comparison has their 12 month CD at 3.50% APY and their 18 month CD at 3.25% APY. This is a high CD APY with a bank that is FDIC insured. iGObanking has a $500 minimum to open a CD account.

Countrywide Bank-high CD APY for 6 month CDs

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:39:39 +0000

Countrywide Bank still has the highest CD rates around at 4.45% APY on a 6 month CD with a $10,000 minimum deposit requirement. Their online savings account APY is also very high at 4.50% however this rate is variable and subject to change at any time. With a 6 month certificate of deposit you can lock in your high rate. Online savings account interest rates are volatile; CDs allow you to lock in a good rate.

You can be assured that your money is safe (up to 100,000 dollars) at Countrywide since they are FDIC insured.

Best Online Savings Rates at Countrywide Bank

Best Online Savings Rates — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:00:33 +0000

Countrywide Bank has the best online savings account rates at 5.00% APY. Compare this with the other companies and they come out on top.

eTrade: 4.40% APY
ING DIRECT: 3.65% APY
HSBC Direct: 3.80% APY
Eloan: 4.00% APY

You will need to maintain a minimum of $10,000 in your account to get the highest rate of 5.00% APY. Balances less than 10,000 only earn 4.00% APY, however this still isn’t bad considering the competition.

Countrywide Bank-Best Certificate of Deposit Rates

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:53:49 +0000

Countrywide Bank has the highest certificate of deposit rates on a 3 month CD at an amazing 4.80% APY. There was a lot of concern regarding Countrywide Bank however they were recently bought by Bank of America. Their investment products are also FDIC insured by the US Government so your money is guaranteed safe (up to 100k per account holder).

You will need $10000 minimum to open up a CD at Countrywide Bank.

Eloan Online Bank Account Review

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:56:48 +0000

I had an online savings account with Eloan for almost a year because of their high rates. It turns out they were lacking in a few areas that made me close my account with them and switch to ETrade.

When I opened my account with Eloan their rates were very high-around 5.4% APY for an online savings account. ING DIRECT was only offering about 4.5% at this time. I still have an account with ING DIRECT since they have rich full featured easy to use customer interface.

I accidentally made a duplicate transfer from my linked checking account into my online savings account at Eloan. I realized that this transfer was a mistake just minutes after I made the online transfer and looked for a way to cancel it. There was no way to do this online. I immediately called their customer service line to get this canceled however they they stated that they were unable to do so since everything is “automated” and NOBODY has the power to stop this process once it has started. To top it all off their customer service reps were unprofessional and insensitive to my situation.

Reasons why you might not bank with Eloan:

Inability to cancel transfers
Poor customer service
Cannot schedule future transfers
Cannot schedule reoccurring transfers

ETrade-Best CD Rate for 6 month CDs

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:43:07 +0000

ETrade has a great rate for a 6 month CD at 5.18% APY. Click on the link for list of all their CD rates.

It’s very easy to open an account with ETrade online. I actually switched my online savings account from Eloan to Etrade recently.
A minimum of $1000 is required to open a new CD account and they are FDIC insured.

Online Bank Promotions-Get the Best Rates

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:17:40 +0000

All of these banks are FDIC insured. The promos do change so check for updates.

WT Direct Bank:

Bank Of Internet:

Indymac Bank-Best CD Rates for 3 Month CDs

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:36:31 +0000

Indymac Bank has very high CD rates for their 3 month CD at 5.40% APY. A high rate on a 3 month CD is great because your money is not tied up for long.

The main drawback is that they require $5,000 minimum to open a CD. They are FDIC insured.

In contrast Eloan’s 3 month CD is only at 5.00% APY.

Umbrella Bank-6 month CD at a high rate: 5.13%

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:11:01 +0000

Umbrella Bank has a high rate CD for 6 months at 5.13% APY. This is relatively high considering CD rates offered by other banks at the moment. A quick comparison of other 6 month CD rates:

Take advantage now because the Fed may cut the prime rate yet again.

Great CD Rates-Eloan 3 Month CDs & 6 Month CDs

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:26:48 +0000

Eloan is offering high CD rates despite the recent interest rate cuts by the Fed. Their 3 month CD rate is at 5.01% APY and their 6 month CD rate is at 5.05% Annual Percentage Yield.

The only drawback to Eloan is their $10,000 minimum deposit requirement.

Fed cuts the Federal Funds Rate

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:09:36 +0000

The Federal Reserve recently cut the Federal Funds Rate by 1/2 a percent, from 5.25% to 4.75%. This rate is the rate at which banks charge each other for overnight loans.

Banks will now in turn lower their prime rate, which is the best rate that they offer on loans to their customers.

This means a couple of things for investors:

Interest rates on loans (mortgage loans/home loans, auto loans/car loans, personal loans) will drop so this is good for people that need a loan.
Interest rates on savings, online savings, and CDs will drop.

If you locked in a CD at one of the higher rates in the past few months then you did great! Hopefully you put in a good amount that will make you more money than you can make at today’s current rates.

If you are looking to invest in CDs then you should still consider a short CD at this time. There’s no way to tell if the Fed will drop rates further in the near future.

Bank of the Internet – 5.17% APY – 6 Month Best CD Rate

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:54:54 +0000

Bank of the Internet currently has a great CD rate at 5.17% APY on their 6 to 8 month CD. 12 to 17 month CD rates are somewhat less at 5.11% APY.

CD rates have dropped since the Federal Reserve cut the prime rate by 1/2 a percent. Read more about this in Investment Education.

ELOAN-5.55% APY for 3 Month CDs-the Highest CD Rate for only 3 Months

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:18:59 +0000

Right now ELOAN has the best CD rate for 3 month CDs at an 5.55% APY.

This is even higher than their 6 month CD that is at 5.20% APY. Opening a 3 month CD with ELOAN is one of the smartest investments that you can make if you are looking for a short term no risk investment.

If you need access to your money frequently then consider their online savings account. At 5.25% APY, ELOAN beats ING DIRECT by a whopping .75% APY!

There’s a $10,000 minimum to open any CD account at ELOAN and they are FDIC insured.

Washington Mutual 5.50% APY CD-Highest 6 Month CD Rate

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:06:13 +0000

Washington Mutual (WAMU) is offering a very high rate CD for 6 months at 5.50% APY. This is definitely one of the highest rates at a trusted well known bank. This rate only applies for CDs that are open online.

Here’s a comparison of other “big banks” to put this 6 month CD rate in perspective:

BofA – 5.10% APY – 5 Month CD – $5,000 minimum
Wells Fargo – 4.90% APY – 5 Month CD – $5,000 minimum
US Bank – 4.93% APY – 7 Month CD – $1,000 minimum

The minimum balance required to lock in this CD rate is only $1,000 which is low enough for many people looking to start making small investments for the future.

Bank of the Internet Highest CD Rates-5.51% APY

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:02:42 +0000

Bank of Internet currently has the best CD rates around. CD rates have dropped somewhat in the past few weeks. Hopefully you locked in a good rate a month or two ago. Bank of Internet is FDIC insured. Here are their current CD rates:

Personal CDs	APY
6 Month CD	4.800%
12 Month CD	5.100%
24 Month CD	5.460%
36 Month CD	5.460%
48 Month CD	5.460%
60 Month CD	5.510%

ELOAN-5.60% APY 5 Year CD-Best CD Rate for 60 Month CD

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:49:01 +0000

ELOAN currently has the highest CD rate for 60 month CDs at an amazing 5.60% APY. I currently have an online savings account with them since they offered the best interest rates at the time.

There’s a $10,000 minimum to open any CD account at ELOAN and they are FDIC insured.

They don’t have the best online interface but the transfers from your ELOAN account into your primary linked account occur VERY FAST-usually within 1-2 days.

In comparison, ING DIRECT usually takes 3-4 days to get money transferred from your ING Account into your primary linked account. This is in reference to the online savings accounts from these institutions (you wouldn’t make transfers regularly with CDs as you would incur penalties.)

Transportation Alliance Bank High Rate CDs – 5.50% APY

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:33:10 +0000

Transportation Alliance Bank is offering the best CD rates on their 24 to 60 month CDs. If you open a 2 year CD you will get 5.48% APY and for CDs between 3 and 5 years you will get the currently highest CD rate of 5.50% APY.
The minimum deposit for opening a CD with them is only $1000 and they are FDIC insured.

The biggest problem with this deal is that they don’t offer the ability to open the account online. To get this best CD rate of 5.50% you will need to call them at 800-837-4214 or fill out the PDF and mail it in. They will probably lose a lot of business to other banks just because of the lack of online sign up ability.
Find out more about them at www.tabbank.com.

Element Direct CD Rates

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:39:46 +0000

Element Direct has many different tiers for their CD rates. They have minimums ranging from 5000 to 100000 dollars. Here’s the general breakout as of today:

$5,000 Minimum Deposit CD Rates:

Term	APY
3 Month CD	5.35 %
6 Month CD	5.44 %
9 Month CD	5.42 %
12 Month CD	5.42 %
18 Month CD	5.41 %
24 Month CD	5.41 %
30 Month CD	5.38 %
36 Month CD	5.38 %
48 Month CD	5.38 %
60 Month CD	5.41 %

$25,000 Minimum Deposit CD Rates:

Term	APY
3 Month CD	5.35 %
6 Month CD	5.45 %
9 Month CD	5.42 %
12 Month CD	5.42 %
18 Month CD	5.41 %
24 Month CD	5.41 %
30 Month CD	5.38 %
36 Month CD	5.38 %
48 Month CD	5.38 %
60 Month CD	5.41 %

$50,000 Minimum Deposit CD Rates:

Term	APY
3 Month CD	5.35 %
6 Month CD	5.45 %
9 Month CD	5.42 %
12 Month CD	5.42 %
18 Month CD	5.41 %
24 Month CD	5.41 %
30 Month CD	5.38 %
36 Month CD	5.40 %
48 Month CD	5.40 %
60 Month CD	5.41 %

$100,000 Minimum Deposit CD Rates:

Term	APY
3 Month CD	5.35 %
6 Month CD	5.45 %
9 Month CD	5.44 %
12 Month CD	5.44 %
18 Month CD	5.41 %
24 Month CD	5.41 %
30 Month CD	5.38 %
36 Month CD	5.41 %
48 Month CD	5.41 %
60 Month CD	5.45 %

Element Financial is a division of Irwin Union Bank, F.S.B. and they are FDIC insured.

WTDirect 5.26% Online Savings Account-Read the fine print

Best Online Savings Rates — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:09:53 +0000

WTDirect (the online division for Wilmington Trust) is offering their online savings account at 5.26% APY. This appears to be a good rate for online savings initially however here is the fine print:

No minimum deposit
For the first 60 days you will earn 5.26% APY on all your money
After 60 days you will only earn 5.26% APY on your money if you have over $10,000 in your account
For balances less than $10,000 you will only earn 0.60% APY

This is obviously not a good choice for people that will have less than $10,000 in their account. You can get higher rates at a normal bank such as US Bank or BofA. They are FDIC insured.

Countrywide Bank-5.40% APY Online Savings Account

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:22:37 +0000

Countrywide Bank is offering a high rate Online Savings Account at 5.40% APY. This is a great rate for an online savings account if you don’t already have one.

There is a relatively high minimum deposit of $50,000 to qualify for this rate.
You are limited to 6 withdrawals per month.

Also check out their 5.40% 6 month CD.

Countrywide Bank-5.40% APY 6 month CD

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:17:01 +0000

Countrywide Bank is offering a high rate CD of 5.40% APY for only 6 months. This is one of the best CD rates around for a 6 month CD. They do require a $10,000 minimum deposit to secure this high interest rate. Also check out their 5.40% Online Savings Account.

Bank of Internet-up to 5.51% APY CDs

Best Rate Finder — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:35:03 +0000

While the name Bank of Internet may sound sketchy, they have actually been established as an “internet bank” by the FDIC shows that they have been in business since 2000 and they are indeed insured by the FDIC.
The current Bank of Internet CD rates are right up there with the best:

CD Term	APY
6 Month	5.260%
12 Month	5.450%
24 Month	5.460%
36 Month	5.460%
48 Month	5.460%
60 Month	5.510%

$1,000 minimum deposit
$100,000 maximum deposit

FNBO Direct 6.00% APY Online Savings Account

Best Rate Finder — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 08:16:05 +0000

FNBO Direct is offering their online savings account at an amazing 6.00% APY with $1.00 initial deposit and no minimum monthly balance. This rate is guaranteed until September 28, 2007 so you still have time to make some money on this deal. There are potential fees associated with this FNBO Savings Account:

ATM Cash Withdrawal – $2.50
ATM Balance Inquiry – $1.00

And you will also be subject to the typical bank fees should you do something to incur them (read details here.) The biggest negative about this account would be the 6 transfer or withdrawal limit per month. This restriction may not bother some people however it is still a factor to take in to consideration if you need access to your money often.

iGOBanking.com 5.40% APY 8 Month CD

Best Rate Finder — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 06:13:42 +0000

iGOBanking.com is offering a promotional 8 month CD at 5.40% APY with only $500 minimum deposit. This is for new and existing customers however the money must be “new money” and can’t be transferred into this new C.D. account from an existing igobanking.com account. This is an excellent rate for only $500 minimum required deposit.

iGOBanking.com 5.30% APY-Online Savings Account

Best Rate Finder — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:29:29 +0000

iGOBanking.com is offering their online savings account at 5.30% APY.

Good:

No minimums
Highly competitive rate for savings
CD Rates aren’t bad (currently 5.30% APY for a 6 month CD)

If you’re planning on opening CDs in addition to your online savings account then it may be better to go with a bank that consistently has higher CD rates. INGDIRECT for example may be a better choice because of the ease of opening additional accounts (both savings and CDs.)

ING DIRECT 4.50% APY Online Savings Account

Best Rate Finder — Fri, 25 May 2007 17:55:52 +0000

ING DIRECT has their standard Online Orange Savings Account at 4.50%. Here are some of the benefits of having an account with ING DIRECT:

no minimum deposit required
unlimited withdrawals and deposits
ability to schedule future and/or recurring deposits
highly competitive interest rate
ease of opening additional accounts (you can open additional savings accounts and bank CDs with just a few clicks)

Citibank Direct Ultimate Savings Account-4.65% APY + $100 Bonus

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 24 May 2007 21:10:03 +0000

Citibank is offering their online savings account at 4.65% which is better than average but not as high as the best banks out there. However the $100 dollar bonus is definitely something to consider. Take advantage quickly because this offer expires on May 31, 2007.

No minimum deposit
No fees
You can get your money through Citibank ATMs at no additional charge
Only available to first time Citibank deposit account customers

Click here to open a Citibank Direct Ultimate Savings Account with $100 bonus

ELOAN-5.45% APY-1 year CD

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 24 May 2007 21:06:44 +0000

ELOAN currently has the best CD rate on their 1 year CD at 5.45% APY. They edge out Umbrella bank (with Umbrella bank’s 1 year CD at 5.40% APY.) The only problem with ELOAN is that you need a minimum $10,000 deposit.

Compounding Interest Rates

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 24 May 2007 07:47:52 +0000

Many people don’t understand the awesome power of compounding interest. Simply put, compounding interest is making more money with the interest gained from your investment. This way the total principle that you have in the account to gain interest goes up all the time. Even though the interest added is small amounts at a time, you are making more money as time goes by because of the interest made on the interest gained.

The longer you keep your money in the investment the more interest you will make. The higher the interest rate or APR will also net greater gains over lower interest rates or APRs.

Even if you can save as little as 100 dollars a month at a 7% APR you can build $14,507.87 over the course of 10 years. If you did not invest your money you would only have $12,000. Moreover if your investment stayed at a 7% rate of return for an additional 15 years the total of your investment would be $67,899.76 which is a not too shabby for a little retirement nest-egg!

To demonstrate the power of interest rates, we can take the same investment at 4% as opposed to 7%. At the end of a 25 year term the total investment is only worth $42,986.94, a mere 63% of the original amount of almost $68 thousand.

Interest rates are especially crucial when considering long term investments. Many people move their CDs around to get the best possible rate at all times. This is a normal practice and smart investors can make the highest margins possible with this technique. Keep up with the most current information to make informed decisions about your money. Don’t be lazy by keeping your money in a normal savings account if you don’t need access to it for months at a time.

Some banks will give you the option of holding the interest from your CD to the end of the term or depositing the interest monthly into another of your accounts (such as a savings account that you may have with that bank.) The Annual Percentage Rate (APY) disclosed by the investment bank includes compounding this interest in the certificate of deposit so leave it in the CD account if you want to receive the stated APY interest rate.
Here’s a good cd calculator.

What is a CD?

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 24 May 2007 07:46:50 +0000

CD is a common abbreviation for a Certificate of Deposit. CDs are one of many investment products offered by banks however it is one of the simplest to understand. Banks offer CDs to customers to guarantee a specific interest rate or APY for the customer for a certain deposit amount.

CD INTEREST RATES
CD interest rates are typically higher than ordinary savings accounts but lower than mutual funds. This is because if you have a CD with a bank that is ''FDIC insured">FDIC insured then your investment is guaranteed up to $100,000. As long as you go with a FDIC insured bank then there isn’t really any risk of losing your money. CD rates fluctuate with the market but they’re locked in for the term the day that you open the account. It’s always good to look around and compare CD interest rates when you’re ready to make this investment.

SAVINGS VS CDS

Savings accounts allow you to withdraw and deposit at any time. CDs do not allow you to add money into the CD during the term.
You can end your CD early but with a penalty. This penalty can often be MORE THAN THE INTEREST YOU WOULD GAIN by keeping the CD to full term. (You can take a loss because of the penalties associated with early withdrawal.)
Savings account interest rates fluctuate with the market and are subject to change at any time. CD interest rates are locked in for the period of time stated when the CD is opened.

WHAT KIND OF ACCOUNT SHOULD I OPEN
You can open both an online savings account and CD accounts. Online savings will allow you the flexibility of moving money back and forth without penalties while the CDs can net you more money in the long term. CDs are offered by banks to customers that can part with their money for preset lengths of time from 3 months to 10 years. If you are in a situation where you may need your money soon then this may not be the time for you to open a CD.

INTEREST DISBURSEMENTS
If given the option to receive interest disbursements with your CDs then always say YES. That way you can put the interest to work in your savings account and enjoy the power of compounding interest rates.

Umbrella Bank-5.42% APY-6 month CD

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:16:59 +0000

Currently UmbrellaBank.com has the best rate on a 6 month CD. A very good investment choice since the minimum opening deposit is only $1000.

The Basics of Online Savings and CDs

Best Rate Finder — Thu, 24 May 2007 05:59:32 +0000

Make sure you’re making money instead of spending it
That’s right, you can lose money in an “investment” account if you’re not careful. Inspect the fine print whenever you sign up for a new investment account, whether it be savings, checking, CD, money market, and even 401k and retirement plans. Make sure that you meet the requirements for minimum balances if stated and understand the early withdrawal penalties.

Online Banking-now is the time
If you currently have money in a regular bank savings account, now is definitely the time to consider moving it into an online CD or savings account. Many banks offer higher rates online when compared to their normal branches simply because there are lower overhead costs to managing online accounts. If you need instant access to your money then nothing can beat normal banks. However if you can wait just a few days for transactions to go back and forth then an online savings account will work fine for you. Typically you will still need a normal checking or savings account to link up to your online savings account. Online savings accounts can yield 2 to 4 percent higher interest rates than normal banks! That can be more than double your current savings account rate.

Online CDs-Get the Best Rates
Online CDs have different terms ranging from 3 months to 10 years and they will sometimes also have minimum deposit requirements. Typically the higher interest rates require a higher deposit. Early withdrawal fees vary greatly from bank to bank. Make sure you can part with your money for the specified term and you’ll have nothing to worry about. Researching the best CD rates available when you’re ready to invest can help make the most from your money.

Get Rid of Old Accounts-Make More Money Online
Close out old accounts that are not gaining as much interest. Assuming you’re investing less than 100 to 200 thousand dollars, you will benefit from putting the bulk of your money in the investment that offers the highest interest rate. It’s easy to get lazy and leave some money here and there however if you consolidate the money from all of your bank accounts that are seldom used you may have more than you think.

Schedule reoccurring deposits into your new online savings account
You cannot add money to a CD once you’ve opened one, however you can add money into your online savings account at any time. Some banks such as ING DIRECT have tools available that allow you to schedule deposits for a future date or on a regular basis such as weekly or monthly. There are other banks that have great interest rates but don’t offer this functionality (as of today ELOAN does NOT offer future scheduled deposits with their online savings account.) Just putting in a small amount out of each paycheck will add to your total investment and you’ll soon realize the power of compounding interest.

If you do get a charge from your bank you should always call in to customer service and ask for a one time courtesy refund. I find that it’s best to be courteous and honest with the bank representatives. Of course you cannot do this often but some people often forget that they are the customer and the banks want your business. You can easily save $30 or more depending on the type of fee you incurred (overdraft fees are a very easy and common fee for banks to charge.)