August 3rd, 2010

Some banks stop disclosing penalty interest rates.
July 8th, 2010

One of the keys to financial freedom is developing a habit of saving. It sounds really basic, but many people have trouble with this, and many just don’t know how to start. Here is an overview of how you can get started with savings accounts. The article will cover types of savings accounts, how to open one, and various alternatives ...
June 29th, 2010

As banks push for one-stop shopping, the benefits to consumers can vary.
March 23rd, 2010

On September 28th, 2007, my bank went bankrupt and closed its doors…goodbye, Netbank. The moment you first find out that your bank failed is a scary moment. First thought: “I know I should have figured out what FDIC Insured meant.” Second thought: “Google, can you save the day today?” How do you know if your bank failed and went bankrupt?
Photo ...
March 11th, 2010
Sallie Mae, normally known for their federal and private student loans, is entering the savings account area with a high yield savings account currently offering 1.35% APY with no monthly fees and no minimums. It’s your standard online bank offering with a pretty standard savings account rates. In scanning their list of offerings, the only thing that stands out is ...
March 2nd, 2010
Ally Bank has been making several customer-friendly tweaks to their product line which are worthy of note. First up are two that give you a way to lock in a higher rate, but with a handy exit plan in case rates start rising due to inflation or other governmental intervention.
60-day Early Withdrawal Penalties
The usual deal for a certificate of ...
March 2nd, 2010
This is part 2 of a 4 part series on getting out of debt quickly. Make sure that you read all four parts in order to get the most out of this sequence of hints on getting yourself or your family out of the debt trap.
Next you are going to want to try to consolidate all of your debt onto ...
February 5th, 2010
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I’m going to assume that we’ve all been slapped with an overdraft fee at some point in our lives. We’re not perfect, and banks are extremely sneaky at finding ways to help us overdraft our bank accounts. Here’s some information about overdraft fees and why you shouldn’t use overdraft protection services.
Overdraft Fees
Overdraft protection was designed to be a customer friendly ...
February 4th, 2010
Right now, the student loan industry is going through one of its worst periods in decades. New Federal regulations have forced many banks to stop offering student loans, and students are being forced to either find a direct loan or start paying back what they owe. Enrollment figures are being affected dramatically and right now, many students simply cannot afford ...
January 23rd, 2010
This week Liz Weston wrote about how to shop for a new bank and it made me think about how we chose the banks we work with now. For us, the criteria for judging a checking account differed from the criteria for judging a savings account. We use the two different types of accounts for different purposes, so the criteria ...