Archive for September 2008

Online Savings Account Interest Rates (Updated!)

Written by nickel - 11 Comments

In the past, I’ve put together rundowns of the best online savings accounts (based on reader feedback) and the safest online banks (based on Bankrate ratings). Given WaMu’s recent rate increase, I thought I’d round things out by compiling a list of current interest rates for the most popular online savings accounts. Here goes:

WT Direct [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 23rd, 2008 - 11 Comments
Filed under: Banking
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

Washington Mutual Raises Savings Rate to 4.00% APY

Written by nickel - 6 Comments

This is just a quick note to let you know that Washington Mutual has raised the rate on their online savings account to 4.00% APY, effective Tuesday, September 22nd. As far as I know, this is the highest available rate for an FDIC insured online savings account. In fact, it even beats out CD rates [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 22nd, 2008 - 6 Comments
Filed under: Banking
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

What Happens to Your Mortgage if Your Bank Fails?

Written by nickel - 14 Comments

Over the past several weeks, I’ve received a number of comments and e-mails from readers wondering what would happen to their mortgage if their banks fails. Is the loan terminated? Do they have to pay it back immediately? Or do they get to walk away free and clear? In short, the answer to all three [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 22nd, 2008 - 14 Comments
Filed under: Banking, Economy, Mortgages
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

From the Archives (September 14th - September 20th)

Written by nickel - Leave a Comment

Here are some of my favorite FCN articles from a year ago this past week: Dealing With Found Money Bonds Ball is Up For Voting Dealing With Found Money, Followup And here’s what was going on two years ago: Hidden Costs of Home Ownership Money Saving Tip for the Recently (or Soon-to-Be) Unemployed Solving Customer Service Problems Skip Lunch, Save $100k And finally, here’s what was going on three years ago: Buying Term Life Insurance, Part IV Buying a New Car Misguided Money Fears Buying a New Car, Part II Car Buying Mistakes

Read the full article »

Published on September 21st, 2008 - Leave a Comment
Filed under: Best of...
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

A Bit of Investing Perspective

Written by nickel - 8 Comments

As much of a roller coaster ride as we had this past week, here are some things to consider:

This week, Dow experienced drops of nearly 450 and over 500 points, but…

The Dow finished the week down just 34 points
In the past month, the Dow is up 40 points
Over the past 5 years, the Dow is [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 20th, 2008 - 8 Comments
Filed under: Economy
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

Inside the Economic Rescue Plan: One Giant Bailout

Written by nickel - 16 Comments

The big news today was that the White House is pushing for a so-called “Rescue Package” for the economy. While details are still being fleshed out, the Treasury Department will apparently seek authority to spend “hundreds of billions” of taxpayer dollars to purchase illiquid assets from U.S. financial institutions.
These buybacks will be managed by a [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 19th, 2008 - 16 Comments
Filed under: Economy, Mortgages
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

Market Turmoil, Portfolio Drift, and Asset Allocation: Time to Rebalance?

Written by nickel - 9 Comments

Last night, I decided to login to Vanguard to check out the damage from the recent market turmoil. Their Portfolio Watch feature actually makes this very easy, as I can now see our entire portfolio (including non-Vanguard investments) on a single screen.
Surveying the damage
What I learned upon logging in was mildly depressing. Not surprisingly, our [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 19th, 2008 - 9 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

How to be Sure Your Money is FDIC Insured

Written by nickel - One Comment

With all of the recent financial turmoil, I’ve received a number of questions from readers on topics ranging from the safety of their bank to whether or not their money is FDIC insured, etc. While I’ve written about these topics in the past, several of the questions that I’ve received have outlined very specific scenarios, [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 18th, 2008 - One Comment
Filed under: Banking, Online, Retirement
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

The Sky is Falling: Reacting to Recent Stock Market Turmoil

Written by nickel - 35 Comments

Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand, you’re aware that United States financial system is in the midst of an ever-worsening crisis, and that the stock market has gone a bit haywire. In fact, we experienced the largest single-day drop in the stock market since the markets re-opened after the September 11th attacks.
Why? [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 16th, 2008 - 35 Comments
Filed under: Saving & Investing
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

HSBC Drops APY, FNBO Direct and WaMu Hold Steady

Written by nickel - 3 Comments

Over the past couple of months, HSBC Direct has been offering a promotional rate of 3.5% APY*. As of this week, however, they’ve dropped their rate to 3.25% APY*. That means that WaMu and FNBO Direct are at the top of the heap amongst the major online banks.
For their part, WaMu is offering an attractive [...]

Read the full article »

Published on September 16th, 2008 - 3 Comments
Filed under: Banking
digg this - stumble it - save to del.icio.us

Subscribe for free updates...


Search this site...

Sponsors...



Great deals...

Readers’ choice...

Recent articles...

Recent comments...

  • taxrascal: When I saw that you wanted to write a User Manual for your...
  • Dennis: Actually some of the machines that take up to 10 checks will kick out...
  • Eric J. Nisall: Also remember that even though you may be self-employed, the...
  • Lloyd: Wow, I was Googling “how much cash on hand should I have”,...
  • SimplyForties: Thanks for this information. My son just happens to be a...
  • nickel: doug: Tomato, tomahto. It’s part of your total compensation,...
  • doug: ‘These taxes are levied on both the employee and employer so, for...
  • Craig: I always just look at it every pay check and see how much money is...

Most talked about...

Disclaimer...

    The terms of third-party offers referenced on this website are subject to change without notice. While we strive to maintain timely and accurate information, offer details may be out of date. Visitors should thus verify the terms of any such offers prior to participating in them. Please see our terms of service for additional details.