If you’ve followed this site for any length of time, you’re likely aware that I’m not a huge fan of debit cards. While I recognize that they can be quite convenient at times, debit cards simply have too many disadvantages for me to use one instead of a credit card.
In the past, my biggest concern [...]

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Late last week, Ally Bank did something that’s been almost unheard of over the past year or so… They raised the interest rate on their online savings account. No, it wasn’t a large increase, but at least it wasn’t a decrease. It remains to be seen if anyone else will follow suit, but I doubt [...]

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Has your bank increased fees related to your checking or savings accounts? According to a recent blurb in Money Magazine, banks have turned to account maintenance fees, overdraft fees, etc. in an attempt to make up for recent losses in other areas.
“Recently, Bank of America boosted maintenance fees on certain checking accounts, Wachovia doubled its [...]

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Did anyone else see today’s headline about bank overdraft fees? According to a recent report, U.S. banks are on pace to collect $38.5 billion worth of overdraft fees this year.
Can that number be right? Assuming that it is, then every man, woman, and child* in the United States will have paid an average of a [...]

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Have you ever wished you could lock in a competitive, guaranteed rate on your savings while still retainign the flexibility to access your cash in a pinch? If so, then you might be interested in a so-called “No Penalty” certificate of deposit (CD).
What is a “No Penalty” CD?
“No Penalty” CDs are exactly what they sound [...]

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I NEVER thought that I’d be writing about how much I love banking! As a matter of fact, I’m laughing and shaking my head in disbelief as I write this…
This article is a bit of a followup to my previous article about borrowing from big banks, which sparked quite a lively and interesting debate. Today, [...]

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*Me to group*
“Hello everyone. My name is Matt and I’m a recovering big bank customer.”
*Group replies in unison*
“Hi Matt!”
*Me to group*
“I’m 33 years old, and have been borrowing from big banks ever since they courted me with offers of credit cards and free t-shirts on my University campus back in the 1990s. Ever since the [...]

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Using the rate comparison tool above will allow you to compare many more accounts side by side, but I’ll also occasionally update the list below. Since interest rates at historical lows, I’ve focused my efforts here on shorter-term CDs — no sense in locking up your principal for too long when rates have nowhere [...]

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If you’re in the market for an online savings account, you might want to check out the latest offer from WT Direct. While their current rate (1.76% APY for accounts with a balance of at least $10k) isn’t all that great, they’re offering a bonus for new account holders. The amount of your bonus will [...]

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It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an online bank increase their interest rates, but… I recently received an e-mail from Everbank saying that they’ve bumped up the rate on their “Yield Pledge” Money Market Account (link).
The calculation is a bit convoluted, but they’re offering an introductory rate of 3.01% APR (3.06% APY) on [...]

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