Savings Accounts

Beware of Regional Rate Differences

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.24.2012

Richard Barrington

Regional and community banks are often recommended as a solution to the low interest rates offered by large banks -- and for good reason. Unfortunately, the viability of this solution may depend on where you live.

America's Best Rates 2012 Q1: A Rate Hunter's Guide

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.19.2012

Richard Barrington

With bank rates falling, where should you look to find the most competitive rates? The banks on the above top 10 lists are great places to start, but you should always do some comparison shopping before you make a final decision.

Stocks Show a Fear of Judgment Day

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.18.2012

Richard Barrington

What will be the ripple effects of a setback in stocks? As stock prices have fallen, they've pulled 10-year bond yields back below 2 percent. That's a discouraging sign for CDs, savings accounts and money market accounts

Retirements Survey Finds Many Tripping Over Financial Hurdles

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.10.2012

Richard Barrington

Retirement confidence has taken a beating in recent years. One of the root causes suggested by the survey results is that the difficulty of meeting short-term goals might be so great that people never get around to focusing on long-term goals.

10 Biggest Money Misconceptions

Grant Cardone | Posted 04.04.2012

Grant Cardone

Help yourself out so you are in a position to help someone else out.

Seven Ways to Straighten Your Boomerang Child

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.03.2012

Richard Barrington

Most parents are more than willing to make sacrifices for their children, and will make accommodations for them when they are in need. However, when young adults return home, it shouldn't be to experience a second childhood.

Road Rage: The Truth About Gasoline Prices

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.02.2012

Richard Barrington

While the backlash is inevitable, it raises a key question: How much control does the president really have over oil and gasoline prices? How people perceive the answer to that question could well decide the results of the next election.

What Is a Roth IRA? A Short and Simple Guide

J.D. Roth | Posted 05.28.2012

J.D. Roth

Even if you don't have a retirement plan through your job, you can still save for the future. One of the best ways to do so is through a Roth IRA.

How To Save For A Rainy Day

Emily Cohn | Posted 03.06.2012

Welcome to A Dollar A Day, where every day we'll dish out creative and quirky ways to save on your living expenses. We know it's tough to save, es...

Advancing Consumers' Interests

Richard Cordray | Posted 04.30.2012

Richard Cordray

We have heard story after story of consumers being hit with fees they did not expect and do not understand. We take these complaints very seriously.

Payroll Tax Deal Sets Tone for Election-Year Finances

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.29.2012

Richard Barrington

The move to extend unemployment benefit comes at a time when job growth is improving. It targets special relief for high unemployment states, but given the disparity of unemployment rates among states, shouldn't people be encouraged to move to where the jobs are?

5 Pieces of Banking Wisdom to Ignore

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.24.2012

Richard Barrington

There are many useful rules in personal finance that can help you successfully manage your money. But it's also useful to know when those rules can be broken.

Initial GDP Estimate: Hope for Interest Rates?

Richard Barrington | Posted 04.03.2012

Richard Barrington

The initial estimate released Friday for fourth-quarter GDP hinted at something long missing from the U.S. economy: positive momentum. But can it be sustained?

2011: The Year of Buck-Passing

Richard Barrington | Posted 03.05.2012

Richard Barrington

Looking back, 2011 may be remembered as the year that world leaders passed the buck. And much to the chagrin of people with savings accounts< and other interest-bearing deposits, this flurry of buck-passing may have doomed them to another year of low interest rates.

When Banks Compete, Could Savings Account Win?

Richard Barrington | Posted 02.05.2012

Richard Barrington

If this new spirit of competitiveness among banks leads them to expand the loan market, it could stimulate the economy and eventually lead to higher interest rates on savings accounts, CDs, and money market accounts.

Better Than a Red Ryder BB Gun: 5 Gifts for World Leaders

Richard Barrington | Posted 01.31.2012

Richard Barrington

As 2011 closes, world leaders could surely use a few gifts. Here are five presents that, if delivered, would probably be their all-time best -- regardless of whether they ever found a BB gun under the tree.

Mixed Messages: Debt Falls Alongside Savings Rates

Richard Barrington | Posted 01.17.2012

Richard Barrington

Since debt and savings are opposites, you wouldn't expect them to move in the same direction at the same time. However, recent statistics indicate that as America's debt has shrunk, so too have America's savings rates.

Making Bank Transfer Day Work for You

Richard Barrington | Posted 01.02.2012

Richard Barrington

As a consumer you have the right to look for free checking accounts, and the highest interest rates on CDs, savings accounts and money market accounts. Don't limit your choices to credit unions.

4 Signs of a Shrinking Bank

Richard Barrington | Posted 01.02.2012

Richard Barrington

According to SNL Financial, JP Morgan has just beaten out Bank of America as the largest U.S. bank in terms of assets. That means Bank of America's strategy is working out just as they planned.

Were Savings Account Rates Any Lower in the 1930s?

Richard Barrington | Posted 12.26.2011

Richard Barrington

Could conditions for interest rates on savings accounts get any worse today than they were in the 1930s? If you factor in both interest rates and inflation, they already are.

12 Free Checking Accounts for Baby Boomers

Richard Barrington | Posted 12.25.2011

Richard Barrington

At a time when the free checking account is practically an endangered species, having special access to free checking is a valuable benefit.

The Psychology of Saving (Especially When You're Broke)

Patrice Peyret | Posted 11.19.2011

Patrice Peyret

What's needed are new options that help lower-income earners nudge themselves in the right direction by making it a subconscious habit to tuck money away.

4 Things Mike Tyson Can Teach You About Savings Accounts

Richard Barrington | Posted 11.09.2011

Richard Barrington

Mike Tyson was once heavyweight champion, and perhaps the most feared boxer in the sport's history. Within two decades of his prime, though, he was filing for bankruptcy.

Healthy Lifestyles Need Healthy Savings Accounts

Richard Barrington | Posted 11.06.2011

Richard Barrington

There actually is a relationship between a person's physical health and their financial needs, and it's not what you might think. While getting sick can be costly, it turns out that being healthy may be even more expensive.

Ask the Expert: Does the Debt Ceiling Debate Threaten Deposit Insurance?

Richard Barrington | Posted 09.27.2011

Richard Barrington

Even though FDIC deposit insurance is a federal program, it is not likely to be an immediate victim of a possible federal government default. In the long run though, anything is possible if things reach such a dire outcome.