Showing posts with label savings account. Show all posts
Showing posts with label savings account. Show all posts

Sunday, 16 November 2008

Communication will help debt problems

Living under the weight of debt is hard.So first we need to start savings in various ways. Living under the weight of debt when concealing it from your partner is hellish, and that applies whether you are hiding all the debt from them or merely reducing it to a size which will make their consumption of it more palatable.

If you recognise yourself in this, be warned. It can break families and relationships into pieces that may never get picked up again. Face up to the fact that although you may be trying to protect your partner/relationship/family by keeping the severity of the situation away from them, your deception will cause a stress of its own.

The short term relief of denial can very quickly bite you in the behind. This will happen when your situation compounds to the point when there’s no escaping it, because you’re maxed out on credit everywhere you turn and you face homelessness. This level of debt can’t be conveniently swept under the carpet; as the adage goes: “If you continually sweep things under the carpet, eventually you’ll get a crick in your neck from stooping to avoid the ceiling.” There’s also the possibility that your partner will blame you for not informing them of how bad the situation had become, or of not managing the money better.

But this is supposed to be a partnership and it the debt needs to be faced with your eyes wide open. Communication is the key, whether that’s with your partner or the bank, so stop covering it up and look it in the face. It’s the only way to resolve it. There are loads of solutons out there to help. Debt Management, Consolidation Loans, IVA, and hopefully not, but you never know, Bankrupty. The early you deal with it the less drastic the solution.

Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Best Savings Account Interest Rate

There are many different types of savings accounts available. Choosing one that is right for your financial situation is an important part of your future. The biggest consideration is the rate of return on your balance. So we are going to take a look at several types of accounts and their benefits so you can get the best savings account interest rate.

Standard savings accounts

These are the accounts you can open at your local bank. The deposits are made by either through direct deposit manual deposit. The usual interest rate is around 5% or so annually, or per year. Currently as of 10/12 2007, the interest rates are ranging from 4.17% to 5.5% depending on the bank you choose.

Watch the minimum deposit and minimum balance requirements. There may be a minimum balance requirement to even receive the interest return. One bank has a 1$ minimum deposit but you need to hold a balance of $10,000 to receive the interest! This is a safe investment as your cash is secured and the interest is guaranteed but the interest accrues slowly.

Money market accounts

Basically a money market account (MMA) is a high interest savings account. MMA's are available at just about any bank. The cash you keep in an MMA will be invested, but the banking institution manages the investing and thus collects the returned interest.

Your money is usually put into low risk, short term investments like CDs (certificates of deposit), Treasury bills or other safe investment vehicles. The institution rewards you reward for letting them use your money by offering you a premium interest rate that may be significantly higher than a normal passbook account.

As of the writing of this article, the offered rates were between 4.55% and 5.84% A money market account is a decent low risk savings strategy but there are certain restrictions associated with it. Unlike a passbook savings account, a money market account usually has a minimum deposit and minimum balance. Withdrawals can be made but you cannot go below the minimum balance. If you do, there are stiff penalties.

Health savings accounts

An HSA or Health Savings Account is available to people who purchase a high deductible health plan. The money is deposited either on a pre-tax (tax deferred) basis or post tax (after tax) and is to be used for medical purposes. These deposits can be made up to the age of 65. Withdrawals can be made for medical purposes without tax liability.

Basically, this is another way to save for retirement and help with medical expenses along the way that are not covered by medical insurance. This could be dental care, eyeglasses or vision and chiropractic care.

As of 2007 plan years, deposits are limited to $2850 for individuals and $5650 for families. Those over age 55 can add another $800. Since the deposited money may be invested similar to IRA's and 401(k)'s, the interest earned is dependent on the options offered by the HSA plan you choose.

IRA accounts

Individual Retirement Accounts or IRA's are another savings vehicle. The money deposited cannot exceed $4000 per year and can be placed in any number of investments of your choice. This could mean money markets, CD's or other interest bearing instruments. Thereby you can determine the rate of return your cash receives.

A little research is all it takes to choose the highest yielding option. Hope this information will help you to find the best savings account interest rate.

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Money Market Savings Account

Many individuals are starting to discover that a money market savings account is a very beneficial type of account. This particular account is basically a savings account that many credit unions and other types of banks offer to individuals. It is quite similar to a basic savings account. However, the money market savings account is a little bit stricter when it comes to the guidelines it has. Here, you will receive an introduction to the money market savings account.

With this type of savings account, an individual is normally permitted to have a total of three checks on average to be written each month. In order to maintain this type of savings account, an individual must usually have a minimum balance that is quite higher than that of a standard savings account. Normally, a basic savings account will require anywhere from $25.00 - $100.00 as a minimum balance. However, with a money market savings account, it is not uncommon to have to maintain a minimum balance of at least $1000.00. In many cases, the minimum balance may be as much as $2500.00.

Many individuals do not mind the fact that they are required to maintain a higher balance than that which is required of a standard savings account. This is because the money market savings account normally pays a higher amount of interest on the balance than similar accounts. In addition to this benefit, individuals with this type of account also benefit from having their money insured by the FDIC, or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This means that regardless of the losses that the financial institution incurs, the money in a money market savings account is always available.

Money market savings accounts are extremely important to the overall functioning of the financial institution. This is because the business actually earns money on the amount of money that you have in your account. While your money is always available, the money in these accounts is what the bank uses to loans to others. They charge others interest on the loan, and in turn, they are able to pay you interest on the amount that you have. Furthermore, the interest, or free money, that the financial institution pays you is also compounded. This means that they also pay you interest on top of the interest that they already paid you.

Having a money market savings account is a wonderful way to not only save money, but actually make money as well. When you open your account, you are given a register. This is the paperwork that you will use in order to keep track of all the money that you deposit in your account, and all the money that you withdraw from your account. If you open this type of savings account, you should use it for saving money only. This way, you can maximize the potential of return that you have on the account as a whole.

Many individuals ensure that they make regular deposits into their money market savings accounts to ensure that they make as much money as possible. This is one of the few bank account types that will allow you to earn a large amount of money in a short amount of time. If you are interested in saving money, a money market savings account is the best possible choice!