How To Build A CD Ladder and Get The Highest Interest Rate

By MoneyBlueBook

During tough times, there is always the inevitable flight to quality as investors seek out stable investment options to keep their money safe from loss. Oftentimes these safe investment choices include U.S. Treasury Bills, high interest savings, and money market accounts. However, those who want to shield their money from unnecessary risk during uncertain times but still maintain a very competitive rate of return ought to strongly consider certificate of deposits (CDs). Because CD's are issued by banks and credit unions, they enjoy the same iron clad FDIC insurance coverage and equivalent that checking accounts and saving deposits enjoy. When you buy a certificate of deposit through a bank and choose to invest your money in a CD, you can rest easy knowing that your money is fully protected up to the full FDIC coverage limit from unexpected loss (the current FDIC limit is $250,000).

While in the long run, investing in the stock market is the best way to earn high growth returns, sometimes the market conditions and wild price swings are too much to handle for some conservative short term investors. Especially for those you looking to preserve your capital and build up emergency fund savings within a short time frame, you may be more comfortable investing your money in a predictable interest bearing asset, like a high yield savings account or a CD. While I frequently solicit the use of safe investments for specialized purposes, I'm still an active bank interest rate chaser at heart - a person who

By MoneyBlueBook

After two decades at the same coverage limit, the U.S. government has finally stopped dragging its knuckles and raised the FDIC insured limit for bank deposits from the previous FDIC limit of $100,000 - up���� to the new limit of $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank. For your average bank customer, this means that he or she will now receive full FDIC insurance coverage up to $250,000 for the total sum of their single accounts (checking, savings, and CD deposits) at each banking institution. Other account category types like joint accounts and trust accounts will also each enjoy separate increased $250,000 limits at each bank. However, retirement accounts held by banks as FDIC insured deposits will remain at the previous $250,000 limit.

For those who don't know, the FDIC stands for the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a federally run government organization that protects bank customers from the loss of their deposits in the event of a catastrophic FDIC-insured bank failure. The protection afforded by FDIC insurance is near iron-clad as it is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. There is no need for bank depositors to apply for FDIC insurance or even to request it as coverage is automatic. Below are the new and current FDIC insurance coverage limits for deposits at FDIC insured member banks. The new FDIC limits are effective starting October 3, 2008 and tentatively scheduled to expire on December 31, 2009. While the FDIC does not directly cover deposits held in credit union institutions,

By MoneyBlueBook

So you want to be a millionaire? Well you know what? Me too - and I'm determined to get there in the near future. At this very moment, despite the current state of the economy and the deteriorated condition of the credit markets, instead of just sitting on my hands and wishing upon a star, I'm taking active steps right now to make it all possible someday. While having a financial net worth of a million dollars isn't what it used to be because of the negative effects of inflation, it's still the measuring stick we use today to delineate the dreamers from the ones who have financially made it.

I know it's not an unfathomable dream to have because I've seen the system work firsthand. The possibility is not just reserved for celebrities or the elite, but is very real and plausible for ordinary people as well. One of my close childhood friends is a multi-millionaire. And he's only 30 years old. He's not a self made millionaire as he inherited the vast bulk of his fortune from his parents, but it was his parents who put forth the gears of financial practice many years ago that brought their finances to what it is today. From the time my friend's parents married, they lived a very frugal life. While they were by no means cheap, they avoided the peer pressures and temptations of living lavishly, opting instead for a humble home they could afford and limiting pricey expenditures like dining out to only rare occasions.

By MoneyBlueBook

The credit crisis is bumming me out. Because of the current economic recession, an important source of free money and money making opportunities has all but dried up on me and pretty much everyone else in the country. I'm talking about lucrative balance transfer credit cards - namely, the once abundant credit card terms and conditions that offered amazing 0% APR balance transfers for 12 months with no pesky balance transfer fees.

Ever since I first started getting into the world of personal finance blogging and common sense financial planning, balance transfer credit cards have always been one of my favorite consumer financial instruments. Balance transfer credit card arbitrage is actually what got me started with personal finance blogging���� to begin with. Over the years, they have served me well, netting me substantial balance transfer arbitrage profit in the way of high yield bank interest income, and cushioning me during difficult financial times by providing me a way to get quick interest free loans as a financially struggling young lawyer. During tough economic times in my life, they helped me bridge temporary budget shortfalls, saving me from having to turn to high interest risky alternatives like payday loans. My early life would actually have been more difficult and harsh had it not been for the safety net benefits and financial assistance provided by 0% balance transfer credit cards. During key moments in my life, these short term interest free credit card loans helped preserve my financial independence and saved me from having to turn

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Best Credit Card Cash Back Rewards For Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and MSN AdCenter

Editor's Note: Thank you for your interest, these offers have expired and are no longer available.

As a personal finance blogger and a dot com mogul-super affiliate tycoon wannabe (I'm joking), I regularly spend sums of money on domain name registrations, web hosting services, and home office computer supplies. However, the bulk of my tax deductible business expenses consist of expenditures for online advertising through top search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN. While compared to the big boys (and girls) my advertising budget is comparatively puny, I still seek to maximize my money however I can, whether that means utilizing free promotional coupons for extra savings and free online advertising, or taking advantage of credit card offers to earn cashback rebates on Google Adword purchases.

Online Advertising Through Pay Per Click Works, But It Can Get Expensive Depending On Subject Niche

Those who are familiar with online advertising know that there are a variety of ways and methods to get your website brand or blog name into the search engines and thus into the public eye for maximum traffic. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that all of the methods are created equal. Currently the most popular search engine with the most capability to leverage the most search traffic by far is run by Google. But while the Google Adword program's certainly the most dominant player in the online marketing world, there are also other lesser options worth mentioning - most notably Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft's MSN AdCenter. Neither Yahoo Search nor MSN

By MoneyBlueBook

My Advice and Guide To The Risks Of Using Pay Day Cash Advance Loans

When it comes to the subject of money and finance, certain things seem to inherently come with bad raps, and it's not always deservedly so. As someone with a legal background, I feel that I've been naturally trained and conditioned to reflexively see both angles of a debate. Generally, I can take either opposing positions of a controversial issue. For example, when it comes to credit cards, I can see both the negatives and the positives. Some see credit cards as the scourge of consumer debt, and the ultimate symbols of excessive consumerism and financial servitude, responsible for trapping generations of consumers into irresistible cycles of minimum payments and high interest credit card debt. But at the same time, I can also see the rewarding aspects of credit card usage - the ability to use a powerful and versatile financial tool to not only build much needed credit history, but to make money and earn cash back rewards through responsible use and management.

However, even with a self proclaimed balanced view towards the use of semi-controversial financial tools for arbitrage profit and monetary gain, there are some practices out there I am reluctant to defend. Currently, I'm loathe to take a positive stance when it comes to the area of payroll advance loans and high interest short term cash advances. While I begrudgingly admit that payroll cash advances do serve a certain purpose and that there is an unmet need in the