Saturday, May 17, 2008

Highest CD (certificate of deposit) rates

A negotiable certificate of deposit is guaranteed by a commercial bank and it is to be sold in derivative or secondary markets. Negotiable certificate of deposits cannot be cashed before maturity. Because of the high face value of the NCD, large institutions consider these deposits as a low risk and low interest security option.

Bernanke and the rest of the Federal Reserve have lowered the interest rates by 25 basis points to 2.00%. Market analysts have speculated that Bernanke will keep rates unchanged for the next few months. Those who are looking to open a certificate of deposit might have to face a tough situation. The rates are so low right now that it is unfavorable to lock these rates in the long terms. Instead, it will be a good idea to stash money in the liquid market and savings account which yield better returns than CDs.

As per the present market condition, whether you invest your money in CD or a money market, the current unfavorable economy makes it very difficult to beat inflation. Because of the low interest rates and the rising oil prices and food shortages, it will become tough to maintain the standard of living.

There are many advantages of CD accounts versus money market or high yield interest rates for investors. When you do a search on google on the term “certificate of deposit”, it will bring out many results, each of them claiming to offer the highest CD rates. How will one decide which one is a good offer and which one is fake? You will be able to compare the offers in a credit union or a government website. They will mostly show the legit and the highest CD rates.

Credit unions are non profit organizations which tend to offer better interest rates than commercial institutions and banks. They also offer more personalized services than most of the banks who happen to be their biggest counterparts.

CD accounts have to be FDIC and NCUA insured. Bank accounts in the US are insured by the federal government if the account is up to a maximum of $100,000. The banking industry is governed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

When you are opening a CD account, check the highest CD rates and pay special attention to the important details like date of maturity when the transaction agreement expires. There are many banks and financial institutions that will assess a penalty for early withdrawal of the funds. Make sure that you have understood the fine prints clearly and get all your queries clarified before investing the money.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Which debts to pay off first?

You have used your credit card account to the maximum. Now, its time to pay back and rebuild your credit scores slowly. You may be seeing yourself up to your eyeballs in credit card debts. Paying just the minimum balance will hardly make any difference in your financial situation. You have to make larger payments to bring down the outstanding balance. A perfect plan and sticking to it is very necessary while you are on your way towards a debt free life.

The best trick to get out of credit card debt is to attack that account first that is adding up with the highest annual percentage rate. Contribute the major portion of your payment towards that particular account while you are paying off the other accounts. Once that account is paid off, move on to the next one that has the next highest interest rate. If you moving ahead with a proper planning, you will see a lot of money saved in interests alone and you will get out of credit card debt

Debt charge offs account have a R9 affect on your credit rating. Review your credit report thoroughly and know the items that are hurting your credit potential. Recent debt charge off items will be more hurting to your credit scores than those that are past the statute of limitations period. Always make sure that you know the status of each account on your credit report and plan your actions accordingly.

You can always avoid yourself from falling into the trap. Go through your finance in a detailed way and figure out how much you can realistically save each month. While you are trying to get out of credit card debt, make sure that you don’t incur additional debts. Otherwise, it will end up with a zero effect. You may like to keep a track of your daily expenses and save every single penny so that you can contribute more towards saving or creating an emergency fund.

Many people get overwhelmed by their existing debts and they look for info about bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is to be treated as the last resort when all other options have failed. You will be able to get your debts discharged after filing for bankruptcy, but this is a negative remark that will stay on your credit copy for ten years. It will be tough to rebuild credit in the beginning years after bankruptcy is filed. Paying off the existing debts is not an impossible task. It needs some discipline and strict budgeting along with a well formulated plan. A person does not fell into overwhelming debts overnight. In the same way, the repair work is going to take some time and while you are paying off your creditors one by one, you can see yourself making progress and credit scores moving up without having to file for bankruptcy.