Banking Rates, CDs, Mortgages

Last week we gave away tickets Power Within event featuring Peter Aceto, CEO of ING Direct and Sir Richard Branson, founder of the . The winners were Michael and Colleen, unfortunately I was unable to go myself. Michael was kind enough to send us a short review of the event:

My friend and I went and enjoyed ourselves. I will say that at times it felt a little more like a commercial for ING Direct & Virgin than a discussion of leadership, but both Aceto and Branson provided their views and insight on what constitutes good leadership.

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Most people think negotiating prices only works when dealing with large ticket items like cars or homes. Well in this declining economy, consumers are noticing that pretty much anything is negotiable.

I don’t negotiate much since I think it wastes times, and my wife hates when I do it, but I will let you in on one time I we did and it was very successful. My wife (girlfriend at the time) needed to have her gall bladder removed. She had United Healthcare Insurance. She went to an Out of Network doctor so she thought it was covered 80/20. 80% paid by UHN and 20% paid by her. W

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Naturally you will want to know as much as possible about the property before you finalize the purchase at closing. It’s important to hire a knowledgeable, independent home inspector for advice on the overall condition of the property. You wouldn’t buy $200,000 of a stock you knew nothing about. This is very much the same thing. Your home is like a savings account or valuable investment and not knowing what you can about it can really cost you.

Even if you plan on asking nothing from the seller, it still pays to know all you can for both now and in the future. Say

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Hobbies are a great way to relax and pursue a lifelong passion or interest. Most people have at least one, but passion often comes with a price tag–sometimes a quite hefty one. Depending on your avocation of choice, you might have to create a spending plan just for your free time.

From collecting memorabilia to fixing your classic muscle car to dancing with the stars, true enthusiasts don’t let a little issue like money get in the way of what they really love doing. The infographic below examines a few common hobbies that can really cost you big over time.

So what are some of your favorite past times and how do they stack up against these? Read more…

We have 2 pairs of tickets to giveaway for a Power Within event featuring Peter Aceto, CEO of ING Direct and Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.  We will giveaway 2 pairs of tickets over the weekend and announce the winner on Monday October 25th.

How to Enter:

1. There will be two winners selected, each will receive one PAIR of tickets to the event.
2. Leave a comment for one entry.
3. Fan us on Facebook and leave a comment for one entry.

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Financial institutions like banks and credit unions typically provide the same kinds of product and services. In both financial institutions, you can open a checking account, buy a certificate of deposit and get a loan, among others. Though these two financial institutions share many common similarities, the way each is set up is quite different.

Firstly, credit unions have members, not customers. Each person who deposits money in a credit union becomes a member of the credit union because his deposit is considered his share of the ownership.

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Institution for Savings offers attractive long term certificate of deposit deals which have the following current interest rates:

· 3.25% APY 60 months

· 3.00% APY 48 months

The minimum opening deposit to enjoy these highest cd interest rates is just $500. The top cd rates above are still listed on the bank’s website as of October 16 but they can be changed any time without notice. The Read more…

There has been quite a lot of chatter in the PF world about kids and money. Should we be spoiling our kids like we sometimes do? How can we teach them better financial habits? Today’s Dollar Matters features some great posts from around the Web about kids and money:

Become a Kid Again: Strange Ways to Make Money

You know about some of the jobs kids do. Jennifer and SavingAdvice.com offers a look at how adults can cash in as well. B

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