Stashing your cash

Many banks and brokerage firms are now offering higher savings rates that we have not seen in a few years. For example, Emigrant Direct offers a rate of 5% APY for savings accounts. They do not require a minimum balance and do not charge fees. This is better than a CD because your money is not tied up for a set number of months. Schwab and eTrade offer good rates for three- to six-month CDs. I'm sure other institutions are offering very good rates these days. These are just some of the ones I'm aware of.

Note: My favorite blogger, 2Million, has some complaints about eTrade. You might want to check into that and other complaints before you put your money there.

Getting started

Welcome to Consumer Notes. I hope to share what I'm learning about personal finance, various consumer products, and other useful information. I will add links to other blogs that are additional sources of information.