Banks for You!

Elkhorn Valley Bank and Trust continues to provide competitive interest rates with their money market account. This money market deal is tiered and has the following current interest rates:

• $0 to $2,499.99                   0.50% APY
• $2,500 to $24,999.99           0.90% APY
• $25,000 to $49,999.99         1.05% APY
• $50,000 to $74,999.99         1.15% APY
• $75,000 to $99,999.99         1.25% APY
• $100,000 and above             1.35% APY

This money market account requires an initial deposit of $2,500 to open an account. The account does not require any minimum balance to earn this best interest rate but you still need to maintain a daily balance of at least $2,500 to avoid the monthly service fee of $5.The earnings of this money in the bank deal are compounded daily and paid monthly.

Withdrawals or Transferring funds from your money market account to your other account with Elkhorn Valley Bank and Trust or to third parties by means of automatic transfer, check, telephone transfer, or pre-authorized are limited to 6 per statement cycle. In case you exceed the limit fo

Read Full Post…

You can choose to get out of debt no matter your age. You can choose to be wealthy no matter how close to retirement you are. You even can choose to start a financial game plan even if you didn’t have one before such as investing in a college fund even when your kid is in high school!  But you have to choose that path and choose it right now.

Here are some choices you can make right now to change your life for the better and bring a little extra cash or pay off some debt. Just pick one — not all. I don’t do all of these, why should I expect you to do all of them? Pick one that you know that you can accomplish.

If you are getting a big tax return, you are withholding too much money. I know why most people do it — because they cannot save money very well. I’ve been there! But in doing so I charged up the credit card every month. Sure I paid part of the credit card when I got the tax return, but I also paid interest — sometimes up to 14%!   Plus I was giving the government a free loan on my money! If you get $12,000 back, think of what you could have done instead with $1,000 a month more. Less stress! Less credit cards! More bills wil

Read Full Post…

Written by Nicole Updated: November 6, 2011 VN:F [1.9.11_1134]please wait…Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Banks are one of the safest places to keep your money. All the same, bank failures do occur from time to time. Our current economy has taught us the realities of banks failing. When a bank failure happens your money is more than likely safe because of FDIC or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance. Panic that was seen during the Great Depression is likely not to happen and isn’t seen.

Banks go under or fail when they can no longer meet their obligations. They may not be able to meet their bills or a bank failure can transpire because they are not able to provide enough cash when bank depositors demand the cash. Physically destroyed banks are different from a bank failure. Even though the brick and mortar portion of a bank may no longer exist, the bank entity is still intact.

Most banks are FDIC insured. A

Read Full Post…

Stocking stuffers have to be one of the most overlooked aspects of holiday giving, and it makes sense why. Gifts for stockings are often the last ones you buy, there’s not a lot of space to work with, and unless you shell out for expensive jewelry or an iPod, it can seem difficult to find anything worthwhile.

Bah to that, I say. With a little exploration, you can find lots of inexpensive – and cool – stocking stuffers for people from all walks of life. The only rule is that all of these items are under $10!

Seasonal Soaps

Luxury Lane offers soaps in all different festive shapes and scents. Get an Oatmeal and Apricot Seed Scrub in the shape of a snowflake, or a Gingerbread Bath Bar made with nutmeg, clove and exotic spices, then frosted with a rich butter cream icing.

Reusable Snack Bag

The store Sack Savers on Etsy offers a ton of cute designs for reusable sandwich and snack bags for only $6 or $6.50. Great for eco-friendly family member and friends!

Monster Hands

Looking for something fun and imaginative for the little ones? Perpe

Read Full Post…

Is adding a TIPS to your portfolio a good idea? Most investment advisors will tell you yes, of course it’s a good idea. But that’s not necessarily true. For the sophisticated investor, the decision to do so depends on your personal view of the economy and future inflation expectations. It also depends on what you think will happen with the budget talks in Washington and the US’s ability to rein in its massive Federal debt. Lastly, it depends on how others view the same prospects.

TIPS were created as a means to help safeguard and preserve consumer buying power in times of upward inflationary pressure on prices.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the CPI-U mid-month and it is used to adjust – up or down – the TIPS principal on a semi-annual basis.  

If you are new to TIPS or want some general information, see our TIPS primer.  TIPS can be purchased from the U.S. Treasury online and at many banks across the country in increments of $ 100 for terms of 5, 10 or 30 years.   They may be purchased by individuals, estates, trusts, partnerships or corporations. 

To briefly summarize, the yield on a TIPS is determined in auction.  Below are the

Read Full Post…