Banks for You!

There is a new PerkStreet Financial^SM promotion available where you can receive a $25 bonus when opening up a new checking account with them.

To qualify for the bonus you need to open a new account online by December 31st 2010. You need to fund the account with $25 or more. You account will then be credited with the $25 within 7 business days.

Perksteet Financial’s checking account is a cash back account where you earn rewards on your debit card purchases. You earn 5% on special categories that are announced monthly. The regular cash back percentage is based on your account balance.  

After the first 3 months, when your Current Account Balance at the start of the day is $5,000 or more, you’ll earn 2% cash back for all non-PIN debit card purchases you make on that day. When your Current Account Balance at the start of the day is less than $5,000, you’ll earn 1% cash back on all non-PIN debit card purchases you make on that day

If you wish, instead of earning cash back, you can earn free music or coffee as well. You can switch between the free programs at any time with no penalty.

The checking account comes with a free debit / ATM card, free checkbook as well as free online bill pay and online banking. Anothe

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Allegany County Teachers Credit Union is offering a spectacular CD rates deal for those looking to save more this year by earning a great interest rate. With their 6-month CD rate at 1.51% APY, you will be well on your way to making the most of your money.

In order to be eligible for Allegany County Teachers Credit Union’s 6-month share certificate, you must be a member. There is also a minimum deposit of $500. Rates are accurate as of December 1, 2010, but please note rates are subject to change at any time without notice. A penalty may result from early withdrawal before the account reaches maturity. Contact the financial institution directly for more details.

Allegany County Teachers Credit Union is a full-service financial institution that strives to show appreciation for members by offering superior customer service as well as banking services and products that stand out from the competition. This credit union also offers a wide array of online services that you can access at your convenience right at home. You can trust that Allegany County Teachers Credit Union will do their best to assist you in reaching all your financial goals so visit one of the branches and find out why it’s one of the best credit unions in Maryland. Bra

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The biggest draw for shopping at an outlet mall is the amount of money you believe you will be saving by making your purchases there instead of at a traditional mall location.  Outlet malls create advertisements that say you can save a large amount of money on the retail price of any item that you purchase at the outlet malls, but are you really saving as much money as you think you are?  Here are some variables that can reduce the amount you save by shopping at an outlet mall.

Distance Traveled

Many outlet malls are in out of the way locations far from major cities but close to freeway and highway routes.  This is because land farther away from cities is cheaper, saving the owners of the outlet mall hundreds of thousands of dollars in land purchase costs, and many small towns offer tax breaks in return for jobs for their residents. 

Unfortunately, it means that many must travel long distances to reach the outlet mall for shopping spending much more on gas than if shopping close to home.  For example, if the nearest outlet mall is 50 miles away, you will be driving at least 100 miles for around two hours just the shop at the outlet stores.

Amount Of Time Spent

In addition to the longer time spent traveling to the outlet mall, many individuals plan to stay at the outlet mall for an extended time period because of the distance traveled.  In addition, people that spend a longer time in a retail location tend to spend more money because they have more time to browse around and find items that they desire.  In many cases, these are not necessary purchases, they are purchases made to stave off the monotony of just looking at items.

Comparable Sales Close To Home

Many people travel to outlet malls looking for great deals never suspecting that comparable deals can easily be found close to home, especially during the holiday shopping season.  Most of the merchandise at outlet stores is marked between 30% – 50% off of the regular retail price of the items.  During seasonal sales, many retailers match this percentage with their sales on various items within their stores, so a careful shopper can save just as much as they would have if they had traveled to the outlet mall to make their purchases.

I wrote last week about 5 places to find free money, and one of them was Coinstar, which offers free coin counting if you opt for gift certificates instead of cash.

Coinstar just sweetened the deal by offering a free $10 gift card from several retailers, including Lowes, Borders and iTunes, if you cash in at least $40.

Not sure you’ve got enough coins? Get a roll of quarters from your local bank (or two) to make sure you can get the freebie.

There is a new Chase Freedom Promo where you can get a $100 cash back bonus when opening a new account and spending $500 within the first the months of having the card. Once you make the $500 in purchases you will receive 10,000 bonus points which can be redeemed for a $100 check. The points will post within 6-8 weeks of completing the required purchases.

This card is a cash back card with pays out at the following rates:

• 10% on purchases when you shop online online at select merchants through Chase
• 5% cash back in their quarterly bonus categories that are different each quarter. Here is the calendar they had used for 2010:
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

The Chase Freedom reward rate is as follows: 1 point equals $.01. So for example, 2000 points is a $20 reward. The rewards can really start to add up when you earn the 5% back from their quarterly bonus categories.

This card is also currently offing 0% intro APR for 12 months on Balance Transfers made during the first 30 days your account is open and 0% intro APR for 6 months on purchases. After those intro periods expire the rate is a variable APR of 11.99% – 22.99% depending on your credit. Mak

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