Should I bother with a savings account? [more inside]
posted by Raze2k on Sep 22, 2009 - 31 answers

Where is the best place to put my $30,000 as I slowly withdraw from it over the next 2 years to pay for Grad School. [more inside]
posted by brenton on Jul 2, 2009 - 8 answers

Mathematically speaking, what's the optimal amount to keep in an account that earns a high rate below below a certain sum and a very low one above it? [more inside]
posted by electric_counterpoint on May 26, 2009 - 6 answers

I have saved up about $25,000 for school, which starts in September. I have it in a WaMu online savings account which had very high interest, but now the interest rates have plummeted so that I am barely making anything anymore. It went from getting $50 a month on $10,000 to making $17 this month on 25k. :( Where should I put my money where it will be safe, easily accessible in a fairly short term, and yet with as high of an interest return as possible. I also need to be able to continue to input money into the account every month when I get my paycheck. PS: I am planning to take loans if they are interest free and hold off paying them until I can't defer any longer. But when I quit my job, I will need to start withdrawing money for daily living expenses.
posted by brenton on Mar 13, 2009 - 21 answers

Lets say I have $20,000 that I want to become $100,000 (or more) by the year 2024. What (if any) lower risk options do I have to make this dream a reality? Assume for a moment that I really don't want to put this in the stock market because I can't afford the risk of a major loss.
posted by anastasiav on Dec 3, 2008 - 26 answers

When the Citibank e-savings account started (I think about 18 months ago) the interest rate was 3.5%, so I moved all my spare cash there; but now it's 1.5%. Capital One & HSBC are currently offering 3.5% e-savings accounts - is this the same deal? Are these only introductory rates which I should expect to fall dramatically in due course? [more inside]
posted by forallmankind on Jul 5, 2008 - 9 answers

I read in the Wall Street Journal this weekend that Iceland's Central Bank raised interest rates...to 13.75 percent! Can I move my money to Reykjavik? [more inside]
posted by tomwheeler on Nov 6, 2007 - 9 answers

Are there any hidden drawbacks to keeping my savings in an ING Direct Orange account? [more inside]
posted by amarynth on Nov 30, 2005 - 17 answers

My parents used to tell me fantastic tales, that back in the day (being the 1950s), banks offered interest rates on savings accounts upwards of 10%, with almost no fees and charges. In comparison, my current bank (in Australia) offers me 0.5% interest, which is completely countered by about the first hour's worth of monthly charges. This is despite the bank being more efficient, having fewer employees, and having greater access to global capital. Can anyone tell me, if the global economy is really doing so great these days, why are savings / investment interest rates so abysmal in comparison to the past? Will this ever turn around again in the future?
posted by Jimbob on May 30, 2004 - 15 answers

What is the best thing to do with a small amount of money, around $5,000? Savings interest is almost a joke, CDs look attractive or maybe even mutual funds. Preferably the safer the better, as in investing it all in a high-risk mutual fund and losing it would make me cry. I've checked out "Investment FAQ" and it seems as if CDs are the best. I know little about investing but making money doing nothing intrigues me. What would be an expected return on such an investment? Is it even worth locking the money up for something like $10 a month? [more inside]
posted by geoff. on Mar 3, 2004 - 19 answers