Ouch! We just got our gas and electric bill for December. It was $470! It’s usually around $180, but the highest it has ever been is about $220. And the freezing cold days we’ve had in the last few weeks weren’t even included. I’m going to have to do some digging to find out what happened. If you are in the same boat, check out ways to Save Money on Utilities [1].
Announcements
Does Jim Cramer on the CNBC TV show pick stocks that really outperform? Here’s a fun video analyzing [2] how his picks from three weeks ago fared.
A brand new personal finance forum [3] launched recently at Bargaineering. Be sure to check it out!
Interest Rate Changes
It seems like every other week, my in box fills with emails about interest rate changes. Here are the most recent changes:
- WTDirect [4], which many of us opened for the WTDirect $50 to $250 Signup Bonus [5] late last year has dropped to 1.76% APY for the top tier.
- HSBC Direct [6] dropped to 2.45% APY.
- ING Direct [7] Orange Savings Account rate dropped to 2.40%.
I updated the accounts I’ve previously mentioned in Rate Chasing with High Yield Savings Accounts [8], where Etrade [9] moved to the top of the list with 3.01% APY.
Several of you have mentioned banks that I don’t have an account at yet. I’ll work to put together a more comprehensive list with interest rates. Look for it soon!
Kids and Money
- Roth IRA For Teenagers [10]
- New Jersey Bill to Require Personal Finance 101 for High School Seniors [11]
- 8 Fundamental Money Lessons for Kids [12]
- Teaching Kids to Spend Their Money Smartly [13]
- How To Introduce the Concept of Credit to Your Kids [14]
- How To Make Sure You Get Free Money For Your Child’s Education [15]
By the Numbers
- 2009 Bank Failures: Three and Counting [16]
- 3 Simple Ways to Be Thrifty [17]
- 4 Things That Are Making You Poor [18]
- 12 Tips for Thrift Store Shopping [19]
- 15 Uses for Coffee Filters [20]