iPhone/ iPod Touch Solar Charger

I first saw this Ever run out of battery on your new iPhone or iPod touch at just the wrong time …  and, you are no where near your home charger or your car charger.  You just might want to give this a try.

Solar Powered Charger featured on NBC’s Today show.  I ran across this product in a “three day only” sale at Menard’s.  Normally $79.99 at Menard’s, it was on sale for $69.99 and had a $30 store rebate for a overall cost of $39.99 (plus tax).  At that cost I decided to give it a try!  It can also be found on line at solmarketplace.com

I am not disappointed!  This is one of the best charging devices I have ever seen.  It delivers everything it promises and is so easy to use. Your iPhone or your iPod Touch never needs to go dead again!  It charges your device without needing a plug in.  It charges by sunlight or indoor lighting.  It is a full time charger/case the let’s you use your phone without fear of running your battery down.

Also works great if you have Grand kids who love to pay games on your phone!!!

Some of the Solar Powered Charger’s other features:

• The internal battery almost triples the life of your phone.
• Charges while you are working, playing, running, or relaxing.
• Charges anytime the sun shines, and also charges in indoor lighting.
• Stays cool, does not overheat.
• Built in LED battery power indicator.
• Charging indicator light
• Has built in LED flashlight
• Full access to all touch screen and iphone features.
• Clean, green energy source.
• Design doubles as a protective case and an external battery source.
• Durable and relatively light weight. (66.5g)
• USB and Apple 30 pin connections.
• iPhone can sync to iTunes while phone is in the case.
• Package includes a mini 5 pin USB cable.
• Includes 3 screen protectors: mirror,privacy, and fingerprints.         

SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack for iPhone and iPod Touch

Back-up power pack or full time charging case. You decide! 
The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack is a new iPhone/iPod Touch charging device that will keep your iPhone/iPod Touch powered up for days! The case has an internal extra-large battery that triples your iPhone life and its integrated solar panel also allows you to charge with sunlight or indoor light. The device also charges very fast (three times faster than a wall charger) by utilizing its revolutionary Rapid Charging Technology.

Additionally, the case has a built-in flashlight and comes with three free screen protectors. The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack is like nothing on the market. Not only can you use it as a fast-charging power pack on the go, but also you can choose to keep it on full time as a protective charging case. No other charging accessory in the world will keep you as connected as a SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack!

The Patent Pending SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack is a product that includes an Internal 2,400 mAh Battery, Rapid Charging Technology, Priority Charging, a built-in super bright LED flashlight and comes with a mini 5 pin USB charging cable as well as 3 free screen protectors (Mirror, Privacy and Fingerprints).

In the Press:
The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack has been a featured product on the NBC’s Today Show and has been named one of the best iPhone charging accessories in the nation by such industry leaders as Macworld.com. Recently, the SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack was in the hands of the Stars at the 2011 Emmy Awards where actors and actresses from such shows as The Office, Sex in The City, Breaking Bad and The Good Wife were provided cases as gifts to keep them connected during the ceremonies.
Check out below what makes the SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack so amazing!

Compatibilty SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack for iPhone and iPod Touch has two models: - iPhone 4, 4S - iPhone 2G,3G,3GS and iPod Touch 2G,3G

Internal Battery The internal battery in the SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack extends the battery life of your iPhone or iPod Touch by 300% while the case stays cool and never overheats.

Rapid Charging Technology With our Rapid Charging Technology the SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack charges your iPhone or iPod Touch three times faster than a wall charger.

Charge Anywhere The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack charges anywhere the sun shines and by indoor lighting. Charge while you’re working, playing, running or simply relaxing.

Priority Charging The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack charges your iPhone or iPod Touch first and the case second. During use, the case’s energy is depleted first, and the iPhone or iPod Touch energy is used last.

Integrated LED Light The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack includes a super bright LED light for use as a flashlight that turns night into day at the touch of a button.

Ergonomic Design The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack is durable, lightweight, stylish and has an ergonomic design with slip free handling.

Charge and Sync With the built in Apple 30pin connector you can charge and sync your iPhone or iPod Touch to iTunes without removing it from the SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack by using the included USB cable.

Full Access The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack allows full access to the touch screen and all the iPhone and iPod Touch features.

3 Free Screen Protectors The SoL Hybrid™ Power Pack includes 3 free screen protectors for your iPhone or iPod Touch: Privacy, Mirror and Fingerprints.

This Solar Powered iPhone/ iPod touch charger can also be found on line at solmarketplace.com

One of the better sites that I’ve come across lately is Credit Sesame. What’s so special you ask? Well, it’s one of the first sites that I’ve come across that will help you manage your debt AND allow you to get a free credit score. I know, I know. What’s so special about that? Well, you get a free credit score and you don’t even have to provide your credit card. See, I told you it was special

Credit Sesame also helps you find ways to optimize your debt.  How exactly?  You’ll just have to keep reading to find out….

Credit Sesame To The Rescue

You ever feel like your stuck with a loan? There are other options than simply sticking with the plan that you have because you feel that finding a different loan agreement would be too much hassle or high risk. This is not the case with Credit Sesame.

Credit Sesame like many other sites out there will let you put all of your financial information into their website such as income, all debt expenses including the terms of your current loans, as well as other budget information. You will then have access to your credit score as well as graphical representations of how you are spending your money. After you have entered all of this information so that Credit Sesame will be able to asses your credit standing as well as free cash flow you have to pay for different types of loans, they will run a credit optimization report for you.

Here’s the best part: it’s free (just in case you missed it above).  Yes, free.  And not like the type of free where they charge your credit card after a 30 day trial period.  In fact, you don’t even need a credit card to sign up.  Learn more about signing up for your free account.

Credit Sesame Credit Optimization

Credit optimization is a fancy term for seeing if you are eligible for better loan terms than you are currently paying. This is where Credit Sesame sets itself apart from any other budgeting website that I have encountered. The ability to get better loan terms could end up saving you lots of money in the long run.

For example, let’s say you have a car loan with $40,000 dollars left on the loan. You are currently paying a five percent ten year loan on the car. Your payment based off of these terms will be approximately $425 per month which would have you paying roughly $51,000 on the car loan.

Now, let’s say you have been able to improve your credit score and have a more stable financial situation, you could have your credit situation optimized by Credit Sesame, and they offer you a 10 year 3.5% loan. You would be able to take this new loan and pay off the $40,000 you owe on the car and would be making the payments on this new loan through Credit Sesame to a bank.

After your have optimized your credit, you would now be making approximately a $395 payment only paying $47,000 for the same car! You could be saving yourself thirty dollars a month on your car payment or approximately $360 a year. Overall you will end up paying almost $4,000 less for the exact same car. This small example will also be able to apply on a larger scale for your home loan, or any student loans you are currently paying.

Let Credit Sesame Do The Work

Credit Sesame will search hundreds of banks all over the U.S to find a bank that is willing to make this better type of loan for you. The best part is the whole process is free to you until you make a loan. Even after you make a loan, you are not paying any more to Credit Sesame, they will be getting paid from the bank for finding more loans for the bank. This is the greatest part about Credit Sesame, they only make money when they end up saving you money!

Debt Optimization Through Credit Sesame

Debt optimization in the past has been a long grueling process having to drive around to all of your local banks and apply for different loans. The process was so tedious and drawn out that the majority of Americans would rather just pay the extra money than go out and find themselves a better deal. Now, with Credit Sesame, the same process is as easy as entering your information into a web page, and Credit sesame will do all of the leg work for you. It is time to take control of your finances today, and Credit Sesame can lead the way for you.

Credit Sesame Wrap Up

Overall, a service like Credit Sesame can be very helpful for a lot of people. If you want to give Credit Sesame a try, I encourage you to check them out.  Remember it’s free.  Hard to pass that up

Got Your Identity?

All of us have heard about identity theft, but do you know the possible implications of and identity theft case? Having your identity stolen is more than just losing your social security number, it includes your bank account information, your credit card number’s, as well as ruining your credit score. If you were to have someone steal your identity and ruin your credit score, the interest rate on your home could double or even triple! If you figure the math for your own home, you could be looking at thousands of dollars lost, plus the enormous amount of time and money you would have to spend trying to recover your original credit score.

Identity Theft Protection

Joining Forces

That is why there is Protect My ID online who has partnered up with Equifax to ensure that your identity is not stolen. They use a variety of techniques to make sure that your identity is not stolen such as scanning the internet for usage of your credit card, social security number or unauthorized inputs of your social security number. If any of this information was to be stolen from you, the damage is crippling. The way that it works is if anyone were to try and open either a bank account, or take out a line of credit in your name it would show up on your credit report. Most Americans check there credit report less than once a year, but with Protect My ID, they will scan your credit reports on a daily basis looking for any suspicious activity, as well as confirming your activities with you.

Constant Internet Scans

Along with the credit report scanning, the team at Protect My ID will scan the internet daily looking for any usage of your credit card number, and especially your social security number. By scanning the internet on a daily basis, Protect My ID will be able to alert you as soon as a breach of your identity is made, and will even help you fix the problem. By working side by side with one of Protect My ID’s fraud protection agents, you will be able to file the necessary paper work as well as make the proper calls to fix all problems that could arise.

Changing Your Address Scams

Don't Let It Happen to You

Another safe guard that is part of Protect My ID is a change of address feature. Many times individuals who are looking to steal your identity will do so thru changing your address with creditors or the post office so that they will receive your confidential mail. Protect My ID has teamed up with the United states Post Office as well as many of the worlds largest lenders to monitor this activity. If someone tries to change your address or has successfully changed your address, you will know about it and will be able to fix the problem before any real harm is done.

$1,000,000 Guarantee

The most lucrative part of a Protect My ID account is the $1,000,000 dollar guarantee. This means that if you were to have your identity stolen while you were a customer in good standing (have an active Protect My ID account), you will be compensated up to $1,000,000 dollars. This will protect you against things such as:

• Lost wages due to identity theft
• Legal fees associated with an identity theft case( as long as you follow the guidance of your Protect my ID fraud specialist)
• Reimbursement of funds stolen from bank accounts or credit cards that the bank does not refund
• As well as other expenses common with an identity theft case

Protect Your Children’s Identity

Finally one of the fastest growing identity theft cases is the identity theft of children. This is also covered however with a small monthly fee. With Child Secure, which is run through your Protect My ID account, you will be able to protect your children from the same type of identity theft problems. Child identity theft can be just as serious as it is for adults due to tax purposes as well as credit score problems.

Conclusion:

In today’s world with the use of WIFI internet ports, as well as the internet not being as secure as many of us would like to think, Protect My ID is a simple solution to take this fear away. Identity theft is a serious problem, the number of identities stolen increases on a yearly basis. One of my cousins personally had their identity stolen and it took him three years to be able to fully recover his funds as well as repair his credit back to its original state.

myFICO Review

Your FICO score is very important to your healthy financial future. A simple definition of your FICO score is the cost at which you will pay to borrow money. Or in some cases, if your FICO score is too low, you will not be able to borrow money at all. Your FICO score can make a huge difference in the interest rate that you are charged on things such as your home mortgage loan, your auto loan, or any other loan you will take out from the bank for a variety of reasons. Banks will literally turn you away if your FICO score is not up to their standards. That’s why it’s important to use a company like myFICO to keep track of your credit score.

MyFICO is a great way to keep track of your FICO score.

How Your Credit Score Impacts You

They offer a variety of packages that you can purchase depending on how close you would like to monitor your FICO score. Beware however that not all sites will use the same formula. There are some sites out there that will give you your credit score as they call it, but you want your actual FICO score. This FICO score is used by 90% of all banks when determining loan interest rates and approvals. At My FICO you are getting the score that you need for a reasonable price.

There are 5 packages that are available through myFICO, you can pick any of them depending on your need to track your FICO score. If you have a lower FICO score you may want to check it more often to make sure that you are improving it, if your FICO score is in the 700 range then you might only want to check It on an annual basis. However, My FICO does have some good options for those with high and low credit scores that simply monitors your FICO score and will send you alerts when there is a change. This could help protect you from any fraudulent activity.

Packages Offered by myFICO to Monitor Your Credit Score

• CHECK IT: FICO Standard- this is the easy check, you will receive your FICO score, factors affecting it as well as access to your credit report. ($15.95)
• COMPARE IT: FICO Quarterly Monitoring- This will give you access to your FICO score and credit report 4 times per year. ($4.95/ month)
• TRACK IT: Score Watch- This option will monitor your Equifax credit report as well as update you when your FICO score changes. ($12.95/month)
• BUILD IT: Suze Orman’s FICO kit platinum- Craft your personal action plan with tool kit and 3 FICO scores and credit reports (Equifax & TransUnion). ($49.95)
• PROTECT IT: ID Freeze- Detect and stop identity theft before it happens with a 15 protection points. ( $10.00/month)

So depending on what type of coverage you need, myFICO has a package for you.

So how important is your FICO score to you?

Don't Discount Your Credit Score

I will give you quick examples of how your FICO score can work for or against you. If your FICO score is either 100 points higher or 100 points lower, it could mean a $40,000 dollar difference in the amount you pay of interest on a 30yr fixed rate mortgage loan! That means you would be paying an extra 13% of the total value of your home in just interest payments. Don’t let your FICO score bring you down, get a myFICO account now so that you can monitor it, as well as get great tips for how to improve your FICO score today.

Open an account with tradeMonster

Finally if you are an advanced trader, your discount broker is here. With almost all other discount brokers out there, they are looking for you to trade either low volumes of simple common stock, or higher volumes of common stock with a slight bonus for doing so. Here on tradeMONSTER, you can trade any type of security that you would dream to trade. They offer more complex options trading strategies as well as futures and even make mutual fund ownership easy and affordable. Did you know that you can make money when the entire market is going down? This is one of the many advantages to an options strategy; tradeMonster will teach you these advanced techniques to help you fight through the tough market conditions.

tradeMonster Has Cheap Stock Trades

Stocks and Options

TradeMonster offers you $7.50 commission on all stock trades of up to 5000 shares. 5000 shares are higher than the limit of almost all other discount brokers out there. Their transaction fee may be slightly higher than other brokers, but they offer a much wider variety of tools for you to use. The complexity of these tools may be slightly out of the reach of a passive investor, but if you’re looking to actively trade, or are looking to step up your investing game, tradeMonster will be able to assist you in this process.

You’ve Got “Options”

Trade monster is built with the options trader in mind. There rates on a single contract is only .50 cents, otherwise they charge $12.50 for 20 contracts, $25 for 50 contracts, $50 for 100 contracts, and $250 for 500 contracts. When it comes to options tradeMonster has some tools that will assist you. There most popular being Spread Maker.

For The Conservative at Heart

The commission you will be charged on bonds is $15 per transaction. This includes Muni’s, T- bonds, as well as your standard corporate bonds. Bonds are a safe low risk investment option that will be able to help you on your road to retirement. By using the tools available on tradeMonster, including the portfolio analysis, you will be able to pick out the right bonds for your risk tolerance.

Mutual Funds

TradeMonster in this instance is trying to help you be a long run retirement investor. They are offering the lowest mutual fund transaction fee available. For only $15 dollars to purchase and no cost to sell, you can buy into your favorite mutual funds! Mutual funds are the most preferred tool of financial advisors, so if you are looking to be your own advisor on the road to retirement, tradeMonster is right for you.

Why TradeMONSTER:

Trade monster is the total package. The only way to achieve the lowest amount of risk in your overall portfolio is to achieve the greatest amount of diversity. With all of the securities available to you through the tradeMonster platform, you will be able to achieve this high level of diversity in your portfolio. TradeMonster makes it possible to hedge your risk through options trading as well as gain exposure to commodities through futures. If you are looking to stick with easier methods of foreign as well as alternative methods, then try looking through the ETF’s to gain coverage in an industry you are lacking.

Paper Trade

Trade Cycle

If all of this sounds overwhelming to you, wouldn’t it be nice to just try it all for free? With tradeMonster you can do exactly this! By signing up for their paper trade you can have FREE access to all of their tools. You can make trades with fake money on options, futures, bonds, and mutual funds to see how they work. This gives you the powerful ability to lose tons of money while learning the trade without it costing you a penny!

tradeMonster Conclusion

If you are looking for a platform that offers more advanced trading then tradeMonster is definitely your only choice. Or, if you have heard the terms options and futures on CNBC or other investment television and always wondered how they worked or even what they are, then tradeMonster is also for you. On tradeMonster, you can read from their list of articles explaining what these trading strategies entail, then practice on their paper trade. TradeMonster has competitive rates in the market especially on options and mutual funds. There equity commissions may be slightly higher but the price is backed with superior trading tools.

Click Here to Open an Account Today

E Toro is a Forex, commodities and indices trading platform website that allows its users to trade currencies on the market. FX which is short for Forex simply stands for the process of buying one currency and selling another simultaneously. Trading currencies is similar to trading equities, except for the fact that you are trading countries currency worth opposed to the value of a corporation.

About E Toro

E Toro was built with the beginning Forex trader, as well as the seasoned Forex trader in mind. E Toro offers an easy to use interface that offers a variety of tools for its subscribers. When opening your E Toro account you will need a minimum deposit of $50. You can transfer money to your E Toro account via wire transfer, credit card, pay pal as well as online bank transfer. If you are looking to use leverage on your side, the minimum transaction size after leverage is $1,000. For those not familiar with the term leverage, it’s simply using borrowed money to increase the magnitude of your trade. As far as commission goes, E Toro offers commission free deposits, commission free trading, as well as commission free withdrawals so there are no hidden fees involved.

E Toro Quick Facts

When trading currencies the spread is a vital thing to consider. The spread simply defined is the amount between the ask and bid prices. The spread is determined by the liquidity of the market; with E Toro being one of the volume leaders in the Forex market, you can get spreads as low as 2 pips on the EUR/USD pair.  Also because E Toro is one of the largest Forex brokers, you will have the luxury of instant executions on your trades paired with the low spread. This quick transaction is vital towards the transparency of your transactions. Using the community function of the E Toro software, you will be able to chat with other Forex traders live to get others insight into the market as well. E Toro also allows you to get insight into the biggest Forex traders transactions so you will be able to easily follow where the money is moving.

E Toro Services and Support

E Toro has great 24/7 customer service support via e-mail, as well as the option to chat with a live person via a quick chat box. They offer numerous instructional videos that cover a variety of topics of Forex trading for beginners all the way to advanced traders. These videos are aimed towards not only the actual use of the E Toro program, but towards insight into the markets as well as future trends of Forex trading. E Toro also offers professional charting and graphing tools as well as up to the minute financial news that spans the globe. If you are a beginner to Forex trading, E Tore offers “play money” settings where you can trade Forex with real time quotes without the risk. You can develop your strategies in the “play money” setting, and then execute using real money. E Toro however is not an online program, so if you decide to trade with E Toro you will need to download the software onto your desktop.

Conclusion:

Whether you’re an advanced Forex trader, or just thinking about giving currency trading a shot, E Toro is a good option for you. E Toro offers a variety of different tools to maximize your trading experience, as well as “play money” settings for the newcomers. Using these tools and the “play money” settings, you will be able to develop a winning Forex strategy using E Toro.

When it comes to picking the right brokerage account, the type of trader you are is crucial in your decision. ShareBuilder is an online broker that is part of the same parent company of ING. ShareBuilder was created to make automatic online investments through automated withdrawals from your existing accounts so that your savings will grow automatically. It’s very similar to the way that an IRA or 401K is managed by your financial advisor.

Automated Withdrawals with ShareBuilder

Automated withdrawals can be used to your advantage in many different ways. For example, if you have ever owned a 401k or IRA, you may have noticed the deduction when you receive your pay stub at the end of your pay period. Your financial advisor set this up so that the deduction goes straight into your IRA or 401k which is typically a collection of mutual funds. These mutual funds are all made up of individual securities which commonly are shares of common stock. What ShareBuilder has created allows you to do the same thing except you are in control of your investment activities.

You can set up this automated withdrawal from either an existing checking account, a deduction from your paycheck, wire transfer or by simply mailing a check. Upon setting up your account, you get to decide the frequency as well as the amount of these withdrawals’s which will be automatically transferred into your ShareBuilder account. For example, if you receive$1,000 check bi-weekly, you can opt for $200 to be automatically invested into ShareBuilder. ShareBuilder will take whatever Equity, ETF, or Mutual Fund of your choosing and automatically invest the dollar amount. This gives you the opportunity to buy partial shares so that you can put the entire $200 into your account. At the most simplistic level, this is essentially creating your own IRA or retirement fund that you personally manage. The fees that you will be assessed depend on the account level you sign up for.

Different Accounts That ShareBuilder Offers

ShareBuilder offers three different account levels. They offer a Basic Plan, a Standard Plan as well as an Advantage Plan. The Basic plan has no monthly fee so it’s free to start. When using the automated investment method with the Basic Plan, you will be assessed a $4 fee for every automated transaction, as well as $9.95 for all real time trades. You can trade Options with the Basic Plan as well for $9.95 per trade + $1.50 per contract. With the Standard Plan you will be paying $12 per month but 6 automated transfers per month will be assessed no fee. All automated transfers after 6 per month will be assessed a fee of $2. The real time trading fees as well as options fees are consistent with the Basic Plan. With the Advantage Plan, you will be paying $20 per month and receiving 20 free automated trades monthly. All additional automated transfers will cost $1, while real time trades as well as options will also be consistent with the Basic Plan.

Excellent Research

Like any other broker, ShareBuilder offers a variety of tools to its customers. They offer fund as well as ETF screener’s and your typical market movers and watch lists. They also offer easy tax applications to keep track of your gains/losses throughout the year which you can easily export to typical tax software programs.

Conclusion

If you consider yourself to be a day trader, then ShareBuilder is not the online broker for you. Their real time trades as well as options fees at $9.95 are not attractive relatively to other online brokers. ShareBuilder however is a great option if you have a good feel to pick quality ETF’s, Equities or Mutual Funds to invest in. By picking these quality investment tools you will be able to set up automated withdrawals from variety of sources to have your account grow steadily with only 1-4 dollar transaction fees dependent upon the level you subscribe to. By setting up your account with ShareBuilder you will be able to theoretically replace your financial advisor using your own skills and ShareBuilders easy automated system to steadily save for retirement without the approximate 1% fee given to your advisor on an annual basis. Setting up your SharBuilder account will take no more than 20 minutes, and requires no extra paperwork than any other financial account.

All of us have heard about a Discover card being used as a from of payment, but did you know that Discover offers online money market and savings accounts, as well as CD’s and an IRA CD that is tax differed. Discover’s savings account is amongst the highest yielding simple savings accounts available to you and it’s a completely online account.

Savings Account:

Discover’s savings account has a yield of 1.35%APY with a minimum deposit of $500. They offer free online transfers from any other established account with any other bank that offers online services via online transfer. If you do not have an existing online account, you can simply mail a check. There is no minimum balance on your Discover savings account, but beware that you only receive six free authorized transfers from your savings account before a fee will be assessed. These include automatic as well as telephone transfers. The 1.35%APY only applies to a balance of over $500, if your balance falls below this level you will not be assessed a fee, but your interest rate may be marginally lower. The interest rate is very attractive however because it’s roughly 5 times higher than the national average for savings accounts. Discover is also protected under the FDIC so your money will be insured up to $250,000. Beyond a fee for over six authorized transfers per statement cycle, Discover has no hidden fee’s attached to their savings account which makes online banking a simple non-frustrating process.

Discover Bank Current Rates

Discover Bank Offers Money Market

Discover’s online money market account can be treated in the same respects as a checking account. The money market account has an APY of 1.20% on any balance over $10,000. The money can be withdrawn from the money market account via any ATM with the PULSE or Discover logo. The same principles apply with their money market account as with the savings where you will only receive six free authorized transfers per statement cycle. You can withdraw money from your Discover money market account via Discover debit card which will be provided upon opening the account, or checks which you will also have the option to obtain upon opening your money market account. There is no limit to the amount of withdrawals made with your debit card or through check.

Also Offer Competitive CD’s

Discover offers a range of CD’s that are all FDIC insured ranging from 3 months to 10 years. The rates are highly competitive and you have the option to leave the interest in the account, or have it transferred to a separate account of your choosing. The CD’s also have no market risk so your principle is secure which makes it not subject to market fluctuations. Discover also offers an IRA CD which you will be able to roll over an existing 401k into the Discover IRA CD with no tax consequence. They offer an attractive 3.5% APY on their IRA CD.

Discover Customer Service:

Discover is a well known brand name so if you’re a skeptic of online accounts, Discover may be a good option for you. They offer online customer support as well as 24 hour phone service at 1-800-347-7000. The web sit is easy to use and simple to navigate. Upon setting up your first account whether it be Savings or CD, you will not have to re-fill out the paper work for up to a total of five accounts. If you decided to make Discover your sole banking option, they will make the switch easy and with less paperwork.

PerkStreet Financial is a new online bank that offers a checking account with above average rewards. These rewards come in a variety of choices that you the owner of the account get to chose from. PerkStreet is FDIC protected so your money is safe up to $250,000 dollars. Opening an account is simple and can be done online, or through there 24 hour telephone service. There is no minimum balance on the account, but there is a $25 minimum when opening a new checking account.

PerkStreet Financial Options are Attractive

There are a few attractive options for depositing money into your PerkStreet account which include online transfer from an existing account, deposit using an existing credit/debit card, or you can write a check and it will be mailed for free from any UPS or Mail Boxes Etc. and deposited into your account the following business day. When it comes to withdrawing money from your account you can use their online ATM finder to locate their STAR ATM locations. They are typically found in Walgreens, Target, Costco as well as CVS and 7-eleven’s. At these STAR locations there is no ATM fee, but if you use your PerkStreet debit card at any non- STAR locations, you will be charged a $2 fee on top of any fee that the bank charges. These dilemmas can easily be avoided by using your debit card and receiving cash back on your purchase with no fee.

Perkstreet Has Some Sweet Rewards

The rewards that PerkStreet offers are some of the most attractive and applicable out there. They vary from cash back, to a new song off Rhapsody, or even a cup of coffee from StarBucks. Your rewards can vary based off the amount of money you have in your account at the beginning of each day. If you have under $5,000 at the beginning of the business day, you will receive 1% cash back on all non-pin transactions. A non-pin transaction is simply sliding your card and choosing the credit option opposed to the debit option. With your account balance under $5,000 you will receive a cup of coffee from a variety of popular coffee houses for every $200 you spend or a song from Rhapsody for every $100 that you spend. You will receive your 1% cash back through a gift card to a variety of stores, or a visa card that you can spend on anything.

More Money, More Rewards…..

The major advantages of Perkstreet comes when you have over $5,000 in your checking account at the beginning of the business day.  With a balance above $5,000, you will earn a significant 2% back on all of your expenditures. This higher yield also applies to the coffee and music as well. Instead of receiving one cup of coffee for every $200, you will receive two. Likewise with the music for every $100 spent, you will receive two songs. Your perks are easily redeemable online in seconds with no fee required. You will have to choose which perk you would like your debit card purchases to go towards up front, but you can change at anytime with no fee. There is also the possibility of 5% cash back rewards at certain retailers; these locations are updated via PerkStreet’s twitter or Facebook page.

Beating the Competition

PerkStreet offers these attractive rewards that are significantly higher than the competition because they do not have any actual bank locations. So if you still enjoy walking into a bank location then PerkStreet may not be for you. They also offer online bill pay just like any other bank, and these charges will count towards your Perks. With the average bank offering roughly a half percent reward, the 1% and possible 2% for maintaining $5,000 could be highly attractive to you. You have to pay all of your bills as well as pay for all other necessities in your life, so why not earn some of the highest rewards using your PerkStreet Financial card. PerkStreet will also make a donation to The Hunger Project with every perk you receive, so if you’re looking to make money with your purchases, PerkStreet Financial could be a perfect fit for you.

Scottrade is one of the most solidified discount brokers in the industry. They offer competitive trading costs as well as great customer service. Scottrade has a standard fee for every transaction of $7 dollars. They also offer the ability to trade options for $7 per trade, plus $1.25 per contract.

Opening an Online Account with Scottrade

Scottrade offers several different platforms for their customers which offer a variety of options depending upon what you the investor feels comfortable with. They offer their Web Platform which gives you access to strictly their online site, you will not be required to download anything on to your computer. They also have the option for a Mobile plan which allows their customers to make transactions from a cellular device in case you are often travelling.  Finally they have their elite option which is more leaned towards day traders. It offers you real time news as well as customizable sessions that you can save.

Benefits of Scottrade

Scottrade has also taken on the task of teaching its clients how to improve their investment strategies. With thousands of articles and interactive tools accessible online, you the investor have some similar tools at your hands as professionals. Scottrade also offers hundreds of free informative sessions across the United States. The sessions are run by professionals in the field of investments and teach a variety of topics that an investor may be interested in.

There are also 474 actual Scottrade locations spanning across the United States that can help with questions not only on how to use Scottrade, but can inform you on some more advanced trading techniques. Beyond their seminars as well as thousands of articles and branch locations, they offer 24 hour customer service via phone. Their representatives are very friendly as well as helpful. They can take you step by step through the trading process and make you feel safe about how you are investing your funds

What You Need to Open an Account with Scottrade

Opening an account is painlessly simple.  According to their site, here is what you need to get an account open today:

• 10 minutes of your time (yes, that’s it)
• Social Security Number  or Individual Taxpayer ID Number
• Employer’s name, address, phone number
• Beneficiary’s social security number, date or birth, and address

$7 Online Trades with Scottrade

Scottrade may not be the lowest per trade cost on the market, but with their excellent customer service, as well as numerous trading tools offered they are definitely a good choice if you’re in search of a broker, or considering switching brokers. You will need a minimum of $500 to open an account. There is no limit to the number of trades you can make, and you will not be charged any fees for inactivity. You will also have the safety of $25,000,000 worth of protection from the Securities investor protection corporation (SIPC). I personally have a Scottrade account and have been 100% satisfied since I opened it approximately a year ago.