http://www.viewpoints.com/Misc-Finance Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:43:42 GMT Reviews about Misc. Finance http://www.viewpoints.com/Etrade-Financial-review-ce264 I opened up a Complete Savings Account with Etrade Financial earlier this year.  After doing some online research looking at interest rates, customer service, and account holder feedback, Etrade Financial repeatedly came out on top. — The Etrade Financial Complete Savings Account is currently earning a 3.30% Annual Percentage Yield (APY).  This is much higher than any of my local banks, and is also higher than other online banks.  — Some of the benefits of the Etrade Financial Complete Savings Account are: — Only a $1 minimum deposit to open an account. — No minimum balance required and no account fees. — Easy online account access and transferring is easy with their Quick Transfer option. — My experience with Etrade Financial has been great.  The only "work" that I had to do was to sign and return a form that was mailed to my home shortly after opening up my account.  ... Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:43:42 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Etrade-Financial-review-ce264 mindyvol 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/ING-Direct-Savings-Account-and-CDs-review-acf62 My husband and I finally made the switch to internet banking this year.  We researched several online banks and were sold on the ING Direct Orange Savings Account. After receiving only pennies in interest from our local bank and credit union, we now receive a 3.0% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on our savings account.  I have yet to find an actual bank branch to offer that high of a rate on a savings account.  — Even better, using a referral link from a friend who already had an account with ING Direct, my husband and I both received $25 in FREE money as a sign up bonus in each of our individual accounts.  My friend receives $10 for each referral that she makes. — My husband and I use our savings accounts strictly for that - saving.  We have no plans to transfer our money back into our local bank's checking account.  However, it seems to be a very easy process to do so. — ING Direct also offers great rates on... Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:44:59 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/ING-Direct-Savings-Account-and-CDs-review-acf62 mindyvol 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Charter-One-Bank-review-dc263 My husband and I have been customers with Charter One Bank for several years.  We are very happy with their banking service, however, we do not recommend their mortgage services (CCO Mortgage). Charter One Bank locations are in the Midwest - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.  Online accounts are also available. — We have a non-interest bearing checking account, which is free, has no minimum balance requirement, and has unlimited check writing.  My husband also has his own personal checking account and we often use the online transfer feature to easily move funds from one account to the other.  — We have had excellent customer service experience with the local bank branches, including the one time in which my math error resulted in an overdraft.  The employee who helped me was kind enough to remove the overdraft fee and help me figure out where my mistake was made.  — We do not have a savings... Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:03:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Charter-One-Bank-review-dc263 mindyvol 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/egl-properties-review-cc952 Absolutely, recommending this company. One of the best companies I have been working with. They are honest, caring and I feel safe and secure with them. They are there for me when I need them. They are honest people (rare to find), caring and they doing everything to protect me and my property. When I have questions regarding financials issues or when things are not clear they sit and explain and work to resolve any issues. LOVE... Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:18:45 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/egl-properties-review-cc952 TLV123 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/ING-Direct-Savings-Account-and-CDs-review-59762 ING Direct savings accounts and CDs have gotten me out of debt. Not having the money immediately available makes you really think whether or not you actually want to spend it.  I also love that you can make sub-accounts to save for something special.  For example, I have my "Christmas" account, my "New Car" account, and my "Rainy Day" account. — — My favorite part of ING is the customer service.  When you call to talk to someone, you actually talk to a human being!  It's never the automated system, and the customer support is always friendly and courteous. — — I also love the ING checking account.  It's only flaw is that you can only have one account, so my roommate and I aren't able to open a joint checking for living... Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:06:36 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/ING-Direct-Savings-Account-and-CDs-review-59762 aerinmurphy 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Top-Five-Online-Brokerage-Services-review-e9c95 Investing is an important part of the financial routines of most families and individuals. We get our paycheck, pay our bills, set aside money for basic expenditures, and, hopefully, have something left over for investment. For some, their 401k is their sole investment and since it is deducted automatically from paychecks, there is no need to worry about it or budget for it. But for those without a 401k (or for the serious investor who has a 401k but wants more), it will likely be necessary to establish a brokerage account with an established financial services company for investment purposes. — Online brokerage services continue to grow in number and most of them offer similar services to members. How, then, does an investor decide which service is best? Since the actual customer service aspect is very subjective and since everyone has a different opinion on what good customer service is, it is usually best to evaluate an online brokerage service by looking at the pros and... Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:57:30 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Top-Five-Online-Brokerage-Services-review-e9c95 Bryan-Carey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Ameriprise-Financial-review-0dde4   We took a chance on the company because we were not overly happy with our previous company; however, now I am glad we did not completely pull out.  Ameriprise provided less assitance, their web interface is not as complete or user friendly, and their fees are HIGH.  Once you are in you will pay a minimum of $75 to get out, no matter how long you stay with them.  — —   They charge a full annual fee even if your money is only in for 3 months.  Poor Marks all... Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:27:32 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Ameriprise-Financial-review-0dde4 bastetofak 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/US-Secured-Credit-Repair-review-6c590 I am always skeptical about credit repair.  I have tried on my own for years and got no where.  I researched a bunch of companies and some wanted $30 to start and some wanted $1500 to start.  I picked one in the middle and it was the best decision I ever made.   US Secured Credit Repair Service really delivered what they said.  I think the agent said "I can go online and research how to fix my own car and save money or I can go to a trained professional mechanic and pay him to fix my car properly.  Now what would you like to do about your credit?"  He was right.  For the couple hundred dollars I spent I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  These guys are legitimate credit repair experts.  Call them or go to their website. www.usscreditrepair.com .  — Good LUCK! —... Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:41:19 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/US-Secured-Credit-Repair-review-6c590 Jim1967 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/ThankYou-Rewards-Network-review-7a844 I frequently shop online and I frequently use my credit card when I do so.  Therefore, when I received an offer from Citibank to join the ThankYou Network Rewards Program it was an easy decision to become a member. Joining the ThankYou Network is simple: you need an eligible Citibank credit/debit card or checking account and you can sign up directly at www.thankyou.com or www.Expedia.com.  Once you've joined the network, you earn points for every dollar spent on purchases with your bank card.  I have earned additional points by booking travel through Expedia.com even if I use another credit card to make my travel payments. — Most of my points are earned through the shopping links located throughout the website.  There are over 400 retail websites available to choose from and include major retailers like Target, Best Buy, and Overstock, and Old Navy.  I have earned an average of 4 points for every dollar spent; sometimes as many as 6 points. ... Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:30:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/ThankYou-Rewards-Network-review-7a844 LoveisJoy 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Traditional-IRA-vs-Roth-IRA-Which-is-Right-for-You-review-28a11 Saving for retirement is an important financial task. With the future of Social Security in doubt and Medicare in even worse financial condition, it is important that every American set aside a portion of his/her income for the future. — Many Americans already have a 401K savings plan and are well on their way to financial security. But others do not have a 401K plan, either because their employer doesn't offer a plan; they do not work full time and are thus ineligible to participate in the plan; or they are self- employed and do not have a large enough business to implement a 401K plan. For these individuals, there are alternatives for retirement savings. Individual Retirement Accounts offer a means to save toward retirement by making periodic contributions throughout the year. The two main types of IRA are the Traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. Which one is right for you? Let's take a look at the similarities and differences: — Traditional IRA Commentary: — First,... Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:32:32 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Traditional-IRA-vs-Roth-IRA-Which-is-Right-for-You-review-28a11 Bryan-Carey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/ING-Direct-Savings-Account-and-CDs-review-3f992 I started out with my money in a savings account from my bank. But my bank gave me only    .4%. It was ridiculous and I wasnt earning money. So my grandmother told me about ING. I now have a 3.2% and its great. The website is easy to use. I love using ING.... Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:08:41 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/ING-Direct-Savings-Account-and-CDs-review-3f992 eternallygrissoms 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Money-Merge-Account--147936-review-55df6 I'm looking into "Money merge account".  It claims you can pay off your mortgage in as little as 1/3 to 1/2 off the time. It claims  that no refiancing of existing mortgage, and is not a bi-weekly or debt roll down program.  Has anyone heard of this? If you google "Money merge Account", there is a mini video that explains how it works using a home equity loan, and they sell you some kind of computer programing, that tells you when to transfer money from one account to another to pay off mortgages and bills.  — Is this ligit, is this a real product, is it a rip off??? —... Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:13:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Money-Merge-Account--147936-review-55df6 elaine19808 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Quik-Cash-review-9ac42 Quik Cash, formerly known as Nationwide Budget Finance. I used to use their payday loan service at the office on Sahara at Eastern, in Las Vegas, NV, because even though the rate was higher than elsewhere, they offered a rebate for early loan payment, so it cost less when I didn't need the loan for a full two weeks. Well, they suddenly changed the policy without any notice to me, costing me more, and the (I'm assuming) new staff was very rude to me. They had filed my check under the wrong last name, and had an attitude about it, even though THEY were the ones who made the mistake. They blamed me for it, even though my check has my first, middle, and last names quite clearly printed on it, and they had used the middle name instead of my last. Their attitude about the rates seemed to be "oh, well, too bad for you". If I had known they were going to change the rules, I would have gone to their competitor and saved $7.50 plus the extra driving distance, time, and gas. I am now a regular... Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:02:14 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Quik-Cash-review-9ac42 Datastar 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wells-Fargo-Bank--146765-review-5e413 The people at the Brown Blvd location in Arlington Texas are the worst tellers ever. My fiance and I went in to start up a joint savings account. In order to do so we had to make some transfers from our orginal accounts. The teller assured us this was done and we had a free account with all the fix'ens. This was not true. Throught the duration of a year. We were charged every month for the account. Not only were we charged but every time we would call and ask about it, they would tell us our transfers were never set up. Between the two of us we set up our transfers with someone on the phone and in the actual bank 9 times. Here recently I have closed all my accounts and removed myself from this bank. I suggest you either go in a demand to speak with the manager whom is never there, or call the 800 number if you want anything handled correctly, and at times that still didn't work. Good luck to all you customers banking there. Such a... Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:10:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wells-Fargo-Bank--146765-review-5e413 domesticgodessc 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Transfermate-International-Money-Transfer-Provider--122627-review-08c9 I was trying to transfer the money from US to the bank in Thailand. There was not so many places offer the transfer to Thail Bath.. I found this place over the Internet and the overall review I read about it is pretty good.. so far no complain. I put the request over their website.. and got responsed e-mail very quick. They explained the process over the e-mail pretty good.. however, whatever happen actually was not what they explained.. the good thing is they response you e-mail pretty quick. The bad thing is they are not offer guarantee rate.. and not even tell you what you can expect.. you will know your rate when they money already in the beneficiary account.. and if it's too low than you expect.. that it was just your unlucky day.. for me.. they gave me like 28.72 THB/US where bank offer 31.64THB/US. I will absolutely use the bank to bank if I know it before hand.. Probably, this company is not good for non-major... Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:02:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Transfermate-International-Money-Transfer-Provider--122627-review-08c9 Jant 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Nevada-Title-Loan-review-6e882 i have had several title loans with this company and was pretty ok with their service til i found out that all a person has to do to get my address and home telephone number is pay $1 on my acct. some kind soul who anonymously paid off my title loan sent me the receipts the company refused to send me when the title loan was paid off by said individual. — the problem was the loan company never informed me that my title had been paid off and gave out my name, address and phone number on the receipt to the anonymous payor. having verified stalkers i find this practice as very unhealthy practice and very bad for a companies reputation. i contacted the store manager of the office on north virginia street in reno and her comments left me with the impression that they did not care about their customers rights to privacy and she refused to even say anything to her district manager about my concerns. she did directly me quite rudely to the customer service number. — i called that... Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:46:19 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Nevada-Title-Loan-review-6e882 nancyinreno 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Ameriprise-Financial-review-c6270 If you haven't ever thought about hiring a financial planner, maybe you should. I am very financially responsible, and I thought that I was doing a great job of saving money, but my financial planner found all kinds of ways for me to save more and plan for a financially sound future. — Through Ameriprise Financial, I was able to find a friendly adviser who is genuinely concerned for my financial future. The people at Ameriprise will do their best to help you live your dreams through responsible saving and investment. And if you're still a little skeptical, they'll sit down with you for a free consultation to find out what your goals are and tell you how they can help you achieve them. —... Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:00:52 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Ameriprise-Financial-review-c6270 Lizz 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Prosper-com-review-cc6d2 I found this awesome site...prosper.com...that makes personal loans. It's not a bank where you have to qualify...it's a bunch of private lenders and the rates aren't terrible at all. If you have a problem qualifying through normal finanacial processes, you will be very pleasantly surprised here. It's a quick process. Just be totally honest. The check your "references" and the turn around is great. You get to decide how much you want to "borrow" not the other way around , and the payback terms are excellent and fair. Give it a try...you won't be... Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:19:03 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Prosper-com-review-cc6d2 judyt411 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Alliant-Credit-Union-review-ad6a2 Alliant Credit Union, formerly United Airlines Employees' Credit Union, was organized in 1935. — It currently has more than 207,000 members with nearly $4.4 billion in assets. — Based in Illinois, it has branches in Denver, El Segungo (CA, near LAX), San Francisco (at Airport), and Dulles, VA. — — Membership is very easy to get by joing the National PTA or your local PTA, if you do not meet other eligibility requirements. — — Rates on products are very competitive.  Depost account include CDs, IRAs, and HSAs. — It is very easy to open your account online and to register for their Skybank system - an excellent interface to access your online accounts. — — I had a few questions and found their customer service to be outstanding.  Email replies were timely and accurate.  Telephome calls were professional and fully answered all  my questions. — — I am very pleased with Alliant and would recommend... Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:51:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Alliant-Credit-Union-review-ad6a2 goldsheet 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sallie-Mae-Student-Loans-review-3be23 Sallie Mae makes it very easy for you to lower your payments on your student loan. Unfortunately it means you will owe them forever.  Of course by lower payment I mean youpay the interest only but non of the actuall amount owed.  My student loan is higher today 15  years after graduation than it was when I... Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:18:00 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sallie-Mae-Student-Loans-review-3be23 kathos 1