WT Direct - A High APY Savings Account

[This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]

Since the market is volatile and the economy is nearly stagnant, it makes sense to keep a part of our savings in liquid form to meet emergencies (i.e. our emergency fund). Some may choose to convert a part of their portfolios to cash. If we are averse to risk, during market down times it might make sense to hold on to our cash. But for those who can afford to take risk and are willing to invest, this is the time to buy.

In that light, Wilmington Trust Bank is offering a good APY of 3.16% for their savings account. Since APYs on banking products are on the decline, this deal from WT Direct seems lucrative. Lets delve into its depths and unfold it.

• Online Link: Deal & Details



• No fees.
• No minimum deposit to open the account.
• No checking account required in order to get the high rate.
• For the first 60 days from the date the account is opened, regardless of the account balance, the account will earn their highest APY. After the first 60 days, the APY for the account will have two tiers:
  
• a higher APY for accounts with balances of $10,000 or more and
  
• a lower APY, currently 0.50% APY, for accounts with balances of less than $10,000.
• $0 Liability Guarantee for unauthorized transactions on your account.
• Industry leading privacy and security.
  
• FDIC insured.

WT Direct is giving us an opportunity to check them out for 60 days and still earn the high APY for balances less than 10k. Bankrate has given WT Direct a 4 star rating which means that the institution is safe and sound. So it might be worthwhile to go ahead and at least have a peek at them.

Mint Is Going To Integrate Our Portfolios

[This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]

Mint is planning to help its users see the big picture of their financial state by integrating their portfolios into their Mint accounts. Very soon, we’ll be able to see all our investments, mutual funds, and retirement accounts at Mint.com.

Mint’s approach to investments is all about helping us make better decisions easily. So by integrating our portfolios, it’ll help us find quick and timely answers to key questions like:

• What’s the big picture? Mint'll pull together all our 401(k), IRA, brokerage, and mutual fund accounts in one secure place.

• Am I beating the market? We can compare our stocks, accounts, or total portfolio to relevant market indices like the S&P 500.

• Is my money working hard for me, or for my broker? We’ll understand what fees we’re being charged, by whom, and when.
  

This feature will be released in beta in a few weeks. Selected users will be invited to test it out. Once it's stable it'll be open to the world. Mint is truly focused at providing refreshing money management for FREE (how long :-) ?).

Dollar Rent A Car - Discount Codes, Promotions & Coupons

[This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]

If you are thinking of renting a car from Dollar, these discount and promo codes might help you save some of your hard earned dollars. Usually we rent from Hertz, but we found some quotes from Dollar which were hard to beat. On top of that we saved some money by using the 5% off any vehicle promotion.

Dollar - Save 10% on a Minivan must include promo code EMD10. Some Restrictions apply. Expires 05/28/08

Dollar - Save 15% on Car Rentals promo code EMD15. Some Restrictions apply.
Expires 05/28/08

Dollar - American Express Florida Offer promo code AX24. Some Restrictions apply.
Expires 05/31/08

Pay with Amex and get any Intermediate Van for only $177/week. Use Code AX07.
Expires 05-31-08

Dollar has a Mid-size Vehicle Special promo code CODDD. Some Restrictions apply.
Expires 06/15/08 for Yellowstone National Park.

Dollar New York Metro Area Mid-size car for only $49.99 per day promo code 8NYRT. Some Restrictions apply. Expires 06/25/08

Dollar - Compact, Convertible, Minivan Offer promo code 8COM. Some Restrictions apply. Expires 06/30/08

Dollar - Cruise Around Dallas With Your Top Down! Convertible $32.99/day. promo code: CRUZ. Some Restrictions apply. Expires 12/12/08

5% off any vehicle. Use Code: CJ05. Some Restrictions apply. Expires 12-31-08

SkyMiles members will earn QUADRUPLE MILES at our Florida locations. Use code FLRD & SkyMiles # in reservation. Expires 12-31-08

Save 10% on any vehicle when you purchase a car rental 24-hours in advance and use an American Express. Use Code AX10. Expires 12-31-08

Gold Crown members earn TRIPLE POINTS on Compact or larger for 2 days or more.
Use code BW08. Expires 12-31-08

Rent a Premium vehicle for $39.00 a day and $197.00 a week.

International Deals

Dollar - Dubai, Arabian Gulf 8% Discount for Spring 2008 promo code AEDD2.
Some Restrictions apply. Expires 05/25/08

10% Off Weekly Rental in Latin America promo code LATD3.
Some Restrictions apply. Expires 05/31/08

Dollar has 10% Off Weekly in The Caribbean promo code CARB2.
Some Restrictions apply. Expires 05/31/08

Dollar - 10% Off in Germany promo code GER5.
Some Restrictions apply. Expires 06/31/08

Save 5% in Mexico City. Use Coupon Code: MXOF. Expires 12/16/08

Save 15% on weekly rentals in Canada when using American Express®.
Use Code: AXCN. Expires 12-31-08

Cancun - Rent any vehicle from Cancun International Airport location Additional driver fee is waived. Promo Code MXCP2. Expires 12/31/08

Dollar has 5% Off Senior Citizen Discount in Canada promo code 8COM.
Some Restrictions apply. Expires 12/31/08

Enjoy a lovely getaway in Honolulu with Dollar's great rates!

Strands Acquires NetWorthIQ

[This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]

When we visit personal finance blogs, we often notice a widget in the side bars which displays a graph with the net worth of the blogger. This widget is due to the courtesy of NetWorthIQ.

Today, Strands, a leading developer of social recommendation technologies, announced that it has acquired NetworthIQ, a social personal finance Web site that lets people track, share, and compare their net worth. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

This news follows Strands’ acquisition of money management solution Expensr and the private beta launch of moneyStrands, Strands’ personal finance application. Currently in private beta testing, moneyStrands is a social money management solution, which allows users to aggregate their online financial information in one place, providing them with an instant snapshot of all their finances. Also, users can anonymously compare themselves to others with similar traits, such as demographics.

Web based Survey Software

[This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]

May 16, 2008: Now a days as businesses are growing at a fast pace so are their needs of gathering various sorts of feedback data from their customers about their services and products. Paper surveys are a thing of the past. In this electronic age companies need web based software to create, manage and data mine surveys to gather useful information.

Key Survey is a online survey software. It is a sophisticated data collection, analysis, and presentation tool for companies that demand total control and flexibility over the survey process. This software is web-based and is easy to use. There's no software to download. It has all the features needed to conduct sophisticated, multi-channel, multi-language surveys. Companies can now simply design and distribute their surveys, collect and analyze their data with ease.

To get us started, Key Survey is loaded with 200 ready-to-go templates. This helps us to easily build a survey from scratch. Not only that, we can customize our surveys with our company's logo and favorite colors. Results can be presented as text as well as graphs. No technical skills are required. This powerful, enterprise-class survey software lets everyone in an organization - from the most non-technical user to the most sophisticated researcher - create, distribute, and collect an unlimited number of surveys from customers, employees and other partners. Moreover if we get stuck, Key Survey comes with a free multi-lingual online Live Support which is available 19 hours a day.

Its APIs allows users to integrate survey data with information from other databases within an organization. Moreover Key Survey supports multiple survey deployment modes, like web, e-mail, printed, kiosk, PDA, and scanning. Currently they are running an open 30 day FREE trial. It definitely makes sense to give it a try if we're on the lookout for a sleek web based online survey software.

GoodDay

Best of May 07 - A Year Ago at FIRE Finance!

[This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]

Blogging is a constant process of improvement. In an effort to see how we've fared over time, a visit to our archives is often fruitful. While digging through last year's posts, we found some useful articles from May 07:

• Avoid Credit Card Fees And Interest Rate Increases

• Vanguard - How To Waive The $20 Service Fee On Mutual Funds?

• The 101st Edition of Carnival of Personal Finance

Image Source(s): iStockPhoto

Rising Gas Prices and Taxes Make Us Broke?

[This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]

Image Source(s): TimeInc.Net