Brokerage CD's are nothing but regular CD's which can be bought in the market just like stocks/bonds etc.There are some nuances like callable etc but don't get intimidated by it.Once you understand 3-5 terminologies of Brokerage CD's you will realize how similar they are.
I particulary like Brokerage CD's because , then Im not stuck to one bank and the market competes for my dollars.I can buy CD's from any bank i.e. whoever pays me highest interest wihtout having to open a checking/saving account with them.
There is another advantage of Brokerage CD's.Say if you wanted to have CD's in your 401k , in that case obviously it will not be possible to link your personal bank's CD's with the 401k.
However with Brokerage CD's you can buy CD's in your 401k, if you have setup a brokerage link with your 401k(also called Self Directed 401k).See the other post for advantages of Self-Directed 401k
There is one more advantage over the FDIC limit.With Brokerage CD's you can buy as many CD's as you want , and since you will be dealing with so many banks you don't have to worry about the 100K FDIC limits , unless you buy 100K CD's from one bank only.
I personally believe that Brokerage CD's are going to become more and more popular because of the reasons outlined above.
You can take a look at various Brokerage CD's offered at places like Fidelity.

posted at: 05:25 | category: /personalfinance | permanent link to this entry

For a long time there was a gap with any decent GPL alternative for burning/authoring DVD/CD's on Microsoft Windows.
InfraRecorder fills that gap.
Njoy

posted at: 18:16 | category: /windows | permanent link to this entry

There are growing number of banks/credit unions which are offering this feature where in you don't have to got the ATM to deposit checks.This is a very good and a welcome feature especially for people like me whose Credit Union is completely in a different state.
So the basic thing is that you just need to have an internet connection/computer and a scanner and you can deposit a check and the money will be typically available in 24 hours(depends on your bank)
You can lookup on this website to understand the process around this http://www.remotedepositcapture.com/Overview/RDC_Overview.htm
For a list of banks/CU's supporting this look at this page http://www.remotedepositcapture.com/bank_providers.htm

posted at: 17:59 | category: /personalfinance | permanent link to this entry

Have you ever felt that the funds offered in your 401k are very limited?
Have you ever felt that you want invest in Individual stocks or bonds in your 401k ?
Have you ever felt that the stock market is just not for you and you would rather stick to safe haven like CD's in your for 401k?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above then you might want to check with your employer to see if they offer self-directed 401K.
In simple terms a Self Directed 401k is just like a brokerage account where in you can trade stocks/mutual funds/ETF's and even brokerage CD's.
At my work I was lucky enough to have a self-directed 401k with Fidelity and I have traded ETF's/Brokerage CD's/Mutual Funds etc for it and the possibilities are endless.
Now you would ask if I have a self directed 401k then do I loose the traditional 401k with the 10-19 funds offered by my company. The answer is it really depends on your plan.In general you can have a self-directed 401k and a traditional 401k simultaneously.

posted at: 15:07 | category: /personalfinance | permanent link to this entry