ING's orange savings account

ING's orange savings account has been around the longest. So I guess I'm obliged to give them a review.

I actually signed up for them when the originally came out. This was over 5 years ago, back when the internet was the wild wild west. So I guess I do have sentimental attachment to them.

Pros:
* Backed by ING, a multi-billion dollar banking conglomerate based in Europe (Netherlands I believe)
* Interface is well developed. Their original site was a lot different. Trust me, they've improved it a lot. Some of the newer banks are just starting out and to be honest they are quite difficult to use.
* Rates decent

Cons:
* Rates are not the highest. They know most people are not going to jump ship for an extra tenth of a percentage point. So they don't try to compete on interest rates.

So should you use them? Probably not if you're a rate-chaser. I used to be. Many banks used to offer a $100 starbucks card free ipod, etc. to sign up. What I would do is just keep moving every so month and getting freebies. This was great, as I got a ton of free stuff. Plus my interest rates were high.

But as I've gotten older I've settled down in my banking relationships (haha!).


Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

HSBCdirect, my current love affair

Well I guess I'll start off with my first recommendation: HSBCdirect. I use them currently, which I guess is probably a very good sign.

I originally joined them because they offered a very high rate. Of course this was a "teaser" rate so unfortunately I'm not nearly getting as much as I used to.

Interface is great and quite easy to use. Security on the site is top-notch. HSBC is one of the largest banks in the world. If you cannot trust them with your info then you can't trust anyone.

Would I recommend them? Yes. My brother actually asked me for help and I assisted him in signing up for an account.

Welcome!

Hi guys

The online banking industry has gotten crowded recently. This blog will cover the various savings accounts that are available to the typical consumer.

Please shoot me an email at 32blaine A T g-------------mail.com if you have any questions or requests.