Credit unions are unique creatures (well, a unique species) within the financial-services-firm universe. Credit unions are similar to banks in the products and services that they offer (although private banks tend to offer a deeper array).
However, unlike banks, which are run as private businesses seeking profits, credit unions operate as nonprofit entities and are technically owned by their members (customers). If they’re efficiently operated, the best credit unions offer their customers better terms on deposits, including checking and savings accounts (higher interest rates and lower fees) and some loans (lower rates and fees).
Credit unions have insurance coverage up to $250,000 per customer through the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), similar to the FDIC protection that banks offer their customers. As when checking out a bank, be sure that any credit union you may deposit money into has NCUA insurance coverage.
The trick to getting access to a credit union is that by law, each individual credit union may offer its services only to a defined membership. Examples of the types of credit union memberships available include
Alumni
College and university
Community
Employer
Place of worship
There can be some overlap between these groups. To access a credit union, you also may be able to use your family ties.
www.asmarterchoice.org/.
Brokerage cash management accounts
A type of account worth checking out at brokerage firms is generally known as an asset management account. When these types of accounts first came into existence decades ago, they really were only for affluent investors. That is no longer the case, although the best deals on such accounts at some firms are available to higher-balance investors.
Brokerage firms enable you to buy and sell stocks, bonds, and other securities. Among the larger brokerage firms or investment companies with substantial brokerage operations you may have read or heard about are Charles Schwab, ETrade, Fidelity, and T.D. Ameritrade. Vanguard has a solid brokerage offering but discontinued their cash management account and is exploring whether to offer another again.
Now, some of these firms have fairly extensive branch office networks, and others don’t. But those that have a reasonable number of branch offices have been able to keep a competitive position because of their extensive customer and asset base and because they aren’t burdened by banking regulations (they aren’t banks) and the costs associated with operating as a bank.
The best of brokerage firm asset management accounts typically enable you to
Invest in various investments, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds, and hold those investments in a single account.
Write checks against a money market balance that pays competitive yields.
Use a Visa or Mastercard debit card for transactions.
Money market mutual funds
Because bank savings accounts historically have paid pretty crummy interest rates, you need to think long and hard about keeping your spare cash in the bank during normal times for interest rates and the economy. Instead of relying on the bank, try keeping your extra savings in a money market fund, which is a type of mutual fund. (Other funds focus on bonds or stocks.) Money market funds historically have offered a higher-yielding alternative to bank savings and bank money market deposit accounts. You can use a money market fund that offers unlimited check writing at a mutual fund company.
During recent periods of ultra-low interest rates, you may find slightly better interest rates on some of the best online bank savings accounts and at some credit unions.
A money market fund is similar to a bank savings account except that it is offered by a mutual fund company and therefore lacks FDIC coverage. Historically, this hasn’t been a problem because retail money market funds have lost shareholder principal in only one case for retail investors (the Reserve Primary fund lost less than 1 percent of assets during the 2008 financial crisis).
The attraction of money market funds has been that the best ones pay higher yields than bank savings accounts and also come in tax-free versions, which is good for higher-tax-bracket investors.
Book 3
Checking Out Stock Investing
Contents at a Glance
1 Chapter 1: Gathering Information on Stocks Looking to Stock Exchanges for Answers Grasping the Basics of Accounting and Economics Staying on Top of Financial News Reading (And Understanding) Stock Tables Using News about Dividends Evaluating Investment Tips
2 Chapter 2: Investing for Long-Term Growth Becoming a Value-Oriented Growth Investor Choosing Growth Stocks with a Few Handy Tips
3 Chapter 3: Investing for Income and Cash Flow Understanding the Basics of Income Stocks Analyzing Income Stocks Exploring Some Typical Income Stocks
4 Chapter 4: Using Basic Accounting to Choose Winning Stocks Recognizing Value When You See It Accounting for Value
Chapter 1
Gathering Information on Stocks
IN THIS CHAPTER
