I learned a tough lesson and trusted a financial adviser at my local Chase by investing into Municipal Bonds with the majority of my retirement money. I mostly freaked out about the interest rates going down and it was tempting to do this because it is a way to help to keep my taxes lower. The only problem is that its not making any money. I have lost over $2,000 in these municipal bonds so far and I have to keep the money in the municipal funds for over a year or get a 1% penalty.
As I was listening to someone who is on commission for bad advice I am seeing how much money I could be making in rising savings account rates. HSBC Direct has raised their rate to 3.50% until August 1, and it may even go higher when that promo ends. The first rate increase for nine months happens over at WTDirect from 3.19 to 3.26 APY.
WaMu is also grabbing the attention of customers looking for higher interest rates with the 5.00% Savings Success offer. Walk into your local bank and see what they are offering and search online. If your current bank is still punishing you with low interest from the fed rate cuts then transfer it over to a bank that is keeping up with the competition.
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