Interest rates are still pretty low as we enter 2010, but I remind people that high nominal rates aren’t always better. Would you rather earn 3% with no inflation or 7% with 5% inflation? In any case, most of us have a chunk of cash and we should still try to earn the most no matter what the rate environment is like right now.

High-Yield Reward Checking Accounts
These are checking accounts that are still fully insured and pay a very high interest rate, as long as you jump through certain hoops each month. This also means that if you make a mistake you’ll forfeit virtually all your interest for that month, so it can be tricky. But for the very diligent, their rates are still averaging around 3-4% APY up to a certain balance limit. Here are a couple of the highest current account available nationwide:

• Royal Bank of Missouri has their Majestic Checking paying 4.30% APY on up to $25k, which requires 10 check card purchases each month, a direct deposit or ACH transaction per month, and online statements only.
• Sierra Reward Checking at 4.09% APY on up to $25k, which requires 12 check card purchases each month, a direct deposit/auto-withdrawal, one BillPay per month, and online statements only.

Online Savings Accounts
These accounts pay a yield that at least a full percentage point (1%) higher than any current money market fund, while still providing easy access and safety with minimal hassles. The primary drawback here is that you are limited to a maximum of 6 withdrawals per month, as it is a savings account. Here are account that represent the range of the best current rates.

• EverBank is offering 1.10% APY for the first 6 months for new accounts. This rate is higher than any 6-month certificates of deposit currently available, which being available for withdrawals at any time. The rate is guaranteed stay in the top 5% of competitive accounts.
• Alliant Credit Union has a non-promo savings account rate of 2.00% APY. Membership is restricted to people with affiliation to a qualifying organization, but the cheapest way around this is to become a member of a PTA or PTO.
• Ally Bank Online Savings offers their “no fine print” savings account rate to 0.85% APY as of 11/12/13. No minimum balances, no monthly fees.
• Veteran online bank Capital One 360 holds up the lower end at 0.75% APY.

Certificates of Deposit
If you are willing to restrict access to your money for a while, your yield can go a bit higher, but not that much. On the other hand, if you think rates will stay low, it may be worthwhile to lock some rates in. Keep an eye on the early-withdrawal penalties if you do think you’ll need to withdraw.

• 3-Year CD at Pentagon Federal Credit Union will get you 3.0% APY. (6-mo. early withdrawal penalty.)
• 5-Year CD at Pentagon Federal Credit Union will get you 3.5% APY. (6-mo. early withdrawal penalty.)

You may have gotten a notice from your bank recently stating something like “Effective January 1, 2010 Your Bank will no longer be participating in the FDIC Transaction Account Guarantee Program.” Citibank is opting out, along with over 1,000 other banks (complete list).

What is the Transaction Account Guarantee (TAG) Program? In response to the financial crisis, the program basically allowed participating banks with all noninterest-bearing transaction accounts – like many checking accounts that earned no interest – to have unlimited coverage by the FDIC. It was part of the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, and was designed to help calm the fears of depositors with lots of money in possibly shaky banks.

Now that some banks are feeling better about themselves, they decided that they’d rather save the money and not participate in the extension through June 30, 2010. According to Bloomberg, the cost of participation will increase to a range of 15 cents to 25 cents annually for every $100 of covered deposits, up from 10 cents currently.

But for most people this shouldn’t be a concern, as you’ll just revert back to the standard $250,000 per depositor covered by FDIC, currently set to last until December 31, 2013. I would hope if you had over $250,000 in cash, it wouldn’t be sitting in a non-interest bearing account!

I haven’t done an interest rate update in a while, as sadly there just hasn’t been that much to write about.

Reward Checking Accounts
These are checking accounts, usually through local credit unions, that pay a very high interest rate if you jump through some hoops each month. However, if you make a mistake you’ll forfeit virtually all your interest for that month, so it can be tricky. But for the very diligent, their rates are still averaging around 4-5% APY on balances up to $50,000. Here’s a recent example at 4.01% APY on up to $25k, which requires 10 check card purchases each month, a direct deposit/auto-withdrawal, and online statements.

For more, see my review of rewards checking accounts and also this list of accounts by state. I’d stick with small local credit unions with limited membership eligibility if possible, as the rates tend to be more stable. I myself got burned with nationally-advertised Evantage Bank that dropped its rates shortly after opening.

Online Savings Accounts Rate Updates

• EverBank is offering 1.10% APY for the first 6 months for new accounts. This rate is higher than any 6-month certificates of deposit currently available.
• Discover Bank is offering 0.85% APY on its new online savings account.
• Ally Savings is offering 0.85% APY as of 11/12/13.

Certificates of Deposit
As stated above, for 6-months or less go with EverBank. In general, CD rates have been very low, and given how fast rates can rise as compared to how much further they might fall, I don’t see the benefit in locking up for money for a long period of time. Even a top 3-Year CD might get you 2.76% APY, according to MoneyAisle.

Remember, the new $250,000 FDIC & NCUA insurance limits per titled accounts are currently extended through 2013.

It’s hard to believe that back in August 2008, I was able to get a 5% APY 12-month CD from Washington Mutual (now Chase). Since it’s almost time, I called today to see if I could designate how I wanted the funds to be disbursed upon maturity. However, I was told that I actually had to wait until the actual maturity date, and then call them within a 7 day grace period. If missed that short window, then it would automatically renew into another CD of the same term, and I’d be subject to early withdrawal penalties. (Up to 6-months of interest, which can mean you get back less than your initial principal.)

After a bit of research, it seems that many of the big banks do this. For example, with Bank of America, for CD account terms that are 7-27 days, there is a 1 calendar day grace period. For CD account terms that are 28 or more days, there is a 7 calendar day grace period. Yes, one calendar day, not business day, so if it’s a Sunday or holiday you still have to contact them? I’ve also read that some banks require you to physically enter a branch or send a snail-mail letter.

On the other hand, other places that I’ve dealt with, like Pentagon Federal Credit Union, allow you to choose how the CD should be treated right when you open it. I can have the CD renew, have the funds transferred to a PenFed checking account, or have it sent to me by check. I can even choose to either reinvest the dividends or have them sent to me monthly. I guess this is another example of credit unions often being more consumer-friendly.

Meanwhile, I guess I’ll just have to set up some Google Calendar alerts to text me repeatedly when this thing matures. The current traditional CD is paying only 0.25% APY, and the online CD is 1.25%.

You can keep up with where I’m putting my cash here.

I saw that Vanguard has a new account called the VanguardAdvantage account. On the surface, it looks great. In addition to having full brokerage features (buy individual stocks, ETFs, options, and even brokered CDs), you also get full checkwriting abilities, ATM access, and online billpay. Since I have most of my retirement assets there, this would be good tool for added convenience and simplicity.

But then I found the catch. You need to have $500,000 invested at Vanguard to even be eligible for the account. Even at $500,000-$999,999 in assets, you have to pay a $30 annual fee for the privilege of getting what is basically a checking account, and you must pay $4.95 per month for Online Billpay service. No ATM refunds either (free at PNC banks only).

Vanguard seems to have an overall policy of grudgingly offering services that their customers ask for, but only if the less-wealthy are willing to pay a premium. I feel like they don’t want to stray from their basic roots of low-cost mutual funds, or maybe they just don’t want the hassle, but their competitors are leaving them behind.

Checking account features. For example, I can get the brokerage + checkwriting combo for free at Fidelity or Schwab, with no minimum balance requirements and ATM rebates. I don’t know about Chuck, but Fidelity has as-good if not better customer service reps than Vanguard.

Commission costs. The Vanguard Brokerage Services (VBS) account still charges $25 for an online trade + a $30 annual fee if you have less than $100,000 invested. Contrast that with 100+ free trades annually at only $25,000 in assets at both Zecco and Wellstrade.

I guess I’ll have to wait until I have a million dollars to get free checking at Vanguard. Doesn’t that just sound odd?

The standard maximum insurance limits for both FDIC and NCUA-insured accounts will remain $250,000 for at least until December 31st, 2013. Previously, it was temporarily increased from $100,000 to $250,000 only until December 31st, 2009. The extension was included as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which was signed into law on May 20th. I wish it was made permanent, but I suppose this is better than nothing.

Here is the media release from the NCUA. Here is the FDIC fact sheet outlining the new changes. FDIC is for participating banks, and NCUA is for participating credit unions.

You may actually have more than $250,000 of coverage, depending on how you have titled your accounts and where you hold multiple accounts. Here are the official online calculators:

NCUA Electronic Share Insurance Calculator (ESIC)
FDIC Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator (EDIE)