Now is the Best Time to Save
cash loan, banking, credit cards February 2nd, 2010
Do you know why it is high time for you to save today? There’s a big reason to do so because banks are increasing the interest rates for their local deposits. The banks are doing this for the first time in 10 years in an effort to attract cheaper retail funds. What this means is when you put your money into a savings account, you will gain more money going forward.
Here’s more great information that you should know. According to a financial comparison group RateCity, the average interest rate for a one-year term deposit is even higher than the cash rate of the Reserve Bank. Specifically, a one-year deposit will enjoy a 6.3 percent rate while a 5.51 percent interest rate is being implemented for online savings accounts. For those putting in money for more than one year at major banks such as Westpac, for instance, an 8 percent interest rate in deposits can be enjoyed for a five-year term.
These high rates may not compare with those offered in the early part of 2008 but they should be high enough to encourage you to save. Just consider that when you have a savings account and you don’t touch them for the long term, you can definitely reap the rewards. The banks for their part will also benefit by earning profits especially from customers who decide to stay long with them or even for their lifetime.
While you’re proceeding with your saving efforts, it would be best as well to avoid using your credit cards. If you have one or more of these plastic cards, freeze it while you’re focusing on paying your balances. Or better yet, close all your accounts when you have paid off the balance.
You may be unaware but there’s a latest report that says the hidden details in the interest charges applied by credit card companies on your partial payment as well as on your overdue balances are what actually cause customers to go into huge debt. This was found out by a consumer advocate group called Choice.
The recent study also revealed what many credit card users may not know. It added that many credit card firms tend to move back the date of their interest to the date of purchase especially for late payments. So even if you’re late in paying your amount due for just one day, you can incur a high interest that can be backdated to more than 30 days.
This should be reason enough for you to stop using your plastic cards. What you can do then when you need fast cash at a time when your salary is not yet available is to take out a payday or cash advance loan for just a short term say, two weeks to a month at the most. This alternative can help you in your effort towards saving money as it’s affordable and does not require you to take out a huge amount of money. And as long as you are employed, you don’t have to worry about paying back your loan before its due date.
