Banks versus Credit Union

Banks were great in their day as institutions to save your money, but now the tide has changed as increasing fees dominating the banking community are on the rise, more and more people are turning to credit unions or online banking for an alternative to conventional banks.


Many banks today advertise that they are free without any hidden fees, but that is not always the case, and where your money is concerned, it’s better to shop around and keep up to date on your bank’s notifications of changes made to your bank account and additional fees and/or cost applied to your checking or savings account that could cost you a lot of money in the long run. Here is an assessment of some of the banks that are offering free checking.

Chase Checking has no monthly service fee with direct deposit or 5+ debit card purchase within a statement period, otherwise $6. Bank of America My Access Checking has no monthly maintenance fee if opened online and no minimum balance. HSBC Choice Checking has free checking with direct deposit; otherwise you must maintain $1,500 in deposit balances of $5,000 in combined balances in HSBC accounts or pay an $8/month fee. Capital One Rewards Checking has no monthly service fee or minimum balance requirements, unlimited check writing, and reward miles for banking transactions.

SunTrust Free Checking has no minimum balance requirements nor any monthly maintenance fee, and free checks (first-order only). Most banks offer direct deposits or high monthly averages in your checking account before they offer you any kind of free checking. Citibank EZ Checking, for instance, has no monthly fee and unlimited check writing when you maintain a combined average balance of $1,500 across link city Bank accounts. The rates have just changed and you must either have direct deposit or maintain a monthly balance of almost $2000, otherwise you’ll be paying a $20 monthly fee starting in November 2010. It is very advantageous to be aware of banks when they start raising their fees constantly, and if you calculate a $20 monthly fee for any reason, and 10 months later you’re losing $200 out of your account nearly every year.

PNC Bank Free Checking has no monthly service charge or minimum balance; non-PNC ATM fees are reimbursed if you have a $2,000 average monthly balance. US Bank Silver Package Checking has no monthly maintenance fee. Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking has free checking, no ATM fees, free checks, any ATM fees are refunded worldwide, free online bill pay and a Visa Platinum Check Card.

BB & T Free Checking is an online banking system that has no minimum balance requirements or a monthly maintenance fee. ING Electric Orange has free checking, no minimum checking account balance required. As of November 2010 ING Direct Electric Orange checking account is offering a $50 bonus when you open a new account, use your electric Orange debit card to make three signature (non-PIN) purchases within the first 45 days and your $50 bonus will be automatically be deposited into your account on day 50.

The bottom line is, if you’re sick and tired of increasing bank fees, outrageous interest rates, and hidden penalties that cost you a bundle. Then I recommend researching and familiarizing yourself with online banking and the benefit of credit unions as an alternative to banks. Credit unions are nonprofit organizations that have little or no fees. Credit unions are members owned and better interest rates and reduced fees. The benefits of credit unions is that they offer Free Checking, Free Checks, Unlimited Check Writing, Free Online Access to your account, Free ATM, and/or Debit Card, Free E-Statements, No Low Balance Fee, and they can offer great rates on car loans.

As banks increase their rates and fees yearly, credit unions are fast becoming a great alternative, and most people that have made the switched from banks to credit unions are quite happy that they have done so, and abandoned their old bank. When it comes to your hard earned money and savings you’ve spent a lifetime making, shouldn’t you keep it the best place without being over run by hidden penalties or fees? Credit unions are a safe and stable alternative to banks that many people are discovering every day.

THE CREDIT UNION WORLD: Theory, Process, Practice--Cases & Application
Hands Around The Globe: A History of the International Credit Union Moveme
Credit Union Investment Management (Frank J. Fabozzi Series)
Building Better Credit Unions


T.S.Garp © Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved.

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Become A Writer (The Do’s & Don’ts)

In this modern age of technology, a new writer still needs to do his homework, and learn as much see can about the writing craft before he could be successful and accepted by his peers.


So you’ve decided to become a writer. Welcome to the world of writing and into a world where you are given the opportunity to express your deepest feelings and articulate in your own words, thoughts, ideas, and learned knowledge. As a writer you will be able to break through the ranks with your own unique voice and style. If you are courageous, diligent, and lucky enough to be recognized for your writing by your peers and the general public, than you have made it alongside well known, established authors through history that have labored long and hard, working tirelessly over their entire career in trying to write something worth reading.

Success as a writer doesn’t happen instantly and everybody has to pay their dues. J.K. Rowling spent years writing the Harry Potter books and what makes her more famous was the fact that she was a single poor mom who had an idea for a novel which became a major multimillion dollar book series. Becoming a great writer takes time and effort in learning the craft and sticking to it. Some writers spend years studying journalism, writing/reading comprehension, English literature in college, trade schools, and universities. While other writers just pick it up naturally and learn as they go. The long and short of it is that writers learn at different paces, and however long it takes you, the more you write, the more you learn.

Good writers should read as much as they can whenever they can. Setting time aside for reflection and reading can greatly help a writer to write. Indeed, with today’s technology there are many tools to help a writer write even faster without ever touching a keystroke. The main point is to try to write and read as often as you can and grow as much as you can as a writer. Statistically, this is the best era in history to be a writer and with 21st century technology it has made it so easy for almost anyone to create an e-book and immediately start publishing on the Internet.

The new generation of writers today is able to publish at lightning speeds. I first began as a struggling writer many moons ago with an old electric typewriter, and I used to send out my manuscripts and poetry through conventional mail to book publishing companies, literary agents, and magazines, and waited and waited for the response letter to come. I was only slightly disappointed that I got rejection notices time, and time again. But what I was most thankful for was the critique the editors gave me and helpful advice to make my work even better, and I really appreciated the fact that they wanted me to keep writing and submitting whenever I could. This constructive criticism is necessary for learning to begin and spur you on to become even better writers

I studied journalism and read other people’s work in fiction writing, screenplays, short stories, and poetry. I quickly learn screenplay writing by mostly just reading dozens of movie scripts and collaborating with other screenwriters. Having learned the basics of writing screenplays helped me land a job in a film company. Writers today should be mindful to study as much they can and learn by example of other writers work and try to produce the best work they can in a reasonable amount of time without over rushing to publish. But the Internet has made it extremely easy to publish and some writers barely put any effort to write something really good.

Let’s not forget the old adage that it’s better to have quality than quantity. Nobody should be pushing you to write more than your means, unless you’re working for somebody else who has you under a strict deadline and promise you a big reward. Some writers fail to do that and end up writing junk. Always check your spelling and grammar. Do your research and check for facts before writing your articles. Never plagiarize. Take the right amount of time you need to complete the best work you possibly can make. A job half done is a job done badly. Use your own voice and unique style and not somebody else’s when writing articles. Consistently try to elaborate and expand on the subject matter, remaining factual on the details, and most importantly always expressing everything in your own words. This is your time and your moment to really produce genuinely good work and a testament to your true writing skills.


How Writers Work: Finding a Process That Works for You
Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School
Working Writer Happy Writer: How To Build A Thriving Writing Business From Nothing
J. K. Rowling (Biography (a & E))
Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 7th Edition
Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles


T.S.Garp © Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved.

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