by 24oranges.nl

Article by J P Smith

The case for putting money in a high yield savings account is primarily based on the liquidity of the account. Online savings accounts offer rates that are fluid relative to the prevailing market interest rates and are liquid enough to allow quick movements of funds without penalty.

Why Is A High Interest Savings Account a Good Idea?Opening a high yield savings account is a good idea to store excess cash over and above an emergency cash balance held in a local savings bank. Typically a household should try to maintain cash in reserve of about six months worth of expenses. Not all households manage to do so but those who do should read on.

Think About Getting Higher Yields from Excess Emergency Cash Having emergency cash tucked away in a savings account at your local bank is a good idea but a better idea is to take the bulk of the money held in reserve and stick it in a high yield saving account online instead. Emergencies don’t happen every day, so it does not make sense to have your excess funds stashed in what amounts to a no or low interest bearing on-demand account. Smart money movers take those additional funds and deposit them in a no-fee online account at one of the high yield saving account banks. It only makes sense to do so.

Many Online Banks Used to Have Only Select Clientele Some folks might be leary of using an online bank but many of the institutions online are either really ancient brands (Emigrant, Citibank) or names you easily recognize from heavy advertising campaigns (ING, Ally/GMAC). Besides these online savings banks are governed by the same Federal Reserve rules and restrictions as your local S&L. The only thing to be absolutely certain about before taking the plunge is whether the online bank is a member of the FDIC – which protects deposits up to 0K (although presently insurance is up to 0K since the banking crisis began – this is scheduled to end 12/31/09).

The risks associated with opening a high yield saving account online however can mostly be eliminated by a little thinking and a little research. Selecting a bank specifically dedicated to managing saving accounts reduces the likelihood of a bank’s parent company causing problems later on due to bad decision making outside the banking unit.

About the Author

It doesn’t take a whole lot to open an online savings account either in terms of money (in many cases) or in terms of financial savvy. A high interest savings account online offers flexibility in low yield environments.