ING Direct Checking and Savings Review

I have been using ING Direct for about a year now, and it is a great online banking solution. Did you know most large banks like Chase, and Bank of America, give you 0% interest on your checking account?

Granted, if you want easy access to ATM deposits, I recommend you keep a Brick and Mortar bank like BOA, Chase, etc, while keeping your liquid savings in an ING account. Remember, you can transfer for free as many times as you want between your regular bank, and ING. Transfers take 3-5 business days.

ING Savings Account:

• Free to open
  
• 3.4% APY on Savings Account
• NO minimum balance
• Free electronic deposits from your current checking or savings account
• Interest deposited monthly
  

ING Checking Account:

• Free to open
• 2.25% APY on Check Account (compare to 0% yield on most checking accounts)
• NO minimum balance (not even to get interest!)
• Free instant e-check writing (very useful)
  
• Free check mailing
• Fill out an online form, and they will send the recipient a check from you in the mail for free, postage included!
• Free ATM access at over 32,000 locations nationwide.
• Monthly interest deposit
• Free and very easy to use bill pay service
  

Bottom Line:

• Don't keep any sizable amount of money in a checking account that gives you no interest.
  
• I've been using ING for about a year now, I have not a single complaint about them.
• Site is very easy to use, and there are NEVER hidden fees
• Even if other online savings accounts are offering a slightly higher interest rate, I would be very surprised if their service could match that of ING Direct.
  

If you found this review helpful, please visit ING Direct via this link so I can get a referral credit. I greatly appreciate it. Please leave a comment if you have any questions about ING and I will be happy to update the post with more information from my experience with them.

Update 1-31-08: I updated the interest rates in the article to reflect the Fed rate cuts. Damn Fed.. always trying to save our economy.

Best College Laptop

There are dozens of different laptop manufacturers, and thousands of different laptop models out there. When deciding what laptop to buy, you need to first decide the order of the "Three P's:"

• Price
  
• Power
• Portability

I used to recommend Dell as a great college laptop, but after having one myself, I can no longer vouch for their durability. I now recommend IBM's ThinkPad line of laptops. They are durable, energy efficient, and IBM is known for their great support.

Use this link to get free shipping with your order from IBM. Post your configuration in the comments section.

Ipod Nano Sports Sleeve - $11

I bought this sleeve as a cheaper alternative to Apple's official sleeve. It looks a lot better, and is very comfortable. You can't beat it for $11.