I’ve held a savings account with ING Direct since March 13, 2004. They are seriously the BEST bank when it comes to saving money. The interest rate for their savings account is consistently 3% higher than any local bank. They’re able to do this because they don’t have all the overhead local banks will have. As of Fall 2006 the rate is 4.40%. Plus, since the time I’ve opened my account, they’ve raised the rate every 1-3 months! They truly appreciate me!
They also have this nifty thing called ASP (Automatic Savings Plan). Basically, I schedule withdrawals from my local checking account each week/month/etc so I stay disciplined in my savings. Let me testify that it has worked!!! It’s been incredible to see how effective this ASP has kept me on track to meet my financial goals.
Finally, as a customer I can refer my friends so they will receive a $25 bonus deposit in their new Orange Savings Account! That’s right, ING Direct will give you $25 as their way of saying thanks. Here’s how it works:
1. Leave me a comment in this blog with these two pieces of information:
A) First and Last Name
B) E-Mail Address (this will remain private and will not be published)
2. I submit these two things on ING’s refer-a-friend page (http://www.ingdirect.com/)
3. ING will send you a welcome email with a with a special link that identifies you as a referral so you will get the $25 bonus. Note: This welcome email typically gets caught in the Junk Mail folder, so please make note to check for it there.
If you’re skeptical, I can totally relate with those feelings. My first deposit was a “test” deposit of about $500. I was so worried that this was some kind of fly-by-night operation just waiting to steal my money. I logged onto my account every day for the first 30 days and my money was ALWAYS there… safe and sound (and earning some nice interest!!!). They are FDIC so feel free to check them out.
Enjoy!
[tags]ING, ING Direct, Money, Bank Account, Savings Account, Free Money, refer-a-friend, FDIC[/tags]
