Reward Checking

Reward checking pays high yields

This article at Bankrate.com describes the phenomenon of community banks offering high interest rates to customers who are willing to jump through a few hoops, such as receiving online statements. We have a local bank, Noble Bank, that is offering a 6.01% APR Noble Horizons Checking account to customers who accept online statements, schedule a direct deposit, and make 12 debit card transactions per month. The customer gets a CD-like return on his savings, and the bank cuts costs.

Where do you stand in the wealth spectrum?

Where do you stand in the wealth spectrum? If your annual household income is over $40,000, you're in the top half of Americans. Of course, if you spend more than you make, you probably don't feel like you're doing so well. Net worth tells a better story of how well you're doing at saving money. If your net worth (what you have minus what you owe) is over $86,000, you're in the top half of Americans.

If that's the case, you definitely have something to be thankful about. But if that's not the case, realize that living in the United States probably puts you in the top incomes worldwide. If you make $40,000 a year, you're in the top 3% of incomes worldwide. That means there are about 5.8 billion people in the world who earn less money than you. You can see exactly where you stand here at the Global Rich List.