You have a friend in the banking business

I found a bank with better rates: Ally Bank.

From Reuters:

Nineteen large banks underwent government “stress tests,” and of the 10 told to raise capital, GMAC had by far the biggest shortfall relative to its size.

Many analysts believe GMAC will need another bailout. Gupta declined to discuss specifics about efforts to raise capital. (Source: GMAC renames bank unit Ally Bank, drops own name, reuters.com)

From WSJ:

What happens if Ally falls short? “A brilliant marketing strategy with a great name like this will blow up in their face. People will be like ‘Is this what they claim of being an ally?’” Barrera said. (Source: Bye Bye, GMAC: Will ‘Ally Bank’ Work or Not? WSJ.com)

From Ally Bank’s FAQ:

Maximize your FDIC insurance

Deposits at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured institutions are now insured up to at least $250,000 per depositor through December 31, 2013.
Get more out of FDIC insurance with a few tips from us

Know the facts. You could be covered for more than $250,000. Here’s a simple example of how one couple could be insured up to $1,500,000:
Ally Bank Account 1: John Doe, $250,000
Ally Bank Account 2: Mary Doe, $250,000
Ally Bank Account 3: Joint Account, John and Mary Doe, $500,000
Ally Bank Account 4: John Doe, In Trust For (ITF) Mary Doe, $250,000
Ally Bank Account 5: Mary Doe, In Trust For (ITF) John Doe, $250,000
Total: $1,500,000
Have a family of 3? See how you could have coverage up to $1.75 million.

Family of 4? See how you could be covered up to $2.55 million.

(Source: FDIC insurance, ally.com)

I feel like GMAC is leaning heavily on FDIC.  In fact, I feel like the entire American banking institution is leaning on FDIC.  So, am I banking with Ally, GMAC, or the Incorporated States of America?

External Links

• Follow this story on Google News.
• Failed Banks List,  fdic.gov
• Apologies to the shane company for the post title
• See three meanings of term “United States” according to US CODE: Title 28,3002. Definitions

Suggestions for Internet Safety

The Internets are wonderful tools to learn, create, and connect with those we love.  However, we must use extreme caution when using the Internets, just as we use extreme caution in where we go at certain times of the day.  Some websites are informational; others are a waste of time; some website are even dangerous.  Here are some of the things I do to avoid pornography online.  I hope they will be helpful to you.

I always use two Firefox extensions to add a few layers of protective armor to my browser, at home, work, and school:

Adblock Plus

Adblock Plus, or ABP, removes the vast majority of advertisements online, many of which use inappropriate images. If any slip through, you can simply right-click the image and block all ads in that space using regular expression rules.

If you use Adblock Plus, will you also want to use Adblock Filterset.G Updater.  This extension automatically updates the latest version of the filter list of your choice (I use EasyList).

WOT, Web of Trust

While ABP will protect you from some of the border-line inappropriate images while loading a site, WOT, or Web of Trust, will help you to avoid entire websites that might be untrustworthy or down-right dangerous.

WOT works because thousands of individual users rate websites in four areas:

1. Trustworthyness
2. Vender Reliability
3. Privacy
4. Child Safety

WOT adds a friendly colored circle next to each hyperlink.  If the cicle is green, then other users have rated the site as safe and trustworthy; if the circle is yellow, proceed with caution.  Red circles indicate dangerous websites.

I strongly recommend these add-ons for anyone who uses the Internet.  Cheers!

Family Business

Some of you were aware that we were applying for a job as live-in managers of a storage unit rental facility in Payson.  Well, we got the job!

They were looking for someone with computer skills, people skills, and who wouldn’t mind being home all day Tuesday-Saturday, to answer the door and the phone.  Also, they wanted a spouse who would be willing and able to fix stuff and do basic maintenance around the property.  We got the job based on a resume, a phone interview, and an in-person behavioral interview.

As compensation, we will be living in a very nice, 3-bedroom manufactured home, plus benefits.  We are very excited about the job and our upcoming move.

Cheers,
jFc + eac