FINANCIAL HOUSEKEEPING | Find the best CD rates in your area
You may need to lock up your money for a short time, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for lousy interest rates. If you are looking for the top interest rates on certificates of deposit from banks and thrifts in your area, do some comparison shopping.
BankingMyWay.com and Bankrate.com conduct surveys of lenders across the country to help you determine the top rates available in your area.
The BankingMyWay site is fast and easy, using a ZIP code search to help pinpoint offers close by; the Bankrate site tends to be a bit more regional but is also more comprehensive, coming up with more offers in and around your area.
The CD-rates searching functions are free at both sites, and the information is updated regularly.
SHORT COURSE | Price-to-book ratio
This is an indicator that investment managers use to determine whether a stock is cheap or expensive.
Price-to-book compares a stock’s market value – current share price or total market capitalization – with its “book value,” which is the amount shareholders theoretically would receive if the company were liquidated. The ratio can be calculated on a total company or per-share basis.
A high price-to-book ratio means the company is highly valued, meaning that investors expect the company’s future growth and earnings to justify its high price. A money manager who buys “growth stocks,” therefore, typically buys stocks with a high price-to-book ratio. “Value stocks,” or issues that are undervalued, tend to have a low price-to-book ratio.
