Chase and WaMu are in the process of joining, and WaMu is considered part of Chase – however, the two still maintain separate bank branches and that will work to your advantage for today’s President’s Day promotion.  If you are a Chase customer, you can take advantage of the WaMu offer; and if you are a WaMu customer, you can take advantage of the Chase offer.  Oh- and if you’re neither a Chase or WaMu customer yet, you can choose which one you’d rather use .

Visit your local Chase and WaMu  branch today, President’s Day, and take advantage of their $100 promotion for new customers opening a checking account with direct deposit. You’ll need to open the account with $100. You don’t need a coupon or a code, but it is only a one day special promotion.

$200 Bonus for Chase Business Checking Account

Then, Chase is offering new business checking accounts that are opened with a minimum deposit of $500 a $200 bonus.  Here’s the link to the promotional page to take advantage of this offer.  You have a little more time with this one, and if you open your account between now and 3/28/2009 you’ll qualify for the $200 bonus. You will need to print the coupon from Chase’s promotional page for this offer.  Call Chase before you open the account to see what requirements they need for opening a business checking account; some require just a Tax ID number and/or business certificate, but others require additional information to take advantage of a business checking account offer.

Don’t already have your Tax ID number for your business?  Well, you can apply for a Tax ID through the IRS right online.  As soon as you are approved, you’ll have your number and can use it to open a business checking account and qualify for the $200 bonus.

The following business checking accounts are included in this promotional offer:

• Chase BusinessClassic Checking
• Chase Advanced Business Checking
• BusinessPlus Checking

All of the business checking accounts charge monthly fees, although on BusinessClassic and Advanced Business accounts, if you maintain a minimum balance you can waive the monthly fee.

Where to Find Chase Bank Branches

Chase has branches in many states, although none in California.   States with Chase branches include:

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida (Southwest)
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Texas
• Utah
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Chase is FDIC insured under JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

The question of whether or not cutting coupons can save you money at the grocery store is not debatable. The fact is if you cut and use coupons wisely you will save money at the checkout line. What is debatable is whether or not cutting coupons is right for everyone; some individuals simply do not find the savings worthy of this slightly time consuming task. For those of you who find the savings are worth your time the following tips to organize the process can make a big difference in how much money you can shave off your grocery bill each trip.

• Start Clipping- It would seem obvious but many people who “try” to use coupons don’t get the most benefit simply because they forget to clip the coupons they save. If you find yourself saving grocery fliers or pages of unclipped coupons you have probably already discovered that if you wait too long to actually clip the coupons many go to waste as the stack of unclipped coupons grows into a stack of expired coupons. Designate a few hours each week where you can sit and clip all your coupons before their value is lost.

• Get Organized- It is important to be organized while clipping coupons so that the stacks of unclipped coupons does not turn into piles of clipped coupons. You should organize and store all of your needed tools in one easy-to-access location. The only tools required are a scissors and some form of storage container for clipped coupons. Some consumers purchase a coupon organizer while others use labeled envelopes to help stay organized.

• Organization Method- You don’t want to get to the grocery store with your coupons only to discover you can’t find the one coupon you were sure you had. Take a few moments when you are at home to organize your coupons to streamline the process of finding them once you are at the store. You may choose to organize the coupons in groups such as paper products, personal care items, frozen foods and pet supplies. Perhaps you prefer organizing your coupons in alphabetical order by product or manufacturer name. Choose whichever method works best for you.

• Buy only what you need- Coupons will not save you money if you end up making purchases that you would otherwise not consider. Some coupons require you buy a certain number of products in order to save money. If you wouldn’t normally purchase that number of items or find you really do not need an item, do not make the purchase because you have a coupon for the item.

In an economy where everyone is trying to save a few bucks, cutting coupons is an easy way to reduce your grocery bill. By following the steps above you should be able to streamline the process so that it only takes a few more moments of your time to see some real savings.

The house passed the $787 billion stimulus package without the support of the Republican party. The stimulus package includes a $400 tax credit for working individuals in 2009 and 2010. For the rest of 2009, workers will pay less out of their paychecks in taxes, and see an extra $13 per week in their checks. In 2010, with a full 12 months to spread out the tax credit, it’s estimated that each check will contain an extra $7.70 per week.

The extra $13 doesn’t seem like anything much to write home about, but it’s all how you use it. You’ll have an extra $52 each month for the rest of the year – and that’s enough to make a difference!

 Pay Off High Interest Debt Faster

 With an extra $52 a month, you can make great gains paying off your high interest debt. The sooner you pay it back the less you’ll pay. When your debts are paid off, you’ll have that much more money each month for saving, investing, and discretionary spending.

Establish an Emergency Fund

Financial experts everywhere talk about the benefits of having an emergency fund. It’s often recommended that you have three to six months of living expenses saved, but for the great majority of people living paycheck to paycheck, it would take three to six years to save that much money! Use the $52 a month from the stimulus package and finally start your emergency fund.

Save for a Little Entertainment

If you’ve been struggling in the tight economy and cutting back all unnecessary expenses, you might consider the extra $52 a month your ticket to some entertainment! It’s money you weren’t counting on, so why not treat yourself to a nice dinner for two every other month, or go out to the movies, or whatever else you’ve been denying yourself.

Start Investing

If you’re not ready to put money into the market, you could invest with FDIC insured deposit accounts. There are a variety of options with fixed interest rates that guarantee you won’t lose your investment.

While campaign, a lot of politicians and political action committees stumped about providing affordable health insurance for the average consumer. Actual solutions on the other hand, seem to be very far removed from what was being discussed. Unemployment claims are on the rise, and the so is the number of uninsured Americans. Having large, un-taken-care-of medical bills is a leading factor in bankruptcies in the United States today. So what are the options if you’re fired from your job, are newly uninsured and have nothing to do but apply for a new job and checkout the NASCAR schedule?

Risk factors extend beyond financial woes.

When people cannot afford to pay for medical procedures their pocketbook may become the least of their concerns.

• Uninsured individuals are more likely to die prematurely than their insured peers.
• Uninsured are more prone to succumb to major diseases that may have been detected through routine preventative care- care that is often put off due to financial restraints.
• The odds of uninsured infants dying are 1.5 times more likely than infants that have private insurance.
• Lack of routine health care can lead to emotional issues such as depression and anxiety which can lead to physical ailments, beginning a cycle of symptoms that often go untreated.

Options for the recently uninsured.

If you have recently found yourself without health insurance coverage consider the following options to learn if you qualify for assistance.

• Medicaid- Each state has different guidelines for this government funded program which provides medical coverage for qualifying individuals. To qualify you must meet certain income requirements.  The Medicaid program is geared toward assisting people with low income and limited assets.
• Child Health Insurance- Low cost or free health insurance for children is available in most states for qualifying families. For more information you should contact your local or state government officials to find out if you fall within the income guidelines to qualify.
• Short-term coverage- If you recently lost coverage due to a job loss, check with an experienced health insurance broker to see if you qualify for short-term coverage until you find another job. Due to the limited amount of time the insurer is exposed to claims, some insurers will provide individual policies to cover the gap in employment for less money than standard individual coverage.
• COBRA- This is a relatively well known yet sometimes expensive alternative to extend your health insurance policy from your previous employer. You may be entitled to continue your coverage for up to 18 months, however you will be responsible for the cost of the entire premium. Just remember to write on your 2010 calendar when your plan will expire.
• Community health centers- Many local community centers provide routine and diagnostic care for little or no cost. Women may qualify for low cost mammograms, pap smears and birth control options at local clinics.

If you find yourself without health insurance it is important to research options available to find affordable coverage or take advantage of programs designed to help individuals in need. You should also ask anyone you know in a similar situation what they did? Although file sharing might be frowned upon by the RIAA, it’s definitely a good idea to share affordable health care ideas! Do not wait until an emergency happens to explore the options available; by then it might be too late.

The internet makes it possible and easy to comparison shop for loans.  Whether you’re looking for a car loan, student loan, mortgage or debt consolidation loan – there are a number of websites that exist to help you compare rates and loan terms.  Whenever you need to borrow money, it’s a good idea to weigh your options but you need to be careful that you aren’t damaging your credit score in the process.

Most loan comparison websites give you a list of possible rates for the various types of loans.    These rates actually mean nothing to you, because the loan rates an individual receives is based on their credit score and credit history.  Just because there are car loans available with 0% interest for the life of the loan doesn’t mean you will necessarily qualify for that rate.  In order to get offers from lenders that are specific to what you qualify for, you have to enter your social security number.

Lenders use the social security number to do a hard pull of your credit report.  Each time the information is obtained by a potential lender, your credit score will be effected as you are seen by lenders as someone who is desperate for cash and high risk. When you have multiple inquiries in a short amount of time, you’ll start receiving loan offers with less and less desirable interest rates due to the lowered score and increased number of inquiries.

It’s always better to “shop around” before making a big ticket purchase, but in the case of shopping for loans you are better off not entering your social security number on multiple sites.  The only way to find out what rates you would qualify for when loan shopping online is to enter your social security number and chance lowering your credit score if you decide the first offer isn’t good enough and go on to check several other sites.

The exception to this rule is when comparison shopping for automobile loans and mortgages.    The company that calculates credit scores claims that all automobile and mortgage inquiries made in the previous 30 days are ignored when the score is calculated.  Prior to the 30 days,  multiple inquiries for a car loan or for a mortgage are treated as a single inquiry when made within a 14 day period.

In order to get the best rates, use the internet to narrow down your top lender choices.  Find out what you can regarding their requirements for qualifying for the loan or how they calculate the interest rates on their loans before you enter your social security number or fill out an application.  Sometimes you can use the internet to narrow down your top choices of lenders, then call each of them to get more information.  If you know your FICO credit score and have a general idea of your credit history, they should be able to give you an estimated interest rate which you can use to compare your choice lenders before making the official application for the loan.