Starting today, PerkStreet is offering a $25 bonus for all new customers when they sign up for a new PerkStreet account. All you have to do is sign up by December 25th and make 3 purchases with your new debit card within 30 days of opening your account.

On top of this bonus cash back, you’ll earn 2% cash back on ALL non-PIN purchases for your first 3 months. After 3 months, you’ll earn 1-2% cash back depending on your account balance. Either way, no other debit card offers more cash back than PerkStreet.  On top of the two percent they sometimes have offers such as their 5% Holiday Perk you had to sign up for.

Sign up TODAY using THIS LINK to earn your $25 bonus, plus start earning 2% cash back on your holiday shopping and save up your perks for a FREE holiday next year.

Hear it straight from our customers’ mouths:

“It’s a great way to “budget” for Christmas gifts and not be surprised come December when it’s time to shop for gifts. It will be so fun to cash out our perks and go shopping – guilt-free!” – Jennifer, Nebraska

“It’s been an amazing way to lower the cost of Christmas presents for me and it’s been a lot of fun because I was able to buy several presents early with the money. I now am entering December nearly worry-free about Christmas.” Melanie, Knoxville, TN

*Check out the $25 banner ads that will be uploaded to supplement your editorial piece*

Offer Details:
To receive your $25 cash back bonus:

1. Apply for your account online by 11:59PM EST, December 25, 2011 and fund the account with $25 or more.
2. Use your card to make 3 purchases within 30 days of opening your account.

They will credit $25 to your Perks Account within 10 business days of your third purchase. This great offer expires at 11:59 PM EST, December 25th, 2011. PerkStreet may modify or cancel this offer at any time.

See how these rates at Perkstreet bank compare to USAA Free Checking, ING Direct Electric Orange, Ally Interest Checking, and Bank of America Enhanced Checking.  You can see if you keep your balance at $5,000 at each you can earn $600 or more at PerkStreet with $2,500 monthly debit card purchases.

Notice they use the words No Drama after the no Checking Fees.  Nice wording when your speaking to an audience that wants to be entertained such as Tivo.  We want drama but not with our Checking accounts like we get with the old-fashioned banks.

Electric Orange works like a Checking account but earns like a Savings with No Fees.  Keep in mind you have to get the money to your ING Direct account it does not just appear and you will not be able to drive-thru and speak with a teller.  But who can turn down Fifty bucks!

See more at INGDirect.com/nofees or just click on your home screen on the Tivo controller and you may see the advertisement at the bottom.

Most of us do not have the problem (or luxury) of carrying over $100,000 in an account at once but if you are saving for retirement you may find that you could have some over that FDIC insured amount.  My words for you are that you should move that money that is over $100,000 into another bank that is not owned under the same companies umbrella.

I doubt that WaMu goes completely under but we never know.  I had an account with Netbank in 2007 that got taken over by the FDIC and all assets moved over to ING Direct.  I could have lost money out of that deal.

Recently, Indy Mac bank which is a huge bank in California went under without any warning and it was not even on the list of banks on the government’s watch list.  People stood in lines to get their money back who were worried about their deposits.  Reps from the FDIC claim that there has never been anyone who lost money in a FDIC regulated bank according to SFGate.com.  I would not trust that judgement when it comes to my retirement money.

Indy Mac is currently being ran by the FDIC until the assets are sold to another bank.  I went to IndyMacBank.com today and noticed they are offering money market accounts with a 50,000 minimum for 3.70% APY.  Sorry, but I am not a crazy person to put money into a bank that has been shut down even if the government is running the bank.

Is your bank account safe?  Well, if you keep under 100k in your account you should be fine and under 250k on IRA accounts.

Are you banking at a risky bank?  There are too many to name right now.  Even the banks under the Citibank umbrella do not look too healthy, WaMu, Wachovia, all have a lot of mortgage risk.  They will all most likely survive.  It will most likely be the banks that are smaller that will be taken over but not fail completely.

I am beginning to wonder if the U.S. Dollar will be in existance in a few years.  All of this talk about the Amero currency.  Who knows what will happen next.

The high interest savings account works by taking money out of your WaMu checking account and depositing that money in your savings each month. The transfers would be $25 to $500 each month which are low enough that you may not even notice helping save for college or your future.

You cannot put more than $500 in the account more than once a month so those of you with large amounts of money sitting around you should consider their CD at 3.25% APY. This 5% account is mainly intended to help families or people save money who are not good at saving money and helping them do that at a higher interest rate.

To get into this great deal go into your local WaMu in Georgia, Illinois, Texas, or Washington and ask them to open a Savings for Success account. If you do not live in any of these areas I would recommend that you check out the other WaMu offers online where you can normally get the best deals on higher yields.