For most people, the habit of saving money is a bit difficult.  First of all, it isn’t very exciting.  If you have a choice of saving a few hundred bucks this month, or spending it on that new designer purse, which one is more satisfying??  Of course, the designer purse!

Building a substantial cushion of liquid savings is essential, though, not only for peace of mind, but also in order to build true wealth over the long-term.  In this article, we are going to discuss the 3 basic types of savings accounts.  Personal finance experts generally recommend that the average person should have at least 3 months of living expenses in an account that is highly liquid.

Traditional Bank Account
Most local banks will allow you to open a free savings account with a very low initial account deposit.  That amount can be as low as $20 at many institutions.  Unlike the forex market, this is typically the best way to get started saving money.  This type of savings account typically offers the lowest interest rates, but it is also considered the most liquid.  Funds that you hold in a traditional account can be withdrawn at any time without penalty, and with an ATM card, funds can be withdrawn around the clock.

Money Market Account
Your local bank most likely offers money market accounts as well.  These are accounts that invest 100% of its capital in U.S. treasuries and other forms of U.S. government debt.  This is seen as a very safe, conservative investment with no chance of loss, since the government can always print more money to repay its lenders.

These accounts typically offer a more aggressive interest rate return than a standard savings account, but they also are not as liquid.  Typically, it will take several business days to withdraw funds.

Certificate of Deposit
This is a favorite among conservative investors because it offers the most aggressive interest rate.  CD’s are a very popular way to invest cash savings.  The increased interest rate is the major advantage that this type of savings vehicle holds over the previously mentioned ones.  However, the primary drawback is that CD’s will require you to keep your funds invested for until the CD reaches maturity, which can be anywhere from a few months to a few years.  Typically, the longer your cash is tied up, the better interest rate you will earn.

If you want to withdraw your cash before the maturity date, you can do that, but not without paying a penalty.  This makes a CD the highest yielding investment vehicle of the three discussed here, but also the least liquid.

Understanding the interest rate payoff and degree of liquidity in each of these investment vehicles will help you determine which is right for you in your current financial situation.

Seven Resolutions to Begin in 2010

1. Control spending: If you spend less you'll have more money available to pay down debt and save for the future. Write down your expenses for a month to see where your money is going. You might be surprised by how easy it is to find places to scale back.
2. Create a debt repayment plan: If you carry credit card debt, write down everything you owe and make a plan to pay it off. Start with small items you can act on right away–it will make tackling the bigger debt easier. Also, try buying with cash only. It’s a sure-fire way to prevent increases in your credit card debt.
3. Set up auto-savings plans: Arrange with your bank or another financial institution to have a set amount deducted from your checking account to a savings account each pay period. Of the Americans who have been able to contribute to emergency savings funds, automatic withdrawal is the most popular method, according to the Consumer Federation of America.
4. Boost retirement savings: If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, increase your contributions. If you don't have an employer plan, open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and arrange for contributions to be made automatically from your checking or savings account.
5. Create a long-term plan: Write a list of your long-term goals, such as buying a home or saving for college or retirement. Visit the Life Events section of Smart About Money for concrete tips on accomplishing those goals.
6. Protect Yourself: Be prepared for the unexpected by making sure you, your family, your assets and investments are insured and fully covered. If you do not have a will, make 2010 the year you establish a life plan.
7. Find a financial buddy: Share your financial resolutions with a friend, colleague, or family member, and you’ll be more likely to keep them. Find someone else who wants to turn around their debt or cut their spending, and establish a mutual support system.

Tackling the Little Things

Getting debt under control and improving savings habits are two big steps to a better financial life, but those actions only are possible if Americans have more specific aspects of their financial lives under control.

While the economy recovers, job stability remains a vast and very valid concern. Without income, saving stops and debt can spiral. Even if they still have a job, Americans need to assess their marketability and increase their professional value by networking and upgrading job skills.

If someone experiences a job loss, it’s important to be proactive. They should negotiate severance pay, file for unemployment benefits and look into alternative insurance plans, because living unprotected will risk their family’s security. Individuals who have lost their jobs also should immediately start looking for work. Most states allow people to work a certain number of hours, and earn up to half their previous income, and still retain unemployment benefits.

Those who are struggling financially also might find it difficult to pay their mortgage. If individuals have missed a payment, they should immediately search through financial records or identify spending habits to find out what caused the missed payment. They also should contact their lender, who is required to examine their client’s financial life before taking any drastic action against the client’s home.

Even without a job loss or mortgage trouble, it’s time for Americans to involve their entire family in assessing the household budget. Tracking spending for a month will reveal some easy places to cut back without causing any significant lifestyle changes. Turning off lights and appliances, cutting down on weekend trips and dinners out and eliminating habits such as smoking all will help reduce household spending. And, it will give the family a head start on saving in case of emergencies.

For Americans to recover, maintain or rebuild their financial lives after this recession, they need to make permanent changes so they’re prepared for any future trouble in the economy. Identifying areas in which they are struggling, scrutinizing bills and spending habits and prioritizing aspects of their financial lives will help individuals create a proactive financial plan to last the whole year, and beyond.

Next Up: Seven Resolutions

Changing the Way We Save

Although pre-recession Americans spent or consumed much of what they earned, the recession did provide a teachable moment.

In the 1980’s, Americans averaged saving 10 percent to 11 percent of their disposable income. By 2007 the Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that figure dropped to a low of 1.7 percent. Only in 2009, in the midst of a recession that had Americans worrying about their jobs and futures, did the savings rate increase, but only to 5 percent.

It’s a start, but that rate is still less than half of what it was a quarter century ago. And it’s leaving a majority of Americans unprepared for retirement and emergencies.

“Americans are significantly ‘under saved’ as they near their retirement years,” Neiser says. “They’ll need at least 50 percent to70 percent of their pre-retirement income to live comfortably in retirement, and most aren’t even close to having the financial cushion to do that.”

In 2009, only 13 percent of workers questioned in the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s (EBRI) annual Retirement Confidence Survey said they felt very confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement. That’s the lowest percentage since EBRI first asked the question in 1993 and a 50 percent decline in confidence since 2007.

The recession also taught us the need for having an emergency savings for our financial and psychological well-being. Having a cash nest egg can help consumers better weather the recession, and in the future, it will enable them to avoid accruing debt when unexpected expenses occur. According to the Consumer Federation of America, those with an emergency savings of more than $500 are less likely to worry, lose sleep, suffer poor health and decrease productivity at work than those who have saved less.

“It is the perfect time for individuals to take a hard look at their finances, spending a little less and saving more,” says Beck.

Up Next: Tackling the Little Things

Control spending: If you spend less you'll have more money available to pay down debt and save for the future. Write down your expenses for a month to see where your money is going. You might be surprised by how easy it is to find places to scale back.

Create a debt repayment plan: If you carry credit card debt, write down everything you owe and make a plan to pay it off. Start with small items you can act on right away–it will make tackling the bigger debt easier. Also, try buying with cash only. It’s a sure-fire way to prevent increases in your credit card debt.

Set up auto-savings plans: Arrange with your bank or another financial institution to have a set amount deducted from your checking account to a savings account each pay period. Of the Americans who have been able to contribute to emergency savings funds, automatic withdrawal is the most popular method, according to the Consumer Federation of America.

Boost retirement savings: If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, increase your contributions. If you don't have an employer plan, open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and arrange for contributions to be made automatically from your checking or savings account.

Create a long-term plan: Write a list of your long-term goals, such as buying a home or saving for college or retirement. Visit the Life Events section of Smart About Money for concrete tips on accomplishing those goals.

Protect Yourself: Be prepared for the unexpected by making sure you, your family, your assets and investments are insured and fully covered. If you do not have a will, make 2010 the year you establish a life plan.

Find a financial buddy: Share your financial resolutions with a friend, colleague, or family member, and you’ll be more likely to keep them. Find someone else who wants to turn around their debt or cut their spending, and establish a mutual support system.

NEFE operates the site Smart About Money and have developed a series of articles filled with tips to help you make 2010 the year of financial freedom.  You can also find Economic Survival Tips, worksheets and articles focused on financial education related to housing, spending, credit and job change. Follow NEFE on Twitter at @nefe_org.

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Check it out. There's still time to order before Christmas (I can say that, right)!

I saw on today's newspaper the big headline, "Mortgage Rates at All-Time Lows." Sheesh. Haven't we seen this TV show before?

Must we go down the same stupid road that got us here? I know, the credit standards are supposedly much higher now than they were in 2006-2007, where anybody with a pulse (and some even without) could get a loan for a piece of property. But I have heard random radio spots that hint that things really haven't changed much. Stuff like "no money down," "seller financing," and "no doc" loans…

I'm afraid we haven't learned a thing from our very recent past. I can't say I'm surprised.

The fundamentals of the market psychology hasn't changed: It still seeks short-term profits over long-term prosperity. Slow and steady hasn't kept the market happy for decades. It likes the hare, not the tortoise.

I also saw that gold hit $1200.

So how does one protect himself during these times? I'd suggest that you stick with the same old, same old:

• Stocks – still the best bet for long-term prosperity
• Cash – in case all hell breaks out
• Bonds – if interest rates ever go up again, they might become a little more enticing
• Gold – in case it gets worse than all hell breaking out
• Real Estate – your real inflation hedge

Depending on where you are in your life, you would do best to keep the bullk of your investable assets in stocks, some in cash, a little in bonds, very little in gold, and a bit in real estate. Note that I am not including your home in this assessment. If I did, most of us would have more than 50 percent of our assets in real estate (which might be a big part of the problem, right).

I still think the US is the place to be for innovation: IT, bio tech, medicine. But I think you may want to invest a considerable portion in foreign markets. China will not stop growing for some time. India is still going to improve. Latin America still has lots left, as does Canada, Russia, and Europe.

The world, as they say, is your oyster. Choose wisely, or else you may get one that's toxic.

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