CD Discussion Thread

Good point. I’ve had Ooma for over a decade. Paid $200 for the hub before they started charging the minimum taxes and fees, and not a penny since :slight_smile:

Because some services explicitly exclude VOIP numbers like GV for texting purposes.

1 Like

You may want to confirm that your landline service is POTS. Some RBOCs switched their customers to voip service with little to no choice or notice. Since you live in the boonies, maybe they can’t get reliable voip to your location, but check on it.

If they have switched you, consider OOMA.

I will be shocked if they switched @shinobi and he was unaware!!!

Dont you need on-sight equipment for VOIP service?

Typically it’s part of the modem/router, if it’s through the ISP.

1 Like

The notice is probably lost in his stack of CD certs. :slight_smile:

There was a big stink about this in uh, NY or CT, a few years back. IIRC, Verizon, or TWC, was tired of paying to deal with copper so they sent out some kind of marketing gobbledygook telling people they were being switched over. Stupidly, and sadly, they failed to take into consideration that some people didn’t have internet service, or couldn’t get internet service. Supposedly someone died because they didn’t have phone service, but that sounds like a lawyer’s non-dry dream.

Eventually, the state regulators slapped them on the wrist, and probably got a vacation to the Bahamas. The regulators did let them dump the copper though.

2 Likes

We are in the closing days of September. Ken released his CU ratings weeks ago, and Bauer one week later. Weiss Research STILL has not come through with CU ratings based on the now almost quarter old Q2 financial data. This is not a good thing at all.

In the absence of the Weiss ratings and soldiering on, I will list several credit unions I view as belonging on your watch list. This is only my opinion so you may feel free to ignore the remainder of this post. Here they are:

  1. Sharonview
  2. Garden Savings
  3. Andrews
  4. Department of the Interior
  5. GTE
  6. Sun East

Keep your eye on CD money you might have on deposit at any of those institutions. Even at the end of Q1 they were not looking all that great.

1 Like

For what purpose? If a credit union fails, they’ll notify accountholders. Unless that happens, you’re just working yourself up over something you have zero control over. Just collect your interest payments and be happy, they’ll tell you if anything changes.

There are several:

As a financial “DEW line” to avoid surprises which could result in need to reposition funds or, alternatively, could presage a lower interest rate for those same funds.

As part of planning strategy when it comes to using most efficiently your add-on accounts in future . . . if any.

Along similar lines, as part of your decision matrix (one of several factors) used to determine most prudent placement of funds in add-on accounts right now.

Finally, in an effort to keep your finger on the “pulse” of your CD investments generally. Course those who are unconcerned about surprises have no need for this. As for myself, I’m not at all keen on, and I do not welcome, financial surprises. Minimizing them has helped me to remain retired for more than thirty-five years. But certainly to each his own. My list is offered gratis. Nobody is under obligation to pay it any heed whatsoever.

How about taking the rating discussion to a new thread then?

1 Like

Thanks @shinobi I have money in a rewards checking at 3% at Garden that I need to keep an eye on.

Love all of these CU. The only one missing from my list is Garden Savings. Andrews & GTE have matured & long gone. So I’m just going to hang tight & hope the remaining 3 stay good.

Don’t you wish we had those rates again? Lucky now to receive a pittance but we do have the HIMMA Checking that helps out as those mentioned start to mature in 2021.

1 Like

Not sure if it has already been mentioned, but NFCU is currently waiving the checking account and direct deposit requirements on their Special EasyStart Certificate which is at 3.50% APY ($50 minimum balance and $3,000 maximum balance). One per member.

1 Like

If they would only waive the membership requirements. :smile:

1 Like

Cc funding of $1000 max when opening over phone and then $500 per day, but citi cash plus went as a cash advance . I have my citi cash adv lmt at 0 so declined, but does anyone know of a cc that will code as a purchase from nfcu?

In all my experience wanting and trying to do what you point to, NFCU was my sole failure. They are absolute STICKLERS for that sort of thing. I could not beat them. NFCU is extremely tough. I gave up.

Weiss Research has finally released their CU ratings based on Q2 data.

Noteworthy development:

Garden Savings continues to be rated at “D+”

You can check your own credit unions here:

Link to Weiss

This is the final input we will have for Q2. Focus will now shift to Q3, today being the last day thereof. I expect new ratings based on Q3 data to become available some time around Thanksgiving.

Noted in passing:

Only a single CU on my Weiss watchlist was awarded a rating upgrade based on Q2 data. That institution:

GTE Financial

Frankly I anticipated nothing of the sort . . . and I was wrong.

Weiss raised GTE from a rating of “C” to “C+”. I’m aware a number of participants here are counting on GTE to be there for them going forward. Am pleased to report and highlight this good news.

The future? Nobody knows. All we can do is keep watch quarter to quarter. But up is better than down. All my other watchlist entries experienced no rating change either way.

2 Likes

Thanks for sharing. I’m one of those hoping to keep that GTE addon available until my Penfed 5% CDs mature in January so this is indeed good news as otherwise my options for getting 3.3% returns are quite bleak.

I’m more worried about how much I should be willing to add to it?

Multiple beneficiaries add multiples of insurance coverage, but I’m not sure if I dare ask them about adding another now…

1 Like