Bankrate's resources: Introduction

Bankrate.com has resources that can help you find the best rates and the most sound banks.

The research tools at Bankrate.com are invaluable. We know this because they're some of the most popular sections on our Web site. In this chapter, we'll show you what resources we have for finding rates on CDs and money market funds, how we survey different financial instruments -- CDs and savings accounts, for example -- how we rate the banks themselves using our proprietary Safe & Sound ratings.

What you can expect to learn from this chapter:

Researching savings rates on Bankrate.com   A step-by-step guide to using Bankrate.com tools for finding the best rates on certificates of deposit and money market funds. Criteria used in Bankrate.com surveys   How Bankrate.com surveys certificates of deposit, savings accounts, money market accounts and checking accounts. How safe is your bank?   Bankrate.com's Safe & Sound ratings can tell you about the capitalization, asset quality, earnings and liquidity of your bank. Chapter 7 quiz   Two questions will tell you if you know how to use Bankrate.com's resources.