Money doesn’t grow on trees.

I had a discussion with my brother the money manager today. He’s a wise man and I was encouraged to see what I could find out about the banks that I am using and which banks might be more sound going forward.

Visit Bankrate.com and check out the ratings of banks nationwide. They have a rating system (“safe and sound”) of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. Any rating of 3 or above means that the bank is “performing” … call me crazy, I’ve worked hard for my money (what there is of it) and I’d like to have it be in a bank that has a 5 rating.

Visit Safehaven.com to read an article about whether your bank is safe. I’ve ordered a report from Veribanc and I’ll let you know what they say and, particularly, if it’s any different from the rating from Bankrate.com. Could be rather interesting! This Veribanc report suggested by Safehaven.com costs $25 … here’s my reasoning … it’s totally worth the money to make sure that my (soon-to-be) bank is on solid footing!

So, there you have it. Obviously, I’m not a money manager  – I’m a knitter, a Queen Bee! – and I can’t give you financial advice (and if I did and you took it, we’d both be fools!) BUT, what I can suggest is that we all start taking some responsibility for ourselves and our actions. Let’s start with our pocketbooks! Know about the financial institution that you’re entrusting with your hard-earned money! And if you don’t do the work, shame on you. (There, I said it.)