by Chris McCullough
With the holiday season behind us, we all know how stressful it was scrambling around to buy gifts for all those on our list. Now comes the stress of finding a way to pay for everything.
The way to combat this stress is to plan early. By beginning your holiday saving in January, you will have enough put away to easily knock out those December bills with no trouble. Rabobank, like most other financial institutions, offers a Holiday Saver account to help customers put aside money for the holidays.
The Holiday Saver account can be opened anytime and you can designate how much you want to go into it each month. Whether the money comes from one of your other accounts, directly from your paycheck via direct deposit, or through a standard monthly deposit, the money will earn interest and be there come holiday shopping time.
Setting aside even as little as $10 a week will net you more than $500 to spend on the holidays come next December.
Saver accounts are also great ways to put money aside for a vacation or for a looming tax bill. The account sits there quietly, collecting deposits and interest and is ready for you when you have a pending expense.
It was a superb 2012 at Rabobank, N.A. The bank earned the J.D. Power and Associates award for “Highest Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in California, Two Years in a Row” and we upgraded all of our ATMs with easy-to-read screens, touch-screen navigation, new security features and envelope-free deposits. The new ATMs allow you to deposit a stack of up to 10 checks at one time or a stack of up to 30 bills at one time, all without an envelope. Your receipt includes images of your deposited checks and a complete summary of your deposit.
I hope you had a wonderful and safe holiday season as we look forward to a prosperous 2013.
Chris McCullough is Rabobank, N.A. Vice President and Branch Manager in Murrieta. Rabobank, N.A. has 119 retail branches in California, including Murrieta. www.RabobankAmerica.com.