Graduate With a Profit : Make Money While in School

The great American icon of breweries; Anheuser-Busch, has been extended an offer of $46.4 Billion by a Belgian-Brazilian company; InBev, which is the company that makes Stella Arois, Beck’s and Bass beers. So for any of you Bud Light fans out there, drink up, save your beer, show your true American pride, because sooner or later, the great American beer company might be owned by a foreign company, making your favorite domestic, an import.

More: [New York Times].

Are you getting tired of seeing the market go down? According to Google Finance, the Dow Jones is down 8.33% since the beginning of this year. So instead of losing a ton of money, here is one quick way to show you how to gain in one area that does not involve public trading: open a high yield checking account or sometimes called “reward checking.”

I found this GREAT new website called Checking Finder. You can find a list of banks that offer high yield rewards checking accounts with incredibly easy requirements.

1) Type in your zip code
2) Sort by Rate
3) Pick a bank and apply. (Read the requirements and make sure you are eligible)

Some of the requirements are: (some of these you may already do)
* Use the debit card they give you 10 times per month
* Log onto your online account once a month
* Use paperless statements
* Use direct deposits (or some other form of ACH transactions)

Another BIG benefit: They will reimburse all of your ATM fees up to $25 (depending on bank) each month that you meet the requirements. Bye bye ATM fees!

Note: They also will only give you that kind of a return up to a certain limit, like $25,000 is common. But either way, if you get 6.01% interest on $25,000 that is yielding $1502.5 return per year! Granted, this will set your balance over the limit, so you need to keep a close eye on this. If you keep it at $20,000 at the same interest, you will earn $1202 for a $21,202 balance each year which will compound that much more, but once you get to a point where it will put you over the limit, then just withdrawal some money and put it into a savings account so you can keep earning money.

I would highly recommend this to everyone who is looking for an easy way to gain interest that is just sitting there. Keep in mind that the majority of checking accounts are FREE with ZERO or EXTREMELY little interest (like 0.15% interest)….these accounts give you SIX!! Check it out.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with CheckingFinder or any of the banks listed. I do not receive a commission for anyone that joins, I’m just giving you some good pointers. Good luck!

I am now officially working for Lockheed Martin as of last week. I am sorry for the delayed of postings, but I’m back now. I will be a Systems Engineer that will be working on schedule and financial planning as well as other forms of system integration. Until I start my official project, I am looking at taking on a temporary assignment that will be working with the Census.

I have also joined a number of company “clubs.”
1) College Hire Acceleration Program
2) Lockheed Martin Extra Recreational Association
3) Lockheed Martin Leadership Association (National Management Association)

Lockheed is an AMAZING company! The benefits package that they have is top-notch, and the work-life balance is strongly encouraged. They have 3 work schedules that you can pick:
1) 5 days each week - 8 hrs each day
2) 9/80 - work 9 days in 2 weeks, take every other Friday off - work 9 hour days
3) 10/4 - work 4 days each week, take every Friday off - work 10 hour days.
I think this is a huge benefit and am totally going to take advantage of this. My first week I did the 5/8 schedule, but this week I am currently testing out the 10/4 and taking this Friday off. I’ve found that the extra 2 hours each day isn’t that big of a deal. Plus, the ability to sleep in each Friday in my opinion is huge, less commute time, and then less gas usage.

The only thing, is that my buddy Chris just started at Northrop Grumman which is Lockheed’s competitor. Is it coincidence that two friends go to work at competing companies? Think not, Lockheed is better =).

I am sorry for the lack of postings, I am on my last big hoo-raa vacation before I start work on the 9th.  I visited Cedar Point - Roller Coaster Capital of the World (Sandusky, OH) for two days and then visted Cleveland, OH for a baseball game.  I will expand when I get back home on Sunday.  Until then, enjoy whatever it is you are doing.  Sorry my blogging has been slacking, Chris Pund would be dissapointed.