SAVINGS ACCOUNT CHEERS

Caveat:

As interest rates scrape bottom,money market funds are losing theirluster. After backing-out expenses,some funds are posting gains that areapproaching 0%, while some haveeven waived expenses to avoid havingtheir investors lose money. Enter thestaid old bank savings account.According to BankRate.com, severalbanks are offering accounts that paymore than 2% interest, comparedwith the top return of 1.79% on amoney market fund. Another savingsvehicle that may merit your attentionis the money market depositaccount (MMDA). Some MMDAs,like the one offered by ING Direct(800-464-3473; www.ingdirect.com),are paying as much as 2.75% withno minimum deposit. AnMMDA doesn't have the flexibility ofa money market fund; you're usuallylimited to a minimal number ofchecks per month.