5 Easy Steps to Opening up a Bank Account in NYC

Once you’ve moved in to your NYC apartment and are working your way up the corporate ladder (as someone’s assistant), you have to make sure you have a plan for all that new, hard earned cash — because Bismarck Neighborhood Bank doesn’t have a branch in NYC.

Setting up a new bank account in your new city is important if your current bank doesn’t have branches here. While it may seem overwhelming (and very adult) to open up your own bank account, it’s something that you want to do as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’ll not only have paychecks piling up in your apartments, but you’ll end up paying a lot of ATM fees.  Follow these five simple steps, and you’ll be banking like a pro in no time.

1. Choose a bank carefully. The most popular choices for postgrads are Bank of America, Chase, and Citibank. All have branches located throughout the city, and Chase is known for their plethora of .99 ATMs in Duane Reade.  Can we say convenience.  While it’s fun to root for the underdogs, one of the main benefits of choosing a big bank is that you will almost always be able to find a neighborhood branch — no matter which neighborhood you live in.

2. Make sure you have the following documents with you: drivers license or personal ID card, social security number, and some sort of proof of address (a cable bill or any other similar document will do).

3. Figure out what kind of account(s) you are looking for in your banking institution. We always recommend having both a checking and savings account, but opening an IRA or another retirement savings account is also a good idea.

4. Go to the bank and ask to speak to someone about opening up an account. While most banks now allow you to sign up online, it’s important to go in person so you can ask any questions you may have. Also, remember banks close early so you might have to go during your work lunch break one day.

5. Make sure you ask smart questions regarding interest rates, annual fees for having an account, transaction limits, etc.  A comprehensive list of these questions can be found here.

PostGradApartments.com facilitates the process of finding New York City housing for graduating students and young working professionals at no charge.The site has been designed to help postgrads find the perfect apartment by connecting them with experienced and trusted professionals who will assist them throughout the transaction. By partnering with several established Manhattan real estate brokers, we can assist our clients in finding the absolute best fit, for them.

Affordable Fitness Options with iFit TV

Ubiquitous New Year’s resolutions reign supreme at the moment, and loads of them involve adopting a healthier lifestyle.  So, maybe you’ve decided to quit smoking, eat healthier or (cue the music) hit the gym…consistently this time.

Forget all the gym equipment promising chiseled abs, tight thighs and perky buns.  If you can even get as far as getting the equipment assembled when it arrives, more often than not they end up accumulating in the fitness graveyard at one point or another.  Check out iFitTV.com for a quick solution to your fitness needs.  Signing up at iFitTV.com allows you unlimited access to exercise routines and health info — and it’s all for free.

Created by Master Trainer Donovan Green, iFitTV.com is meant to make exercise routines, nutrition tips and overall health and wellness easily accessible. According to the website, if you feel that “personal training and gym memberships are too expensive and you don’t have the time to go to a gym”  you can now stay right in the comfort of your own home and get a workout in just 15 minutes a day.”  For those who never seem to get the ball rolling when it comes to at-home fitness, this website can provide the instruction and motivation you need.

Despite, Mr. Green’s recent appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, don’t expect any fancy studios, fitness models or prime time editing here.  The unrehearsed instructional videos are regular ol’ folks sweating their way to their fitness goals.  Who says you have to lighten you wallet to trim your waistline?  You can work out your arms and legs, without spending one of each at iFitTV.com.

However, if a tangible gym is still what you crave, Donovan Green operates 6 Elements of Fitness Gym (where you can get your daily workout for just $5 bucks) at:

803 Prospect Avenue
Bronx, NY 10455
347-587-6111

Here’s Help with that Debt Reduction Resolution

Every New Year’s Eve we toast to a surviving another year and promise to make the next one even better. We sing away old acquaintances and drink to our health and happiness. But on the first day of the New Year the only thing we commit to is nursing away a very strong hangover.

The first decade of the 2000’s is over, so start 2010 with a fresh slate by chipping away at the debt that has surely piled up during this withering economy. Get started on this resolution with MoneyDesktop.com, a software that helps pay off all your credit cards, car loans, student loans and even home mortages by the end of the this new decade.

In order to help you start off 2010 right, MoneyDesktop.com has launched a campaign with the goal of helping one million Americans to get out of debt. The “Three for Free” program gives you the chance to use the financial tool for free as long as you get three of your friends to sign up for the software. Those new users can get another three friends out of debt, and so on.

“We want people to pay it forward, so to speak, and encourage their friends and neighbors to declare their financial independence, and start working towards debt-free living at no charge,” said Seth Risenmay, president of Money Desktop.com.

With MoneyDesktop, users can take advantage of a lot of services that other online tools may not have:

Download financial history
Build a budget
Standard Debt Elmination
Line of Credit Method Debt Elimination
Track your expenses
Reconcile your budget
Implement your debt plan
Save money strategically
Restructure Debt
Plan for retirement

Get started on your New Year’s resolution and help your friends out and take advantage of MoneyDesktop.com’s Three for Free campaign in 2010.

4 Ways To Slash Your Cell Phone Bill

Cell phones have become invaluable tools in modern day-to-day living for job hunting, meeting up with friends for a cheap drink, or a myriad other situations that would have required you in years past to be tied to a land line. Unfortunately, they can prove pretty pricey if you aren’t taking advantage of the many options that can help you lower you monthly bill. Here are some of our favorites.

Grab A Family Plan
Family plans are great for multiple gabbers to save some dough, even if they aren’t related. T-Mobile, for example, offers unlimited individual plans for $59.99 per month, but the same plan with two lines costs $99.99 – - a savings of $19.99. Even better, Sprint offers unlimited voice, data, and texting for $189 per month for family users; typically it would be $99.99 per person. Check out Wirefly to see the money savings that can be obtained by partnering up with family or friends.

Take Advantage of Mobile to Mobile Minutes
AT&T’s A-List and Verizon Wireless’ Friends & Family programs lets you ring any five domestic numbers (regardless of carrier) without eating up your minutes. This will allow you to move from a pricey unlimited plan for a more wallet-friendly plan that offers a few hundred minutes. Sprint and T-Mobile serve up unlimited calls to any mobile phone provided that you sign up for an unlimited data plan for $69.99 (Sprint) or the $59.99 Even More Unlimited Talk (T-Mobile).

Discover Discounts
Some businesses and institutions of higher learning offer discounts on both phones and plans. Check out these rather pimpin’ links to see if you qualify for a lower rate.
AT&T: https://www.wireless.att.com/business/enrollment/
Sprint: http://sprint.p.delivery.net/m/p/nxt/ais/wdyw.asp
T-Mobile: http://support.t-mobile.com/businessmigration.html
Verizon Wireless: http://b2b.vzw.com/employee/employeediscount.html

Sign Up For Skype
Skype for Mobile (available for the iPhone, iPod touch, and Windows Mobile phones) lets you  place super-cheap international calls over Wi-Fi, and call other mobile phones and landlines for two cents a minute. Skype to Skype calls, naturally, are free of charge.

5 Super Last Minute Gift Ideas for Less than $20

It’s two days before Christmas. Have you finished your shopping?  Don’t stress. There are plenty of last minute gifts that you can give to your family and friends without losing any money (or blood) in the Herald Square chaos. And no, you won’t see gift cards on this list.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words – Between the invention of digital cameras and social networking sites, chances are you rarely print off any photographs. Mix that with the fact that you’re too old to make your yearly visit to the Sears Photography Studio, and we’re sure your parents have very few photographs of you lying around the house. Grab a friend and head to your favorite spot in the city. Snap a few shots of yourself and dust off that photo paper to print it right at home. Stick it in a frame you can get at a local drugstore and suddenly you have the best gift a parent could ever ask for.

Bake Up A Storm – A great gift to give to friends and co-workers is a bag of baked goods. When we’re living at home it seems like the amount of holiday baked goods is out of control, but now that you’re in NYC with a kitchen the size of a shoebox we’re going to bet there hasn’t been a whole lot of baking going on. Homemade foods in general are greatly appreciated by any city dweller, so if you want to go the healthy route cook your friends your favorite dish and send it over in a festive tupperware.

I.O.U. – Most can agree that when it comes to a large group of friends it is always more enjoyable to spend a night out rather than swapping cheap gifts. Head to your laptop and whip up a fancy certificate, or an “I Owe You” for your friends. Make a date for late January to go out to dinner to escape to suburbia for the weekend. Once the holidays are over and you’re looking to catch your breath in 2010, you’ll be glad you set this date.

Theme Gift Baskets – A homemade gift basket gives off a great presence on the gift table, and other party goers will think you spent a lot of time putting it together. Whether for a friend or for a holiday swap party, a themed gift basket can be thrown together with just one lap around a nearby Duane Reade or WalGreens. For the ladies, pick a theme like “relaxation” and throw in low-ticket items like comfy socks and candles. Be careful, because this could get pricy if you don’t watch what you put in the basket. Keep your basket small so that the items are overflowing and don’t hesitate to top it off with your favorite candies.

Collages – This might take some time but if you have an hour or two and a stack of magazines you can make it happen. Your closest friends deserve something special, so how about a middle-school style collage? Rip out your favorite headlines from any old magazine laying around and make a goofy collage that incorporates photos, movie stubs, or train tickets. Guys, I know crafting is the last thing you want to do, but trust that a Bed, Bath & Beyond gift card won’t cut it with your female friends.

Now that you have your gift shopping done, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the festivities! When 2010 rolls around, we just have one suggestion for a New Year’s Resolution: Start your holiday shopping in November.

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