Frugal Dad Recommends

Listed below are a variety of products and services that I have personal experience with, and can recommend to readers.

Finances/Investing

• ING Direct (Online Savings Account).  I’m a huge fan of ING Direct for storing emergency funds and sinking funds in an interest-bearing checking account.  Not only do they offer a rate several times higher than that of local banks, the funds remain “out of sight, out of mind” until you need them, which helps me from making impulsive purchases with my savings.  They also have an excellent referral program that puts extra cash in your account when friends and family sign up.  Check out my ING Direct review page for a list of features. (Also check out my reviews of the best online banks).

• Lending Club (Loans/Investing).  Banks have taken a beating lately for their tightening lending policies, and in some cases for good reason.  A new service has appeared on the scene called social lending, led by providers such as Lending Club.  Personally, I like the personal touch of social lending in that people have a chance to tell their story to go along with their credit scores.

• eHealthInsurance.com (Insurance).  As someone tempted by the idea of self employment, I keep close tabs on the personal insurance market.  When I make the leap, I’ll need to secure a health insurance policy for my family.  I can’t say enough about the offerings from eHealthInsurance.com.  Get a FREE instant quote today!

• CreditCards.com. Over the years we’ve paid off a lot of credit card debt. One of the best ways to make a big debt in credit card debt is to transfer your balances to low-rate cards and make big payments. When you are debt free, then you can shop a card with excellent rebates or rewards and run things like utilities, and other fixed payments through the card.  I recommend CreditCards.com as a great starting place for that search.  Get a Low Interest Credit Card – Apply HERE (Also check out review of the top two best credit cards)

• TradeKing (Investing). I do not do a lot of single-stock trading, but when I do I head over to TradeKing.  You can’t beat their $4.95 commissions for equity trades, and I personally like their trading platform and screening tools far better than their competitors.  SmartMoney named TradeKing the “Best Discount Broker” in 2007, and last year Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named TradeKing the “Best of the Online Brokers” based on commissions and fees, research tools and customer service.

Blogging

• HostGator (Hosting).  Early on I decided to go with HostGatorfor blog hosting.  In nearly two years I’ve only had one or two minor issues which were resolved within 15 minutes via support chat (nice not to have to sit on a phone if you don’t want to).  Read my HostGator review for more information.

• Logos for Websites (Graphics).  I go to Logos for Websites for all of my graphics needs here at Frugal Dad and my other blogs.  The site’s owner, Pete, does excellent work for an excellent price.  I also like that he is a blogger, so he understands the various graphics needs for blogging, social media profiles, etc.

• Affiliate Networks.  Commission Junction and LinkShare are the most established, but Flex Offers and PepperJam Network are bringing on some excellent affiliate partners.

• Blogthority (Consulting).  Blogthority offers an excellent Blog Optimization Report that analyzes your blog and offers tips to improve design and usability, search engine optimization, and monetization.  Enter discount coupon code “FD7778” to save some money on your report.