How to Maximize the Return of an Installment Savings Account

My question is: "How feasible is it to deal with Korean banks like Wilshire State Bank if you don't live in the vicinity of a branch?" In other words, if you have to deal with customer service by phone and you don't speak Korean, how easy is it to accomplish what you need to?

you hire a translator

You do NOT need to use the Wilshire State Bank checking as the "Pit-stop" account to make the monthly deposit for the Installment Savings Account. In fact, you can set up the auto-transfer directly from the Elink Savings, which currently has a 2.75% APY.

So maybe it is a good choice to put your all money in the Elink Savings, and then take advantage of the high APY of Installment Savings.

The thing with the eLink savings is there are actually two minimum deposit requirements.

One for the eLink deposit ($500).
One for the linked checking account: Regular ($500), Now Personal($2500), or Now Power Checking accounts($10000)

The Regular account has the lowest min @ $500 minimum balance requirement.

So I suppose if you don't mind $500 of your money earning no interest, you'll be fine.

The previous poster seems to be unaware that WSB's Rainbow Savings account pays significantly higher rates if the money comes into the installment savings account via an automatic transfer from a WSB deposit account.

I simply set up a direct deposit of my monthly pension into a WSB simple checking account which has no minimum balance. The direct deposit comes in the first business day of the month, and I had WSB set up my automatic transfer from that account into my Rainbow Savings account on the 4th of each month.

I use the money in a rewards checking account at another bank for my ongoing cashflow needs, and replenish it whenever a CD matures.

Look at you, Banking Guy, doing all this work on a Memorial Day Sunday!

Great spreadsheet.

Thank you.

When dealing with a Korean-American bank, what you need to do is call all the branches until you find an employee who speaks perfect English. I did this when it comes to Center Bank. I could not understand anything I was being told by my local branch. I found someone at a branch out of state that speaks so well.

Hi,

I actually went into a branch and opened an account. The representative is Alex.... and he is a Mexican American. There were a couple of girls in the branch that appeared to be Korean but spoke perfect English. I called the FDIC to verrify the bank. I opened a 2.75 money market .... the rate is guaranteed until Janary2010. I am having an auto transfer once a month to fund each of the 4 different Rainbows I extablished. The total cannot be over 100,000. I think that this is an incredible rate given the times! FDIC ... no risk. So now I have been searching for more installment savings. I am going to go to Woori Bank on Tuesday. Does anybody have any more suggestions.

In light of the no/low penalties for early withdrawal, the best strategy may be to max-out long term with a joint account. Wilshire St. is max 100K but other Korean banks have no maximum. The idea is to deposit as much money as you can at the highest rate. Also make sure that you can maintain those monthly deposits. Even when using auto-transfer, you'll need to ACH into that checking account or mail a check.

To Anonymous at 11:34 PM May 24: Which branch of Wilshire State did you go to?

It is a big hustle for lousy 0.4% extra then what I'm making now.
It is not for everyone to do all of those setting and transfers and ACH and then if you can not fulfill any of these things, you may wind up worse off then a regular CD or high interest checking account.

Thanks for the explanation and the table.

I too have the automatic deposits being taken from my eLink Savings account at WSB, and I also have ACH links set up between eLink Savings and my accounts at other banks, using the ACH services of those other banks to push deposits into my eLink Savings. By the way, I have had no problems in communicating with CSRs at Wilshire State Bank, or with those at Woori America Bank. To me, the installment savings accounts are an attractive option precisely because you don't need to deplete a large sum from more liquid accounts at once, thus leaving an "emergency fund" more or less intact, while gradually building up savings in the installment account at a more favorable rate.

have installment accounts at wilshire in flushing and woori in woodside. savings account at wilshire checking at woori. woori does not compound at same pace as wilshire yields a drop below on 3 yr

Banking Guy,

You may be able to increase your yield with multiple installment accounts withe different terms.

For example, the 10,000 you currently have can be divided into multiple installment account payments. 12 month, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months and 36 months. Exhaust the money over the next 12 months. Choose target amount in each plan wisely (can be calculated to optimize). Then when the first plan matures after 12 months use that money to pay installments. When teh 18 month plan matures, use that money to pay the installments on the other 3 plans and so on.

Am I making sense?

MK, That's a good idea. I was also thinking of regular CDs instead of the savings, but since higher returns are possible with the installment plan, that should maximize the return even more. It will take quite a bit more of spreadsheet work.

Banking Guy,
some folks at fatwallet have done some calculations see:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/916671/?start=100

also not sure if you noticed Wilshire has Money Market account with 2.8% APY

Even if the bank is FDIC insured, how can we verify that this particular product - installment savings - is a product insured by FDIC?

As I understand, FDIC insured banks can sell products NOT insured by FDIC.

Are we taking the bank's word for it? Or is there a better way to verify, since this product is different from the "savings" or "money market" or "checking" or "CDs" as defined in FDIC's web page?

Ken,

What formula did you use to get the effective apy?  I set up my ISA spreadsheet just like yours but don't know the calculation.  Could you please help me out?

Thanks!