A New Year's Resolution Worth Keeping

After six days into the New Year are you keeping your resolutions?  Or, are you a person who does not make resolutions because you either know your enthusiasm will wane or you are always working on some form of self improvement?  Whatever your particular circumstances may be, this post is about one resolution that is certainly worth making and keeping.

Regardless of what side of the political debate you are on, it seems that nearly everyone has at some time or another been outraged by the taxpayer financed bailouts of America's big banks.  Maybe it is the bonus payouts for executives regardless if the bank profits or withstands a loss.  Or perhaps it is the news of improper foreclosure proceedings that has sent you over the edge.

Many of us have received some kind of notice in the past year of increased fees and decreased services from our friends at Bank of America, Citibank, Chase, Wells Fargo or other big name institutions.  If you are like me, your initial outburst of a few expletives fades as you walk to your shredder, insert the correspondence in the slot and listen to the whirring blades.  My only consolation is protecting myself against identity theft as I struggle with my feelings of helplessness and anger about the banks that are "too big to fail".

But, not any longer.  It's a New Year and I have found a way to fight back.  Watch this video below to see what I have in mind:

Rather than waiting for Washington to regulate Wall Street, individuals like you and I can do something. Moving your money to a local bank is truly exercising your means to vote with your dollars.  The tools on the Move Your Money web-site will help you to find an independent bank in your community.  One of the tools uses a risk rating system by Institutional Risk Analytics (IRA) which only shows banks with a score of B or better.  Another useful site for bank ratings is BankRate.com.

As you set your goals for 2011, take the pledge and join the over two million Americans (as of April 2010) that have moved their money.  This is one resolution worth keeping!