Free Online Videos Offer Strategies to Help Build Your Savings
As Americans struggle to weather tough economic times, it has become more important than ever to protect your savings. That’s why AAA is offering advice on constructing a sound savings strategy with a series of free online “how-to” videos. Whether you’re saving for a vacation, vehicle, home, retirement, or an emergency fund, AAA has strategies to help.

These videos explain the advantages of money markets, certificates of deposit (CDs), and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and how these three common investment types can be appropriate for meeting savings objectives. These videos are intended as introductions to each topic and are not meant to provide specific financial advice to individual consumers.

The How to Save Money series underscores the importance of and reasons why you should save, such as buying a home or planning for retirement. The videos discuss the types of savings options available, in addition to how to open a savings account. The final video in this series focuses on setting and achieving your financial goals through saving.

How to Invest in CDs and Money Market Accounts delves deeper into the investment world by explaining exactly what a CD is and comparing the saving rates of APR and APY. The series also stresses the importance of understanding how to “ladder” CDs to achieve a better average return, the power of compound interest, and using the “Rule of 72” when calculating how long it will take to double your money on savings.

How to Save for Retirement Using IRAs can help retirement savers understand the need to think about their likely long-term retirement income situation when choosing a traditional or ROTH IRA. The series highlights the importance of focusing on rates, while not overlooking several other key factors when choosing an IRA provider including safety, fees, accessibility, yield, and tax consequences.