Our financial marketplace has undergone a transition and been re-made in the image of the 3 remaining giant monster mega-banks. But there are still a ton of community banks out there that offer personalized banking, plus great deals on savings and CDs.

MoneyAisle.com is a website you can use to help get the best deals. It's an online auction marketplace where small banks compete for your business.

You simply enter what you have at the site -- say, $5,000 that you'd like to lock up in a 12-month CD -- and the banks bid on your contract. This is a dynamic marketplace that could get you more or less than what BankRate.com says is out there. Remember, he who has the gold makes the rules. You're the one with the money, so shop for the best deal!

In related news, Clark wants to talk about the Reserve Primary Fund (RPF) -- the first money market mutual fund ever to "break the buck" by devaluing shares from $1 to 97 cents.

RPF has now announced partial distributions of money to begin tentatively on Oct. 13. If you're a small business in need of that money right now, some brokerage houses are making loans -- from 0% interest up to 5% interest -- to float you against your own money.

Then beginning Oct. 8, the government will begin insuring money market mutual funds and tax-free money market mutual funds to restore confidence in the market.