Over the last 6 weeks, Clark has been getting numerous calls from listeners about ING Direct. People wanted to know if their money is safe. Clark repeatedly said that you don't have to worry because ING Direct (a U.S. subsidiary of Dutch giant ING) has full FDIC insurance -- like any other bank -- on deposits up to $250,000.

Well, now the other shoe dropped and ING needed a huge bailout from the Dutch government of 10 billion Euros, which is roughly $13.5 billion. Yet even if the Netherlands hadn't intervened, it would have made no difference to your money. You can have piece of mind -- up to $250,000 -- so long as your bank is an FDIC member or your credit union is an NCUA member.

In related news, the rates out there on savings are good. You can get a 5-year CD in the low 5% range from some institutions -- though not the giant monster mega-banks. Discover, meanwhile, has a 5-year CD offer for its cardholders of around 5.2%. (Editor's note: Figures accurate as of 10/20/08.)