janitor53

I hate to harp on this, especially if the OP is truly in need but he/she flat out refuses to answer this question. It makes my fake detector perk up.

Those questions have mostly been asked but the OP isn't responding to them for some reason. People might have some better ideas if they had more information but alas....

If you explained the nature of the lump sum, people might have some better ideas for you. I think we've all seen the "I'll gladly pay you tomorrow for a cheeseburger today" folks. Is the lump sum 100% guaranteed to come in with no strings attached and no chance of it not being delivered to you? Is there even a tiny chance that it will fall through in some way?

You use UBS as a regular bank? Yep. The debit card is AmEx branded. The only pain is if you don't have direct deposit you have to got to your advisor to make a deposit. Are you in the United States? I didn't realize that UBS offered banking services. It seems like an "upscale" brand but maybe that's just my ignorance. Do they have banking locations? Is there a minimum deposit amount to be a customer?

You use UBS as a regular bank?

I've had a schwab account for a while and have been real happy with them. I'm looking at getting an account at a brick and mortar as well, but I have nothing bad to say about Schwab.

This is great information, thanks for doing all that.

J-M thanks for that, do you like using Citi? How about the Smith Barney brokerage? Any insight you could share? Thanks.

Does anyone know if you are a Citibank customer and a SmithBarney customer if you can access all your accounts in one place? Can you easily transfer money between accounts? Is it very integrated? I don't think they have as formal a relationship as before but they still seem connected in some way, even their websites look similar.

THERE ARE FEW DAILY PULL COMPANIES LEFT...CCT being one of the few AMEX CS IS OK...(must have an AMEX card that is issued and serviced by AMEX) any other recommendations? credit secure does have some credit protection functionality to it, no? Is there another product I should be looking at?

Is there a credit monitoring service that is generally considered "the best"? If I'm going to spend 8-12 dollars a month, is there one I should be looking at more than the others? Is credit sercure from AMEX a good product? Thanks in advance.

you have a lot of money Bob. So what's the difference between a premium and a regular account?

interesting thoughts in this thread, I'd definately encourage anyone with anything to add to post it. Thanks for all the insight CB!

Still trying to decide which way to go with my banking. I emailed a local bank some questions but it was a week ago and they still haven't returned my email. I'm strongly considering Wells Fargo but also alliant credit union. I know Alliant is held in pretty high regard around here, but I'm not a fan of their online interface, it just seems subpar. Plus, I have brokerage holdings and I'd like to consolidate my accounts for ease of use purposes.

I've been looking for a bank as well. I've been real interested in Wells Fargo myself, but I've been reading about every different bank out there. I'm in Chicago and have been banking for several years with Schwab but want to get a "brick and mortar" bank for a variety of reasons. I'd like a place where I can stash cash, write checks, have my two IRA's, and even get a mortgage for a good rate or possibly even a care loan in the future. I also have a brokerage account and as a bonus would love a place that would let me trade stocks. Wells Fargo seemed to really hit all those points, but I've read some negative stories about them on CB and other forums. It seems like a lot of complaints from people that were having trouble paying mortgage's and stuff, which could always happen I suppose, but it does seem like WF is less willing to work with people. I'd love to read some more detailed thoughts from people.