Here’s a troubling report: More people are taking hardship withdrawals from their 401(k) plans, or borrowing against their retirement accounts.

According to Fidelity Investments, which administers 401(k) plans with 11 million participants, 62,000 workers initiated a hardship withdrawal in the second quarter.

That’s up from 45,000 in during the same three months (April through June) in 2009.

About 22% of all accountholders now have outstanding loans against their retirement accounts, up two percentage points from last year.

It’s pretty clear that too many Americans are still struggling to make ends meet.

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What’s going on with 24-month CD rates? This is the third time in the past six days that we’ve had to re-do our rankings of the best deals that are available nationwide.

August has seen a lot of CD rates slide, but the2-years have been hit the hardest. Only one rate available last Thursday is still available today.

NewDominion Bank, which has offices in Charlotte and Mooresville, N.C., cut its rate from 2.00% to 1.95% on Tuesday.

Yet it continues to offer the best nationally available return on a 24-month certificate of deposit and continues to require a $3,000 minimum deposit.

The next best nationally available 2-year CD rates are now:
Click here to read more

All of the banks are back from our last Leaderboard, but NewDominion Bank lowered its return on 24-month CDs this morning.

The rates on 2-year certificates of deposit have been particularly volatile over the past couple of weeks.

We’ve had to revise our rankings three times since Aug. 26, and we’ll update it for you again tomorrow because the best rates keep changing and changing.

To see the complete rankings for all of the other 3-month to 5-year CDs we track, just click on the term you’re interested in.

Here where to find the top nationally available rates as of today:

3-month CD: 1.35% APY from iGObanking with a $500 minimum deposit.

6-month CD: 1.25% APY from NewDominion Bank with a $3,000 minimum deposit and from TriState Capital Direct, with a minimum deposit of $50,000.
Click here to read more

The same banks have led our rankings of the best 5-year CD rates all summer.

Unfortunately, the rates they’re offering today are not as good as the rates they were paying back in June.

Melrose Credit Union, which has a single office in Queens, N.Y., grabbed the lead in mid-June by paying what now seems a generous 3.29% APY.

Today it’s paying 3.03% with a $5,000 minimum deposit.

The next best rates are:

3.00% APY with no minimum deposit required from Sallie Mae Bank, the online bank owned by the big student loan provider. (This is the only rate that is unchanged from early summer.)
Click here to read more

Each time you use your Discover Card between now and Dec. 31, 2010, you’ll be automatically entered to win daily prizes and the grand prize of $1 million to be awarded on the final day of the year.

The promotion is called the It Pays to Discover Everyday Giveaway, and awards 75 daily prizes: one $500 Discover gift card, four $100 Discover gift cards and 70 $25 Discover gift cards.

You can increase your odds of winning by making bonus entry purchases listed on the Web site.

In September, for example, you can get four extra bonus entries by using your card at department stores. In October charges at restaurants will earn you four extra entries.

Danversbank is in sole possession of first place at the top of our rankings of the best 36-month CD rates.

This Massachusetts bank, with more than 30 branches in the Boston area, pays 2.50% APY with a very affordable $500 minimum deposit.

It moved into the lead when Melrose Credit Union cut is return from 2.52% APY to 2.27% APY last week.

The next best nationally available rates on 36-month certificates of deposit are:

2.40% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 from Kaiser Federal Bank, which has nine branches in Southern California.

2.30% APY with a minimum deposit of $3,000 from NewDominion Bank, which has branches in Charlotte and Mooresville, N.C.
Click here to read more

SmartyPig has been paying top rates on its unique brand of savings account for more than two years now.

During that time it’s attracted more than its share of moans and groans on our posts: “It’s too complicated,” “You can’t take part of your money out,” “You can’t do this, you can’t do that.”

But we still think this is a worthwhile savings plan.

SmartyPig requires you to establish a goal — maybe $2,000 for a 52” LCD HDTV, $400 for a bicycle or $10,000 for home repairs – and then set aside enough money each month to reach your objective.

That’s not a bad thing. And you earn 2.15% APY on your savings. That’s a very good thing.

SmartyPig is paying two-thirds of a percentage point more than the best nationally available savings accounts.
Click here to read more

Massena Savings and Loan has a truly special rate on 36-month CDs for savers in upstate New York.

It’s paying 3.18% APY with a modest $1,000 minimum deposit.

That’s not only more than you can earn with the best nationally available 3-year certificates of deposit, it’s more than you can make with the best nationally available 5-year CDs.

Take a look at our most recent CD Rates Leaderboard and you’ll see what we mean.

But to purchase these CDs you’ll have to visit one of the bank’s branches in Massena, which is home to the American locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway, or Waddington, N.Y.

NewDominion Bank is the only one still paying 2.00% APY in our rankings of the best 24-month CD rates.

The bank, which has offices in Charlotte and Mooresville, N.C., requires a $3,000 minimum deposit to earn that rate.

Melrose Credit Union, which had offered the best return of 2.02% APY on 2-year certificates of deposit, cut its rate to 1.76% APY this week and tumbled down the list.

The next best nationally available rates are now:
Click here to read more