• Use a bank that has a lot of ATM branches near where you work and live. If you travel frequently, then find a bank that has a large national network.
• If you have to go out of your bank's network of ATM's, then make a larger withdrawal, instead of several smaller ones. You'll pay a lot less in fees.
• Get cash back when using your Visa or bank card at the store. This will avoid a trip to the ATM and possibly extra fees.

With these goals in mind, the Moneysmartz Directory recently launched Moneynavigators, your guide to best of category products, services, and information. Each Moneynavigator provides a safe haven to help you quickly and reliably find the information and services you need, including a category introduction, links to best of category sites, recent blog posts, and related categories in the Moneysmartz directory.

Our first Moneynavigator, Banking Services, will help you find a reliable bank, choose the best credit card for your unique financial situation, start banking online, pay your bills through the Internet, and even order checks.

In the case of both business and personal banking, we often neglect researching bank assets, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) certification, and the number of branches in our locale.

To answer all of these questions, and more, The FDIC offers a directory of FDIC certified institutions, with information about total assets, specialized categories, and branch offices. For personal and business banking, this resource is particularly helpful if you are looking at a smaller regional bank and have concerns about long-term solvency, the number of branch offices, or certification. At the minimum, the FDIC directory is worth a few minutes before beginning what may be a very long-term relationship.

For a list of primarily national banks, visit the Banking Services category in the Moneysmartz Directory.

For those considering a switch, a study by Keynote Systems ranks credit card company websites in areas like ease of use, service, privacy, and security.

We've included the two leaders from the Keynote study, Chase and Bank of America, as picks in the Credit Card Issuers category in the Moneysmartz Directory. We particularly like Chase for its high customer service rating.