Like the number of days until summer vacation, bank rates continue to decrease, a few basis points today, a few basis points tomorrow. The decline is slow but if you look back, all the little drops add up. Are rates going to 0%. Could we see a 0% 1 year CD average? Probably not but there are some banks that are paying close to 0% for a 1 year CD. My advice, stay away. Shop around. Ther are better rates out there.

In the last week, average one-year CD Rates dipped from 0.383% to 0.381% APY. Three year average CD rates dropped from 0.757% to .753% APY. Five year average CDs dropped to from 1.107% to 1.100% APY. Online savings rate averages dropped a bit from 0.712% APY to .707% APY after staying steady for three weeks. If the pace of decline continues, we could see 5 year CD rate averages dip below 1% APY sometime in August or September.

Even if the averages are all below 1%, the top rates are still significantly higher. BestCashCow data shows the top rates for some key terms are:

• Online Savings: AmTrust Direct retained the top spot at 1.05% APY.
• 1 Year CD: Five banks retain the top spot at 1.05% APY.
• 3 Year CD: Pentagon Federal Credit Union at 1.60% APY
• 5 Year CD: Barclays Bank Delaware now occupies the top spot alone at 1.85% APY. CIT cut their leading rate from 1.85 to 1.75% APY over the past week.
• Rewards Checking: Hope Credit Union Money One Federal Credit Union both have the top rewards checking rate of 3.01% APY for balances up to $10,000. Both credit unions are open to members from across the country.

Local banks and credit unions often offer better rates (especially for CDs) than online banks so be sure to check them out.

The chart below shows the trend in average rates since October 2012.

The difference in the rate of decline between online savings and CD rates can be viewed on the chart below, which shows the spread between online savings account rates and 12 month CDs. The spread still remains very elevated although it has come down in recent weeks as several online banks have cut rates. On average, online savings account rates pay .326 percentage points more than 1 year CDs, up from .23 percentage points more at the beginning of last year but down from the spread's high of .344 percentage points in late January.

General rate environment

The U.S. economy continues to chug along. Last week, the Labor Department released the inflation numbers and they looked pretty tame. Inflation increased 0.7 percent in February on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.0 percent before seasonal adjustment. Most of the increase came from rising gasoline prices. Core CPI, which strips out food and energy, rose .2 percentage points, in line with expectations. Bottom line: No inflation pressure. The Fed still does not need to worry about inflation.

Bloomberg published a very positive housing article. Many economists are expecting big gains in house prices over the next 12 months. JP Morgan Chase expected home prices to increase by 14 percent through 2015. While it's hard to take what bank economists say at face value, some of this data squares with the Case Schiller reports, which show home prices in most U.S. cities on the rise. Housing, which has been a big drag on the economy, now seems to have shifted into a positive contributor.

In his article, "To Reassure Investors, Fed Stresses It Will Not End Stimulus" NY Times reporter BINYAMIN APPELBAUM discusses how the Fed will keep the pedal to the meddle and rates down as long as possible, even if growth accelerates in the next couple of quarters. Most likely, growth will accelerate, but as long as inflation stays below 2%, and uneployment above 6.5%, then rates will continue on their present course.

Europe, Oh Europe

Which bring us to Europe. Just when Europe looked like it was stabilizing and would no longer muck up global growth, they unveil a scheme that has surprised depositors across the world. Cyprus, a tiny economy, has a banking system on the verge of collapse, like in Greece, Portugal, and Ireland before it. Before the EU will agree to give the country a $13 billion bailout needed to keep the banks afloat, it has attached a new and unprecedented requirement. Deposits in Cypriot banks will face a one-time tax to help defray the bailout costs. Deposits of more than 100,000 Euros will face a levy of 9.9% while those under 100,000 Euros will face a levy of 6.75%. In all the previous European bailouts, bondholers and shareholders were forced to take the cut while taxpayers helped to foot the bill. Imagine waking up and finding out that your savings account had been reduced by 10% overnight.

Cyprus does have a deposit guarantee through the central bank but it is worth little if the entire financial system has collapsed and the country has no money. Should Europe pay off depositors? Probably. But this underscores the fact that the deposit guarantee is only as good as the country that backs it. It also underscores why a country with only several large banks can collapse the entire system if they get into trouble.

FDIC and NCUA deposit insurance in the United States appears to be solid. No depositor, including in the Great Depression and the Financial Collapse in 2008, has ever lost a penny of FDIC insured money. But it could still happen one day. That's why BestCashCow provides an indicator of bank health and safety on each bank's page (example: Brookline Bank). A safe bank doesn't mean lower rates either. Our research has shown that banks that are in better fiancial condition, generally offer better rates. Depositors can have their cake and eat it also.

The EU is already backtracking on the Cyprus deposit levy idea, so we'll see where it goes. If the problem spreads and causes bank runs in other countries, then Europe will once again become a drag on U.S. growth and I'll have to extend my outlook for when rates will rise.

My outlook: Savings rates will continue to drift lower for the next 9-15 months before beginning to move higher. How high and how fast they move will depend on the level of local, state, and federal taxes and cuts, ; the continuation of a recent economic uptick; technological advances; and the ability of Europe to put its woes behind it and resolve its fiscal problems.

Savings Accounts or CDs?

The data continues to show that opening a savings account is a better bet than a 1-3 year term CD and I expect this to hold through 2013. Online savings accounts have held the line over the past year while CD rates continue to fall. As the chart shows, the premium for opening a longer-term CD has eroded significantly and continuously over the past year. While the premium for opening a 5 year CD over a 1 year CD was 1 percentage point in October 2011, it now stands at .728 percentage points.

So for now, here are my recommendations on which deposit accounts to open::

For money you want to keep liquid, go with online savings accounts. They offer better rates than 1-3 year CDs and athough several banks have dropped rates in the past week, they have still offered decent rate stability over the past year.

If you want to take advantage of the higher rates on longer-term CDs, look to open them at local community banks. BestCashCow research has shown that community banks and credit unions offer the most competitive rates on longer-maturity CDs. Otherwise, you'd be better off keeping your money liquid in an online savings account.

I believe this is the best and easiest strategy for keeping your cash liquid and maximizing your savings over the next year.

Make the best of a tough savings situation in 2013

Yields may be low in 2013 but a savvy saver can boost the return with no increase in rate by rate shopping. By shopping around, a saver can earn an extra half to full percentage point. On $100,000, that's $1,000 in extra cash per year. Remember, even in today's environment, there is competition for your cash.

• Find the best savings account rates
• Find the best CD Rates

The big news this week is the downfall of the former heavyweight in the online savings arena. Salem Five Direct, which had the top online savings account paying 1.25% APY lowered their rate to 1.00% APY. That leaves AmTrust Direct with the top nationally available online savings rate at 1.05% APY.

Average rates continue their five year treck of heading down. Average one-year CD Rates dipped from .392% to .389% APY. Three year average CD rates dropped from .774% to .769% APY. Five year average CDs dropped to from 1.125% to 1.119% APY. Online savings accounts dropped from .728% to .720% APY.

Top rates Some top rates are:

• Online Savings: AmTrust Direct now has the highest rate at 1.05% APY.
• 1 Year CD: CIT Bank at 1.05% APY.
• 3 Year CD: CIT Bank at 1.44% APY
• 5 Year CD: CIT Bank at 1.85% APY and Barclays Bank Delaware at 1.85% APY.
• Rewards Checking: Hope Credit Union - 3.51% APY rewards rate up to $10,000.

Local banks and credit unions often offer better rates (especially for CDs) than online banks so be sure to check them out. View local CD rates in your area.

The chart below shows the trend in average rates since October 2012.

The difference in the rate of decline between online savings and CD rates can be viewed on the chart below, which shows the spread between online savings account rates and 12 month CDs. The spread still remains very elevated although it has come down a bit in recent weeks as online savings rates have declined a bit. On average, online savings account rates pay .331 percentage points more than 1 year CDs, up from .23 percentage points more at the beginning of last year.

General rate environment

The government and private sector released very little economic data this past week. One point is that the S&P 500 rose to its highest level in 5 years this week. Low interest rates have propelled the stock market for the past five years and the music has not stopped playing. I don't see the rising stock market as an indicator of higher interest rates ahead, but rather as a product of the Fed's low interest rate policy. For now I am leaving my forecast unchanged although many economists are lining up and predicting 2016 will be when the Fed starts raising rates (read this article in Bloomberg).

My outlook: Savings rates will continue to drift lower for the next 10-16 months before beginning to move higher. How high and how fast they move will depend on the government's ability to stop bickering and resolve their budget and borrowing disputes, the continuation of a recent economic uptick, technological advances, and the ability of Europe to put its woes behind it and resolve its fiscal problems.

My reasoning includes:

• The Fed has committed to keeping rates exceptionally low as long as unemployment is above 6 1/2 percent. It currently stands at 7.9%. At the current rate of decline, it will take at least 2-3 years to get to 7.9%. If the economy picks up, it could get there sooner.
• The economy has picked up a bit of steam in the last couple of quarters. But GDP growth of 1-2% will not be enough to quickly bring down the unemployment rate. I project steady but moderate economic growth of around 2.5% in 2013.
• Bank are awash in cash from individuals and corporations and do not need more deposit dollars. Third quarter 2012 FDIC data showed banks had over $9 trillion in deposits, up from $8.5 trillion in the third quarter of 2011. Many banks are having trouble figuring out how to deploy their cash. Part of this is because of lending fears and credit quality and the other part is due to increased governmental oversight.
• Demographic trends are unfavorable. Unfortunately, the United States has entered a demographic slide. As the large baby boom generation ages and retires, this puts a large strain on the country's productivity and spending. I believe that demographics is a general driver of economic development. A young population lifts all boats. An aging will leave quite a few boats stranded and make it difficult for the others. Japan and Europe have even worse demographic problems and their economies reflect that. As China's population ages, look for its growth to ebb. This demographic slide will be a factor for the next ten to twenty years, not stopping growth, but certainly acting as a headwind.
• Government grid-lock. The debt ceiling threat has been raised for now but sequestration still looms. It's clear that these battles will continue to occur anytime a budget decision is needed until one philosophy prevails. At this point, a bi-partisan solution looks unlikely. The partisan bickering does little to establish confidence.
• Local, state, and government cuts and tax increases are going to slow the economy. Even if sequestration is avoided, government at all levels is cutting back and raising taxes. At this point, it looks doubtful that businesses and the consumer will be able to make up the difference (especially with rising taxes).

Savings Accounts or CDs?

The data continues to show that opening a savings account is a better bet than a 1-3 year term CD and I expect this to hold through 2013. Online savings accounts have held the line over the past year while CD rates continue to fall.

So for now, here are my recommendations:

For money you want to keep liquid, go with online savings accounts. They offer better rates than 1-3 year CDs and have shown good rate stability over the past year.

For longer-term money, look to open 4-5 year CDs at local community banks. BestCashCow research has shown that community banks and credit unions offer the most competitive rates on longer-maturity CDs.

I believe this is the best and easiest strategy for keeping your cash liquid and maximizing your savings over the next year.

Make the best of a tough savings situation in 2013

Yields may be low in 2013 but a savvy saver can boost the return with no increase in rate by rate shopping. By shopping around, a saver can earn an extra half to full percentage point. On $100,000, that's $1,000 in extra cash per year. Remember, even in today's environment, there is competition for your cash.

• Find the best savings account rates
• Find the best CD Rates

For several months, Salem Five Direct had been offering the top online savings rate in the US at 1.25%.

For those that did not open an account previously, the rate has now been lowered to 1%.

Those who had previously opened an account received a note explaining that their rate would still be 1.25%, but cited an “interest rate environment in constant flux” and made no commitments on how long the rate would hold.

The 1% rate for new depositors remains among the most competitive for online savings accounts. In addition, the bank continues to offer the rate to a maximum deposit of $500,000 for those depositors who are comfortable relying on the Massachusetts DIF insurance for deposits over the $250,000 FDIC limit. BestCashCow covered DIF insurance several years ago and it is still true that no depositor covered by the fund has ever lost money.

There are plusses and minuses to a Salem Five Direct Online Savings Account. Besides the attractive rate, the account has some nice security features including required text coding and callbacks to finalize money transfers in and out. On the negative side, the bank has some restrictive limits on money movement, limiting outbound ACH transfers to $2,000 per day and charging a $20 fee per transfer. Inbound ACH transfers are limited to $5,000 per day and $25,000 per month. The bank also assesses fees to receive inbound wire transfers, as well as to execute outbound ones.

The rate is still attractive but many savers might find the transfer limits and fees to be a non-starter.