#11 Titanic – $150 Million
The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today ’s dollars).

#10 Tanker Truck vs Bridge – $358 Million
On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany. The tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4 Autobahn resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the load-bearing ability of the bridge. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million. 

#9 MetroLink Crash – $500 Million
On September 12, 2008, in what was one of the worst train crashes in California history, 25 people were killed when a Metrolink commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles. It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a red signal while the conductor was busy text messaging.. Wrongful death lawsuits are expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink. 

#8 B-2 Bomber Crash – $1.4 Billion
Here we have our first billion dollar accident (and we’re only #8 on the list). This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to eject to safety. 

#7 Exxon Valdez – $2.5 Billion
The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world ‘ s biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due to the remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship ‘ s master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship crashed into a Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion. 

#6 Piper Alpha Oil Rig – $3.4 Billion
The world’s worst off-shore oil disaster. At one time, it was the world’s single largest oil producer, spewing out 317,000 barrels of oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine maintenance, technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential in preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical safety valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a mistake and forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a technician pressed a start button for the liquid gas pumps and the world’s most expensive oil rig accident was set in motion. Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages. 

#5 Challenger Explosion – $5.5 Billion
The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. It failed to seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside. This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid hydrogen causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle was $2 billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today’s dollars). The cost of investigation, problem correction, and replacement of lost equipment cost $450 million from 1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today’s dollars). 

#4 Prestige Oil Spill – $12 Billion
On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm off Galicia , Spain .. Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to take the ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain tried to get help from the French and Portuguese authorities, but they too ordered the ship away from their shores. The storm eventually took its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker splitting in half and releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea. 
According to a report by the Pontevedra Economist Board, the total cleanup cost $12 billion. 

#3 Space Shuttle Columbia - $13 Billion
The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in NASA’s orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings during launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today’s dollars.. $500 million was spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft accident investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris cost $300 million.  In the end, the total cost of the accident (not including replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.. 

#2 Chernobyl - $200 Billion
On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster has been called the biggest socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area ofUkraine is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be evacuated and resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected by the disaster. The death toll attributed to Chernobyl, including people who died from cancer years later, is estimated at 125,000. The total costs including cleanup, resettlement, and compensation to victims has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The cost of a new steel shelter for the Chernobyl nuclear plant will cost $2 billion alone. The accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who violated plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed. 

#1 Electing Obama President - $800 Billion in the first  month….. (and counting)

I’m not trying to make a political statement here, but I am disgusted by the financial irresponsibility of our federal government and corporate America.

With all our forefathers did to give us the freedoms we enjoy today, I am extremely proud to call myself an American.  I pray the leaders of this country, whether black, white, liberal or conservative, will not let their egos or greed get in the way of leading us out of our current economic recession.

However,  after reading the fine print there aren’t any major stipulations.  They require that you open the account with at least $50 and keep the account opened for a minimum of 6 months.  The $50 bonus will be credited immediately upon opening the account.  The account has no monthly balance requirements and no monthly services fees.   One downfall may be that the free checking account is a non-interest bearing account so this won’t be a place to store much money.  But for me it will work great, I will “invest” $50 for six months and get a 100% return on my money….not bad.

Here is a link to application

When you click the link to see the deal be sure to click the “see all plans available” link above the checkout button to see all of the subscription plans available.  Offer valid thru December 22, 2008.

As always, be sure to read the fine print, here are a few of the highlights.

Terms & Conditions: Any BLOCKBUSTER Online plan qualifies for the $25 Cash Back Offer, so long as you remain a paid subscriber for one monthly billing cycle. Please note however that any plan changes made to your account prior to the end of your free trial will nullify the remaining period of your free trial and you will be charged for the new plan selected.

Eligibility:You must be a new BLOCKBUSTER Online subscriber in order to take advantage of the free trial to BLOCKBUSTER Online and this Offer. Current BLOCKBUSTER Online (BLOCKBUSTER Total Access™ or BLOCKBUSTER® By Mail) subscribers are ineligible for this Offer. Additionally, you must have a United States PayPal account to be eligible for this Offer. Your PayPal account must be in good standing. Restricted, locked or closed PayPal accounts are ineligible. You must have a confirmed email address (confirmed by PayPal) to redeem your cash back payment from your PayPal account.

Click here for further details

If you are a Bank of America credit card holder you can get $75 free for opening a MyAccess Free Checking Account.  I am not actually a Bank of America credit card holder so I am not able to complete the offer, but it seems pretty straight forward and easy to do.

According the Bank of America website it’s 3 quick easy steps to the $75.

1. Open your new MyAccess Checking^® account online with offer code CH75TAD
2. Fund your new account with $25 within 30 days
3. Receive your $75 within 90 days of account opening

The MyAccess checking account has no minimum balance requirements, no fees and no direct deposit requirements.  It looks like the only stipulation is you must be a Bank of America credit card holder and you must keep the account open for 90 days to get the $75 deposited.  Good luck for those who qualify, you can’t beat FREE MONEY!!!

Click Here to Sign Up

Personally, I have found these accounts as a perfect place to store my six month emergency fund along with my monthly savings. Because most of these institutions don’t have physical stores the accounts are designed to link to an existing checking account. This makes the transfer of money from one account to another very easy.

While the following list is not an exhaustive list of all the different accounts available, they are some of the more popular ones with no fees and no minimum balances. If there is one you think I should be including just leave a comment and let me know.

Rates effective as of July 6, 2009.

HSBC Direct

1.55% APY $1 to open an account. No Minimum balance requirement. No monthly fees. You can connect HSBC Direct to as many checking accounts as you want, regardless of what bank they’re at.
More Information:
» HSBC Direct Info Page

FNBO Direct

1.50% APY No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and you can open an account with as little as a $1. They allow you to link to 3 external bank accounts.
More Information:
» FNBO Direct Info Page

Washington Mutual

0.75% APY In order to open the online savings account WAMU requires it to be linked to a WAMU checking account. Only $1 to open. No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Must open online to get high rate.
More Information:
» WAMU Info Page

E-Trade Financial

0.95% APY No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. It only takes $1 to open an account.
Free, one-click money transfers to and from any institution.
More Information:
» E-Trade Info Page

ING Direct

1.40% APY No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. No penalties. No hidden costs. No service charges. They were one of the first to enter in the online savings arena. Great customer support and referral program.
More Information:
» ING Direct Info Page
» $25 Account Bonus

EmigrantDirect

1.55% APY No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. No penalties. No hidden costs. No service charges. They allow you to link to 3 external bank accounts. Good customer support.
More Information:
» EmigrantDirect Info Page

I know this may not be worth it for some, but I figured I’d throw it out there. An idea would be to open up a Citi Professional Credit Card that gives the $100 gift card bonus. However, in order to qualify for the $100 gift card you must make combined purchases of over $250. Why not trade money for money and pick up an extra $100 in the process.

How it Works:
If you open an account with at least $250, ING Direct will deposit a $25 bonus in your account. Once you have an account open they offer an additional $10 thank you bonus for any referrals made by you. If 50 of your friends or family each open a new account with at least a $250 initial deposit, you will earn $10 each up to $500.

Advantages of ING Direct:

• No need to change banks. Your Orange Savings will be automatically linked to your current checking account
• Access your account around the clock via ingdirect.com
• Open and fund your account online in under 5 minutes
• Transfer money among all your banking accounts
• Pays Variable Rate of 1.40% APY (Effective 07/06/09)
• No Fees
• No Minimums
• $10 bonus for each referral after account opening
• FDIC Insured

Steps to opening an account:

#1 – Click on one of the referral links below.

#2 – Make sure you don’t see the follow text at the top of the page.

We’re sorry, but the referral link within the email you received has expired and is no longer valid. We recommend that you contact the sender and ask them to re-send the referral email. Or click ‘Continue’ to proceed with the application process without the account opening bonus.

If you do see the above text please try another link. If all links are full email me at admin@pocketfinancialplanner.com and I will update the links.

#3 – Once you find an unused link please click the “Open Now” button at the bottom page and you should see the following

Start savings with a great rate. To receive your $25 bonus, open and fund your Orange Savings Account with at least a $250 initial deposit.

#4 – Fill out the simple one page application and deposit at least $250 and your $25 bonus will be deposited instantly. There is no need for any referral code as it is tracked by clicking through the links below.

Enjoy your FREE $25!!

Links: