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This proverbial “roller coaster” ride in the financial markets this last week could even make an ardent roller coaster lover sick to their stomach. These are unusual times with history-breaking/history-making events. Hopefully the government’s intervention plan gets the seal of approval from the legislature bodies and bring stability and order to the chaos that reigned in the markets last week.  And hopefully this stability will be for both the short-term as well as the long-term.

In case you missed the events of last week, the following articles give a heart-breaking rendering of the events that transpired and about the people that are at the forefront of reshaping the financial landscape of the country. Read this article titled, Shock Forced Paulson’s Hand (from The Wall Street Journal) as it narrates the major events last week and how Lehman’s bankruptcy disrupted the markets and caused some Money Market Mutual Funds to break the buck. If you are still interested to learn more, read this article titled, The Players Remaking Financial World. This article provides an inside scoop of what happened behind the scenes and the events leading up to the collapse of some of the storied firms in the financial world. Here is a listing of 12 failed U S banks and thrifts this year.

On the positive side, the government now has a grand proposal to rescue the economy at a whopping cost of $700 billion. Also, the last two remaining investment banks have been allowed to change their status as bank holding companies. This will enable them to create or acquire commercial banks and give them the safety of deposits and thus avoid the liquidity crisis that brought the other investment banks down.

Considering all this, things may finally be starting to calm down. But all this turmoil would naturally raise the question in consumers about the safety and availability of their prized savings and retirement funds. Also, it is natural to ask what does all this mean to me and my family?

It is probably a good idea to review the following articles and take steps to ensure the safety of your investments.

This article, Is Your Money Really Safe? Know What You Own talks about the money market fund debacle. It also provides links to the FDIC Deposit Insurance Estimator Calculator, FAQs on Deposit Insurance, a listing of recently failed banks among other things.

And here is an article outlining what FDIC insurance protects and what it does not, FDIC Insurance Protects, Except When… 

10 Ways to Protect Your Finances From The Crisis details a checklist of 10 steps you can take to safeguard the value of your savings. 

This article, Is My Money Really Safe? shares some down-to-earth, frank answers to your tough questions about banks, brokerages and mortgage companies and what you can do.