Its time to give yourself a ten-second financial check-up:

• Are all of your hard-earned dollars earning interest?

Savvy investors know that every dollar deposited at a bank, brokerage, or financial institution should be making money and that includes your short-term savings, cash investment balances, even your checking account. If not, you should be looking for somewhere else to store your dollars

There are a number of financial institutions that are showing their customers love by rewarding them with good returns on their short-term savings. So where is the best place for short-term savings? Lets take a look:

High Yield Savings Accounts

Online savings banks still offer the best place for short-term savings. I went searching for the best interest rate that you can get right now on a high yield savings account. I avoided banks with teaser rates that change after a month or two. It was important to find a reputable bank that has a history of high returns.

Ive been saving with Capital One 360 online savings account since 2006; their combination of security, a great online interface and the ability to save for multiple goals within one account make it a great choice.

Interest-Bearing Checking Accounts

Your checking account should be paying you interest on your money. That may sound surprising, but it shouldn’t be. Banks should pay you for the privilege of holding your money. Most commercial banks either don’t pay interest on checking accounts or require huge minimums to pay a low interest rate. If you want to earn interest on your checking account, you should take a look at online banks.

FNBO Direct is paying account holders a 0.65% APR on new bill-pay accounts. This interest rate is higher than the rate that commercial banks are currently paying on savings accounts. The minimum balance to open a new account is just one dollar. Open an FNBO bill-pay account now.

Certificates of Deposit

Savers that are looking for the best return on their money on a long-term basis should take a look at a certificate of deposit. CD’s have terms that typically run from a period of 3 months to 5 years. Rates will increase as the CD term gets longer.

You can get the best rate on a CDs by shopping online, as these change quite often. Most CDs will have minimum deposits of $500 or more, and patient investors can get a higher rate on a longer term CD.

View a complete list of the best CD rates.

Online Stock Brokers

If you are looking for the best low-cost brokers. you should take a look at TradeKing.com which charges just $4.95 for every buy and sell transaction.

If you are seeking more investment options, you should check out Scottrade and E*Trade might fit the bill. Scottrade is just $7 per trade and E*Trade is just $9.99. The prices may be higher but it’s worth it for all of the trading tools and research that they provide.

Now that you are aware of the best rates available, you can negotiate a better deal for your money. Be sure to look for the maximum rate that you can earn on guaranteed investments like savings accounts, checking accounts, and CD’s. Remember that every extra dollar that you earn in interest is one less dollar that you have to work for.

Do you know of any other investments that are paying investors a decent rate on short-term cash savings?