Summer movie season is approaching!  As you settle in to watch the man of steel save the world, see how monsters learned how to scare, or watch thick-necked men drive around in the millionth Fast and Furious movie, you might notice that these flicks are taking a heavy toll on your wallet, and they’re only getting more expensive.  Regal Entertainment CEO David Ownby said that the price of 2-D movies will rise 3-4% this year, as it has over the past few years.  3-D effects can add up to $5 to overall ticket costs.

Movie prices vary widely based on location.  NerdWallet has listed the most expensive and cheapest cities to watch your favorite summer flicks.  The prices listed are for first-run new releases shown 6-10 pm on Saturdays at indoor theaters.

The Least Expensive Cities for Moviegoers

The Worst Cities for Moviegoers

Data is from the ACCRA cost of living index

Fantrotter is a new tool that allows travelling music fans to plan a vacation around a concert.

It’s nerdy, I know. But it’s something some of us do. I, once, for fall break my senior year of college, drove 13 hours to Toronto to see Portishead.

Fantrotter helps fans like me put a dollar-amount on that kind of trip. Included in their price aggregator is:

• The cost of the ticket.
• The cost of a flight to the given city (the app pinpoints the closest airport to you)>
• The cost of a hotel room for a 2-night stay.
• The cost of renting a car
• The total of all these costs
• A sidebar that compares those totals, for each tour date, so you can find the best deal

Alongside those estimates are links to some of the most-popular vacation-bookers, like Expedia and Hotel.com, so you can take care of all your vacation needs in one fell swoop.

Fantrotter’s a nifty tool then, although the user interface isn’t the cleanest. There are too many fonts and colors competing for your attention when a simpler picture would do. But it’s certainly functional. And for music fans who love to dream of seeing their favorite band, Fantrotter puts them one step closer.

Photo courtesy of GothEric

The people of Old Dominion honor their state’s past and look forward to a bright future, both for businesses big and small and the families who reside there.

The state’s become increasingly well known as one of the nation’s corporate hubs, and the unemployment rate’s the lowest in the southeastern states. It’s no wonder why population growth is 50 percent higher than the national average.

With these trends in mind, NerdWallet wanted to answer this question: What brings so many young families to this state?

Financial stability isn’t the only appeal. And so, as we studied the state, we asked a number of questions, including the following:

1. How are the public schools? We compiled scores from GreatSchools, a nonprofit that evaluates a given school’s standardized test scores in comparison to the state average. Those ratings are on a 1 to 10 scale. Higher ratings led to a higher overall score.
2. Can you afford to live there? We looked at the cost of buying a home, including ongoing, monthly home costs like mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance costs, utilities, fuels and other bills. Lower costs led to a higher overall score.
3. Is the town prospering? We assessed a town’s local economy with its current median household income as well as income growth over the last decade. Higher income and greater growth led to a higher overall score.

Best Cities for Young Families

1. Glen Allen

Henrico County in general is growing quickly, and Glen Allen in particular is home to three Fortune 500 companies. Business is booming here, and really all around the city of Richmond, providing the residents of Glen Allen with a healthy job market.

2. Vienna

Vienna is home to the Virginians who work in corporate-heavyweight Tysons Corner. More and more people are flocking here, too: homes have been selling quickly, and home values are already up 17 percent from last year – real estate is booming once again in Vienna.

3. Fairfax

Fairfax has already seen great success in the last decade with a growth rate of 46.80 percent, and it’s clearly continuing to be proactive about economic development. The city government plans to expand the downtown area to bring together both the city of Fairfax and the 30,000 students who call George Mason University home.

4. Salem

Salem is by far the most budget-friendly city on the list. Homeownership is extremely affordable, with an average price of $166,200. Nestled in the hills outside of Roanoke, it offers sublime natural beauty, too, especially in the fall, as the trees become maroon, bright orange and yellow.

5. Bon Air

Originally, Bon Air was a haven just for the wealthy of Richmond because of its pleasant climate, great views and convenient access to the city. It’s still populated with up-scale, historical Victorian homes, but it’s also become more accessible for young families. While the rest of the greater Richmond area has expanded significantly in the last ten years, Bon Air’s contained size has allowed it to maintain a small-town feel.

6. Burke

Nearly a fifth of Burke works in public administration, with the nation’s capitol just next door. D.C. may be more widely known, but there’s plenty to love in Burke, too. It’s a small, planned community, with just 1,700 acres split into five neighborhoods – and it’s also got five public pools to match. Don’t mistake a small and compact size for a sleepy town!

7. Mechanicsville

Mechanicsville is home to strong middle-class families, who earn, on average, $69k a year. The town does its part to help these families thrive, too. Among its most attractive features is a supportive local economy. Take for example the county-sponsored seminars that help young entrepreneurs and small-business owners in the area set up shop, with marketing and networking tutorials.

8. Oakton

Oakton’s taken the lead in Northern Virginia’s effort to galvanize the local economy, and, thus far, it’s worked – unemployment is just over 4 percent. Earlier this summer, small businesses from the city joined other Nova tech startups at a summit to discuss the industry’s role in the global economy.

9. McLean

Industry is booming here and in neighboring Tysons Corner. Six Fortune 500 companies call McLean home, including Capital One, Booz Allen Hamilton and Exelis. The residents, too, are exceedingly well-off. Home values are, on average, $800,000 and income levels are high as well. The average salary is $170,933, more than three times the national average. It follows that, with a booming local economy, the public schools are excellent as well. Two of McLean’s high schools are among the top ten in the state, according to U.S. News and World Report.

10. Chesapeake

Chesapeake is one of the most highly educated cities in America, with over 27 percent having a bachelor’s degree — that’s 10 points greater than the national average. Naturally, high-level job opportunities abound here, too, with a number of Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the city, including Dollar Tree.

Methodology

The overall score for each city was derived from the following measures:

1. GreatSchools city rating. GreatSchools city ratings are calculated by averaging the weighted overall rating for each school in the city (weighted by the number of students enrolled at the school)
2. Median home value from the U.S. Census (2011 ACS, data set DP04, half-weighted)
3. Monthly homeowner costs from the U.S. Census (2011 ACS, data set DP04, half-weighted)
4. Median household income from the U.S. Census (2011 ACS, data set DP03, half-weighted)
5. Income change between 1999 and 2011 from the from the U.S. Census (data sets P053 and DP03, half-weighted)

82 Virginia cities, towns and villages designated as places by the U.S. Census were included in this analysis. Only places with a population greater than 15,000 were considered.

Over the next few months, countless Americans will take to the road or the sky for summer vacations. For most, the cost of a flight or hotel is of primary concern, but there other important travel costs that travelers may not take into consideration: bank fees. Making a withdrawal at an out of network ATM (one that’s not owned by the bank) often results in a fee, on top of whatever the machine itself might charge. For globetrotting Americans, the fee can be even higher at international ATMs. Even swiping a card to make a purchase in a foreign country typically results in a debit card foreign transaction fee up to 3% of the amount.

Not all checking accounts are equally fee-laden. To help consumers determine which banks might charge the most on their trip, NerdWallet compiled data on 4 different factors for personal checking accounts at 20 of the largest U.S. banks. These factors include:

• Fees: NerdWallet analyzed out of network ATM fees, international ATM fees, and foreign transaction fees at each bank
• Access: NerdWallet analyzed the number of branches that each bank operates in the top 10 U.S. states by domestic travel expenditures (CA, FL, TX, NY, IL, NV, PA, VA, GA, NJ)

Which banks have the highest fees for summer travelers?

While these banks are not necessarily poor options in general, some of their fees and branch availability may make it difficult for travelers to avoid extra costs.

1. M&T Bank

As a Buffalo, NY headquartered bank, M&T primarily serves customers across New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other east coast states. The bank’s out of network ATM fee is the highest NerdWallet measured, at $3.00 (which rises to $5.00 for international ATMs). M&T also charges a 3% foreign exchange fee. Finally, vacationers might find it difficult to find a branch at their destination, since there are a total of just 514 branches across the most traveled states. M&T does offer a checking account “add-on” that waives out of network ATM fees, but it will cost you an extra $4.95 per month.

2. Regions Bank

Regions is headquartered in Birmingham, AL and operates branches throughout the southeastern United States. The bank’s out of network ATM fee is above average for both domestic ($2.50) and international ($5.00) withdrawals. Like many of the other banks studied, they also levy a 3% foreign exchange fee on international travelers. Finally, with just 670 branches across top U.S. destinations, a Regions Bank location could be difficult to track down while on the road.

3. Citizens Bank

Citizens Bank, owned by British bank the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), is headquartered in Providence, RI and operates throughout most northeastern states as well as the Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland metro areas. Like M&T Bank, Citizens charges the most among the banks we measured for domestic out of network withdrawals ($3.00), but does not increase that fee for international withdrawals. They also charge the nearly ubiquitous 3% foreign transaction fee for transactions in a foreign currency. Finally, the bank had one of the lowest numbers of branches available in popular travel destination states, with just 230.

4. BB&T

BB&T serves customers in many parts of the southeastern United States and is headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC. Their $2.50 fee for using another bank’s ATM rises to $5.00 when outside the country, in which case travelers also face a 3% foreign exchange fee.  Though BB&T’s branch network is slightly stronger in popular travel destinations (Florida, for example), their 930 locations still places below average among the 20 banks measured.

5. PNC Bank

PNC is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA and operates branches across much of the eastern United States. The bank charges $2.50 for domestic out of network ATM withdrawals, $5.00 for those in international locations and a 3% foreign transaction fee, all of which are above average. However, PNC does best the other banks highlighted here by offering over 1,400 branches across popular travel destination states, which was the 4^th highest among the 20 banks studied.

How can consumers eliminate or reduce bank fees while traveling?

Just as some banks charge extra for services used often by travelers, other financial institutions are more lenient when it comes to fees. Some online checking accounts at banks like Charles Schwab and Capital One 360 don’t charge out of network ATM fees or foreign exchange fees.

Local institutions like credit unions and community banks may also be a good option, despite their limited geographic range. This is because many are part of surcharge-free ATM and branch networks like CO-OP, which offers thousands of free ATMs nationwide. Plus, when local banks and credit unions do charge an ATM or foreign exchange fee, they are typically lower than at the big banks.

Even big bank customers have some options to avoid or reduce bank fees while traveling. Bank of America participates in the Global ATM Alliance, which allows customers to withdraw from ATMs at partnering foreign banks such as Barclays and Deutshe Bank without incurring additional fees (though a 1% foreign exchange fee will still apply).  Some other banks, such as M&T Bank and Union Bank offer monthly “add-ons” for their checking accounts, which will waive some or all out of network fees for a flat monthly rate of around $3-$5. Finally, TD bank is the only one of the 20 banks analyzed that charges no foreign transaction fee.

Finally, college students and seniors may be able to take advantage of reduced or waived ATM fees when they sign up for a particular checking account. For example, BB&T’s Student Checking account allows 4 free non-BB&T ATM transactions per month.

Full data table

*Greater of $5 or 3% of amount
**Fee is $1.75 in California
†Fee is 1% for ATM transactions, 3% for point-of-sale purchases
‡Data is for Capital One’s traditional bank accounts, rather than their online brand Capital One 360

Methodology

The overall score for each bank was derived from the following measures:

1. Out of Network ATM Fee (Domestic): information available through each bank
2. Out of Network ATM Fee (International): information available through each bank
3. Foreign Exchange Fee): information available through each bank
4. Branches in Top Travel Destinations: Branch locations via the FDIC, and domestic travel expenditures by state for 2009 via the Census Bureau

From June 16 to June 22nd, get 60,000 bonus points with the Chase Ink Bold and Ink Plus when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months, and $250 cash back on the Chase Ink Cash when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. In honor of Small Business Week, Chase is upping the signup bonus on its popular Ink business credit card suite, making the cards even more attractive. Even better, the Ink Bold and Ink Plus points are worth 25% more when you use the points for travel, so these increased signup bonuses are worth up to $750 in travel. But act fast – this offer’s only around for Small Business Week.

Ink Plus® Business Card	Ink Bold® Business Card
Signing Promo
Limited-time bonus offer! Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.	Limited-time bonus offer! Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Intro APR Promo
Purchase: None Bal Trans: None	Purchase: None Bal Trans: None
Annual fee
$0 Intro Annual Fee for the first year. After that, $95.	$0 Intro Annual Fee for the first year, then $95
Details
Limited-time bonus offer! Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. With Ink Plus, you have the cash flow flexibility with the choice to pay over time or pay in full Earn 5X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services Earn 2X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and for hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel No foreign transaction fees 1:1 point transfer to participating travel programs with no transfer fees Get 20% off travel redemptions when booked through Ultimate Rewards.	Limited-time bonus offer! Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. No interest charges because it's a pay in full charge card. Earn 5X points per dollar in select business categories. 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs. No foreign transaction fees Direct access to a live service advisor anytime. $0 Intro Annual Fee for the first year, then $95.

What’s the best Chase Ink card?

The Chase Ink Plus is pretty much the best offer out there. The rewards are pretty sweet: 5 points per $1 on office supplies and utilities, up to $50k a year; 2 points per $1 on gas and lodging, also up to $50k a year; and an unlimited 1 point per $1 elsewhere. But the real value’s in the perks – 2 free passes to the Lounge Club annually, and no foreign transaction fees. And as we mentioned, your points are worth 25% more if you use them for travel booked through Chase.

The Ink Bold is pretty much the same as the Ink Plus, with one caveat: It’s a charge card, so you have to pay your balance in full every month.

The Chase Ink Cash is a lighter version of the Bold and Plus. While those two cards have a $95 annual fee (waived the first year), the Ink Cash has no annual fee ever. However, it earns 5 points per $1 on office supplies and utilities up to just $25k a year, and 2 points per $1 on gas and dining up to $25k a year. It also has a foreign transaction fee, no lounge access, and you can’t take advantage of the awesome 25% points boost when redeemed for travel. So which card is the best for your small business?

Well, we highly suggest the Ink Plus, as its signup bonus, already noteworthy, is even more significant. That heavyweight will more than make up for annual fees for years to come – and you can always take the bonus and run. But if you’re significantly averse to annual fees, well, the Chase Ink is pretty much the best no-fee business card.

But remember: the epic bonuses are only in place for June 16 through June 22, so move fast to score an extra 100 points on the Ink Plus and Bold, and $50 on the Ink Cash.

Ink Cash® Business Card
	Limited-time bonus offer! Earn $250 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 in 3 months from account opening. 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent annually at gas stations and restaurants 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn 0% introductory APR for 6 months on purchases and balance transfers No Annual Fee		Pros Bonus cash back categories No annual fee 0% for 6 mos on transfers

Annual Fee	Signup Bonus	APR , Variable*	APR Promotions
$0	Limited-time bonus offer! Earn $250 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 in 3 months from account opening.	13.24% (Variable)	0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months