The 10 Best Personal Finance Jingles of All Time

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Since the early 1920s, advertising jingles have been coaxing their way into our conscious, and subconscious, minds. Advertising agencies use them as a way to plant a seed, so that when you need a specific product or service, you are instantly reminded of one in particular. They don't even need to be poetic, or artfully crafted. Perhaps the most famous jingle of all time was the one that ended the Mad Men finale recently — "I'd like to buy the world a Coke." And who can forget the Oscar Meyer wiener jingle? Even the dull old world of personal finance can be livened up with a jingle.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 of the best personal finance jingles of all time. They are catchy, they are memorable, and while you may have otherwise forgotten about the product or services they recommend, you certainly haven't forgot the tunes!

1. FreeCreditReport.Com

You cannot deny the instant hits that were the FreeCreditReport.com jingles. There were nine of them in total, and they garnered millions of hits on YouTube. Chances are, you're already humming the tune after seeing the title.

The most memorable of the nine talked about a guy trying to buy a car. It began: "Well I was shopping for a new car, which one's me? A cool convertible or an SUV? Too bad I didn't know my credit was whack, 'cause now I'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact. F-R-E-E that spells free, credit report dot com baby."

Of course, someone had to pay for those ads, and that money came from signups that were not free at all; you had to pay for a $14.95 per month service after a $1 seven-day trial. The truly free credit reports AnnualCreditReport.com where you can request one from each of the three major credit-reporting bureaus every year.

2. State Farm

It's impossible not to start singing "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there" when you see or hear the words "State Farm." Specializing in insurance products, the company was founded in 1922 by a retired farmer and insurance salesman called George Jacob Mecherie. The ads and jingles have actually evolved from something quite sappy and sentimental into something more memorable and witty, with the latest being about State Farm insurance agents magically appearing when regular members of the public (played by actors) sing the little ditty. Admit it. You're singing it now.

3. Kars 4 Kids

Personally, I think this has to be one of the worst jingles ever perpetrated on the American public. It's just awful. It's mundane, it's monotone, it's irritatingly repetitive…and yet, when you hear it you are humming it for the rest of the day. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this is a product we can all get behind. Instead of just giving your old, broken car to a junkyard, you can donate it to Kars 4 Kids and also get a nice write-off on your taxes. But oh, that jingle…make it stop!

4. American Family Insurance

This is hardly an inspired jingle, lyrically speaking anyway. The advertising agency simply put the name of the company to music, using a woman's voice to sing the name instead of speaking it. However, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. It may have been years since you saw or heard a jingle my American Family Insurance, but now that five or so seconds of warm and fuzziness is stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Sorry about that.

5. Marine Midland Bank

You have to blow the dust off the archives to remember this one from a bank that no longer exists (although if you're part of the HSBC banking group, MMB is in there…somewhere). The jingle will bring memories flooding back to many of you though — "Tell it…to the marine!" Tell what? Well, whatever you wanted, from a loan to a decent interest rate, MMB was the place to go.

6. Bank of America

Considering the double meaning of the word "bank," it's surprising more financial institutions didn't use a "You can bank on us" direction for their tagline or jingle. Clearly the biggest one to exploit this was Bank of America, who in the late 80s employed the jingle — Bank On the Leader, Bank of America. It's catchy and memorable to this day. (Scroll to 9:01)

7. JG Wentworth

Something that a good jingle will do (and remember, in this case good doesn't mean clever), is drill the company's phone number and service into your head. If it can do it quickly and with a tune you cannot forget, you have a winner. JG Wentworth is still getting mileage out of this operatic jingle, which goes "Call JG Wentworth, 877-cash-now!" Repetitive, and infuriatingly impossible to get out of your head once you've heard it, you cannot deny it works. As for the service they provide, learn the downsides before cashing in an annuity or settlement.

8. TSB (Trustee Savings Bank)

This one may be unfamiliar to anyone who did not grow up in England, but it has to be included for the way it made the word YES become synonymous with a bank. The jingle, "TSB…the bank that likes to say YES!" was everywhere for a few years in England, and it was an approach that not only made the bank appear friendly, but also very open for business. At a time when many banks were saying no to people for loans, both business and personal, TSB had these ads running. The clever part — it doesn't actually mean anything! Just because they LIKE to say yes, it doesn't mean you're getting your loan. It doesn't even mean you're getting an account. Smart thinking from the ad agency.

9. GoCompare.com

Another one from the UK, you will be humming this one all day even if you've never heard it before. As jingles go, it's right on the money. It's repetitive, it includes the company name a bunch of times, and it does it with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer — "Go compare, go compare, to be sure when you insure first go compare!" And it's all done with some bizarre parody of a Pavarottian-style singer whose moustache is curlier than wine corkscrew.

10. Mastercard International

We've saved the jingliest jingle for last (Scroll to 3:03). It's odd to think this one came out of the 80s, it has all the style and sophistication of an ad from…the 1970s! Yes, it's "So worldy, so welcome, so worldy, so welcome." Looking at it now, it seems a tad dated. But in the 1980s, it was too, so don't feel too bad. However, this is one that will be stuck in your head when you're trying to get to sleep tonight. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Which personal finance jingles do you remember, even when you don't want to? Post your favorites in the comments section.