The financial crisis that was triggered by the mortgage meltdown of the past year has many people wondering about the safety of their money. Should you be one of them?

It depends primarily on where your money is located. On Oct. 3, Congress increased federal insurance on deposits at FDIC-insured banks from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor. However, this increase is only temporary, effective through Dec. 31, 2009.

In addition, certain types of retirement accounts at FDIC-insured banks are insured for up to $250,000 through the end of next year, including traditional and Roth IRAs and SEPs. Note that this limit applies to the sum of all of retirement accounts added together. Similarly, deposits at credit unions that are members of the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) are also insured up to $250,000 through the end of next year.

Bank and credit union money market deposit accounts are covered up to $250,000, but their balances are lumped in with all of your other accounts toward the $250,000 limit. Money market mutual funds are not insured; however, their share prices do not fluctuate (they remain constant at $1).

Note that some institutions call themselves ‘banks’ but they aren’t actually registered with the FDIC. You can make sure your bank is FDIC insured by looking it up on the FDIC’s institution directory (http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp) or calling the FDIC’s consumer hotline at 877-ASK-FDIC.

Brokerage accounts, meanwhile, are insured up to $500,000 (with a $100,000 limit on cash) by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, or SIPC. This insurance only covers against the failure of a brokerage firm, not against the potential lost value of your investments.