Primis Bank: Premium Checking and Saving 4.35% APY (5.03% APY for Grandfathered Customers)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Update 2/17/23: Primis announced that new customers will only get 4.35% APY. Existing customers who got in while it was 5.03% APY will be grandfathered in for the time being (duration unknown).

You were one of the first – and you deserve the best.

Thanks for being one of the first customers to take advantage of our Primis Premium Checking. You’re earning the top-notch annual percentage yield (APY) of 5.03% and we’re glad you’re here.

Soon, you may see on our website that our APY is changing to 4.35%. This will not apply to you. As an early adopter of our digital platform, you will continue to earn 5.03% APY. While our rates are always subject to change, we want to currently hold your rate at the highest level possible.

Original post:

Primis Bank is relatively unknown, but is sure to gather some new deposits with their 5.03% APY Premium checking and 5.03% APY Primis savings accounts (rate as of 1/31/23).

Premium Checking details:

  • 5.03% APY as of 1/30/23.
  • No minimum balance requirement.
  • Open with just $1.
  • Must open online.
  • Free cashier’s checks and starter pack of checks.
  • Free ATM rebates.

Primis Savings details:

  • 5.03% APY as of 1/30/23.
  • No minimum balance requirement.
  • Open with just $1.

This is notable as it breaks the 5% barrier as a non-“rewards” checking account and there are no minimum debit card usage requirements. Found via DepositAcccounts. I don’t see any maximum deposit limit on the APY either, but keep in mind that there is no rate guarantee on these checking and savings so the rate can change at any time in the future.

Added: Reader Adam says to make sure to download the “Primis Digital Mobile App” and not the other one which applies to their physical branch accounts (their two systems are currently separate). You may have issues syncing your existing bank (or Personal Capital) with Primis because they try to log into the physical branch account interface and not their online-only accounts.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


CreditUnion1 High Yield Savings Plus $1,000 Deposit Bonus

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

CreditUnion1 is offering a $1,000 bonus on its High Yield Savings Plus account. This promo requires a $100,000 minimum deposit held for 12 months, so it has a limited audience, but it does provide an opportunity to understand why some of these flat deposit bonuses aren’t as great as they might seem. Thanks to the readers that sent it in. Let’s start with the fine print:

2 This is a limited time offer available only from 1.17.23 to 3.15.23 and cannot be combined with any other offers. The $1,000 bonus (Bonus) will be deposited into your CU1 High Yield Savings Plus (HYS+) account at the end of the business day on the day you open the HYS+ account by making a minimum $100,000 deposit balance of new money from a competitor financial institution to earn dividends. The $1,000 bonus will start earning interest immediately but not be eligible for withdrawal until the account has a balance of $100,000 or greater for twelve (12) consecutive calendar months from the date of opening of the HYS+ account. Bonus is considered interest and will be reported on 1099-INT. Offer may be cancelled at any time without notice. Account Closure: If the HYS+ account is closed by the member or Credit Union1 or balance drops below $100,000 within 12 months after opening, Credit Union1 will deduct the Bonus from the HYS+ account at closing.

You must deposit a minimum of $100,000 in new money and keep it there for at least 12 months. If you go below $100,000 at any time during those 12 months, you lose the entire $1,000 bonus. Therefore, this is in effect a 12-month certificate with a early withdrawal penalty.

Separately, the base interest rate of 3.75% APY currently is not guaranteed or fixed, as it is a savings account. The rate can change at any time at their sole discretion. What if the Fed lowers rates or CU1 goes through some financial struggles and they decide to make it non-competitive a few months from now? They could drop it to 0% or 1%, but you’ll still be stuck there for 12 months if you want the $1,000 bonus. Note also that the High Yield Savings Plus account is a special account that has a minimum balance of $100,000. It’s different from their “High Yield Savings” account, so they could drop one rate and not affect the others. Not saying they will, but they could.

If the savings account rate does stay at 3.75% APY and you do get the $1,000 bonus on $100,000 held for 12 months, that is the equivalent of a 1-year CD paying 4.75% APY. That is a good rate, but many other banks and credit unions have similar term CDs at similar APYs that are guaranteed. Technically, if rates rise, you could even get more, but you could also easily get less. Personally, if I’m going to be locked in, I want a guaranteed payoff in return. I would rather have a straight-up 12-month CD paying 4.75% APY.

In the end, this is not a bad offer if the term length and deposit size fits your needs, I would personally put my money elsewhere given current options due to the way the promo is structured. Hopefully it is useful as an example of the different variables that go into comparing these offers. I have been a happy CU1 customer so far and look forward to see what other special offers they come up with.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

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Marcus Bank: $100 Bonus on $10,000 Deposit (New and Existing Customers)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs is offering a $100 bonus if you deposit $10,000+ in new funds into their online savings account within 10 days of enrollment at this special offer page. Valid for both new and existing customers. You must enroll by 2/15/2023 and maintain the new $10,000+ deposit for 90 days (after the end of the 10-day funding period). You then get the $100 after another 14 days. No offer or promo code required. They have done a similar promotion in past years (and it’s nice that you can keep doing it).

After enrolling, you must deposit $10,000 or more in new funds from an external account into your Account within 10 calendar days of enrollment (the “Funding Period”). The Account balance plus a minimum of $10,000 in new funds (the “Required Dollar Amount”) must be maintained in your Account for 90 consecutive days from the end of the Funding Period. The Account balance is based on the starting current balance reflected on your account at 12 am ET the day you enroll. Once the Funding Period has ended, your Account balance may not drop below the Required Dollar Amount at any point until after the 90 consecutive days have passed. You may make multiple deposits within the Funding Period to reach the Required Dollar Amount. Internal transfers do not count for purposes of this Offer.

Offer available to new and existing customers. Each customer is limited to one cash bonus under this Offer. This Offer can only be applied once to an account. If an Account has multiple owners, the Account is limited to being enrolled for this Offer under only one of the Account owners and receiving only one cash bonus. Remaining Account owners may be eligible to use another eligible Account to enroll in this Offer. This Offer may be combined with other promotional offers available to Marcus Online Savings Account customers.

New customer referral offer. If you don’t have a Marcus account yet, if you open with a Marcus referral link from an existing customer, you will get an extra 1.00% on all your balances for 3 months. Right now, that means 3.30% APY + 1.00% for the first 3 months. That’s my referral link, thanks if you use it! I’d open and get the referral offer first, and then later enroll in this $100 offer as an existing customer.

Bonus math. This is a 1% bonus on $10,000 if you keep it there for 90 days, which makes it the equivalent of ~4% APY annualized. The bonus is on top of the standard interest rate, currently 3.30% APY as of 1/20/2023. (3.40% APY for AARP members.) Rates can change, but a total of roughly 7.30% APY over 90 days makes it a great short-term rate at that balance size when compared to my January 2023 update of best interest rates. I have gotten the bonus in the past with no issues.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Chase Bank $900 Bonus w/ Coupon Code: Total Checking + Savings

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Chase Bank has a Total Checking + Savings account promotion offering up to $900 total for new customers that open both a checking and savings account with them along with additional specific requirements. This is a limited-time offer and significantly bigger than their usual bonus amounts. I recommend the e-mail option where you get an e-mail with confirmation subject “Your $900 coupon from Chase is here!” along with a unique 16-character coupon code. Otherwise, make sure you click on the correct online link on the $900 page to apply the proper code to your application. Current shown expiration is 4/19/2023, but it may end earlier.

The notable requirements are that you must switch over a “real” direct deposit to the checking and you’ll need a $15,000 deposit for 90 days in the savings. You enter your e-mail address, and you will get a unique code for your online application. Some of the language suggests you should reside near a physical Chase branch, but the link lets you apply online and it should work from anywhere (you will know via instant approval). If you already have a Chase credit card, the application can be pre-filled.

Chase Total Checking $300 bonus details. Checking offer is not available to existing Chase checking customers, those with fiduciary accounts, or those whose accounts have been closed within 90 days or closed with a negative balance. You must:

  1. Open a new Chase Total Checking account, which is subject to approval;
  2. Have your direct deposit made to this account within 90 days of coupon enrollment. Your direct deposit needs to be an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security) from your employer or the government.
  3. After you have completed all the above checking requirements, [Chase will] deposit the bonus in your new account within 15 days.

Avoid monthly service fees on Total Checking when you do at least one of the following each statement period. Otherwise a $12 Monthly Service Fee will apply.

  • Have monthly direct deposits totaling $500 or more made to this account; OR
  • Keep a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or more in your checking account; OR,
  • Keep an average daily balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of qualifying Chase checking, savings and other balances.

Chase Savings $200 bonus details. You must:

  1. Open a new Chase Savings account, which is subject to approval.
  2. Deposit a total of $15,000 or more in new money into the new savings account within 30 days of coupon enrollment;
  3. Maintain at least a $15,000 balance for 90 days from the date of coupon enrollment. The new money cannot be funds held by Chase or its affiliates.
  4. After you have completed all the above savings requirements, we’ll deposit the bonus in your new account within 15 days.
  5. 0.01% effective APY as of 1/18/23, in the zip codes I checked.

Avoid monthly service fees on Chase Savings when you do at least one of the following each statement period. Otherwise a $5 Monthly Service Fee will apply.

  • Keep a minimum daily balance of $300 or more in your savings account; OR,
  • Have at least one repeating automatic transfer from your Chase checking account of $25 or more. One-time transfers do not qualify; OR,
  • Chase College CheckingSM account linked to this account for Overdraft Protection, OR,
  • Account owner who is an individual younger than 18, OR
  • Have a linked Chase Premier Plus Checking, Chase Premier Platinum Checking, or Chase Private Client Checking account.

To receive the $400 extra bonus: You must open the checking and savings account at the same time and complete all requirements above for BOTH the checking bonus and savings bonus. After you have completed all requirements, [Chase] will deposit the remaining bonus due in your new account within 15 days.

I have read no reports of a “hard” credit check, and did not experience one myself on a previous offer years ago. Note that that to receive any of the above bonuses, the enrolled account must not be closed or restricted at the time of payout.

This is the highest bonus I’ve seen for this Chase combo. Earning $900 on $15,000 in 90 days is the equivalent of a 24% annualized return. The bonuses are considered interest and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT.

Bottom line. Chase is offering a big bonus to try out their checking and savings accounts (a convenient account, but also one that notably pays nearly zero interest). With a total opening deposit of $15,000 in new money, you can open both accounts and avoid both monthly fees. You’ll also need to change your direct deposit (any amount). Earning $900 on $15,000 in 90 days is the equivalent of a 24% annualized return.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Public App Treasury Account Review: 6-Month T-Bill Interest With The Ease of a Savings Account?

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Investing app Public just announced a Treasury Account which basically lets you buy and hold 6-month US Treasury Bills in a more convenient wrapper (press release). You can invest as little as $100 and they will buy the T-Bills for you (and sell them for you if you choose to withdraw).

This is done via a partnership with Jiko. From their site:

Investments in T-bills are made in $100 increments. […] T-bills are held in custody at The Bank of New York Mellon. Proceeds are automatically reinvested (i.e., T-bills are “rolled”) at maturity. When funds are needed, T-bills are liquidated on-demand.

Right now, T-Bills yield more than most online savings accounts, and their interest is also exempt from state and local income taxes. As of 1/12/23, the rate on a 6-month T-Bill is 4.80%. This number changes every minute when the market is open like a stock, unlike the usually slower pace of weekly to monthly changes for savings accounts.

Fees. I was initially somewhat excited about this account, but what was not mentioned at all in the press release, and also put at the bottom of their fine print is the fact that they charge a fee of 0.05% per month (0.60% annualized) for this service:

In exchange for the management, trading, and custody of Treasury services, Jiko charges a flat management fee of 5 basis points per month based on the average daily balance of your Treasury account. This amount will be deducted from your Treasury account on a monthly basis. Public receives a portion of that management fee as a referral fee.

I like the idea of making T-bill purchases and sales more simple and hassle-free, but 0.60% annually is a pretty significant haircut that brings the net rate much closer to the top online savings accounts. They should really include the net interest on their rate comparison charts. I know there will also be a bid/ask spread paid if you bought the T-Bills yourself on the secondary market, but you can also buy T-Bills as new issues and hold to maturity. You could also buy shorter 4-week T-Bills.

In the end, the fees basically make this comparable to a relatively-expensive short-term Treasury mutual fund or ETF. The iShares 0-3 month T-Bill ETF (ticker SGOV) only has a 0.05% expense ratio, and you can buy that ETF from any brokerage account.

The Treasury Accounts are not live yet, but some of you may already have joined Public last year for their account transfer bonus (tiers have gotten worse since initial offering).

New customer to Public? Their referral program offers “free stock” worth between $3 and $300 if you open with a referral code and deposit $20+ (referrer also gets whatever you get). My referral code is mymoneyblog which you can enter on the second page of the transfer promo link above. Thanks if you use it! Alternatively, the shopping portal Swagbucks is offering $16 worth of Swagbucks points right now.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Paper Savings Bonds: Pay w/ Credit Card by 1/17, Use Tax Refund To Increase Purchase Limit by $5,000

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

As inflation spiked, so did interest in purchasing inflation-linked Series I Savings bonds. Some folks have been going to extra lengths to increase their ability to purchase them, buying savings bonds for kids, trusts, LLCs, corporations, and so on. One of the more direct ways to increase your annual purchase limits is to use IRS Form 8888 when filing your taxes this year, which allows you to use your tax refund to purchase up to $5,000 in paper Savings Bonds each year. This is on top of the $10,000 annual limit on electronic savings bonds per person at TreasuryDirect.

Of course, that means you need to have a refund when you file your taxes. You’ll need to estimate your tax liability, and if needed, you can make an overpayment on your federal tax withholding to ensure you have the refund size you want. The deadline for 2022 4th Quarter estimated tax payments is Tuesday, January 17th, 2023.

You can make a direct payment via credit or debit card via various official processors. The processing fee starts at just 1.85%, which means that as long as you have 2% cash back rewards card or better, you can actually come out slightly ahead. Even better, paying $4,000 in taxes would satisfy most of the spending hurdles on big credit card bonuses worth well over $500. Two birds, one stone.

You can also make a direct payment via your bank account at EFTPS.gov or IRS DirectPay.

Right now is the best window, as it minimizes the time between paying the taxes and receiving your paper savings bonds. Filing your taxes earlier will also shorten that window. If you wish, you can later convert those paper savings bonds to electronic form at TreasuryDirect.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Best Interest Rates on Cash – January 2023

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Here’s my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of January 2023, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. We all need some safe assets for cash reserves or portfolio stability, and there are often lesser-known opportunities available to individual investors. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to see how much extra interest you’d earn by moving money between accounts. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 1/9/2023.

TL;DR: 5% on up to $25,000 from fintech. Short-term rates up a little. 4.35% APY available on liquid savings. 4.60% to 5% APY available on short-term CDs Compare against Treasury bills and bonds at every maturity (12-month near 4.70%). 6.89% Savings I Bonds can be bought with 2023 annual limits now.

Fintech accounts
Available only to individual investors, fintech companies often pay higher-than-market rates in order to achieve fast short-term growth (often using venture capital). “Fintech” is usually a software layer on top of a partner bank’s FDIC insurance.

  • 5% on up to $25,000. Juno now pays 5% on all cash deposits up to $25,000 and 3% on cash deposits from $25,001 up to $250,000. No direct deposits required. If you set up direct deposit and qualify for their Metal tier, you may be able to upgrade to 5.5% interest. Please see my Juno review for details.
  • 4.00% APY on $6,000. Current offers 4% APY on up to $6,000 total ($2,000 each on three savings pods). Must maintain a direct deposit of $200+ every 35 days. $50 referral bonus for new members with $200+ direct deposit with promo code JENNIFEP185. Please see my Current app review for details.
  • 4.00% APY on up to $250,000, but requires direct deposit and credit card spend. Now again accepting new applicants. The top tier requires you to maintain positive cashflow in the checking account each month, $500 in total monthly direct deposits, and $500 in credit card purchases each month. Existing customers will get up to 4% APY through April 2023, with requirements waived through March 2023. Please see my HM Bradley review for details.

High-yield savings accounts
Since the huge megabanks STILL pay essentially no interest, I think every should have a separate, no-fee online savings account to accompany your existing checking account. The interest rates on savings accounts can drop at any time, so I list the top rates as well as competitive rates from banks with a history of competitive rates. Some banks will bait you with a temporary top rate and then lower the rates in the hopes that you are too lazy to leave.

  • The leapfrogging to be the temporary “top” rate continues. MySavingsDirect at 4.35% APY. All America/Redneck Bank is at 4.25% APY for balances up to $75,000 ($500 to open, no min balance).
  • SoFi Bank is now up to 3.75% APY + up to $275 new account bonus with direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount each month for the higher APY. SoFi has their own bank charter now so no longer a fintech by my definition. See details at $25 + $250 SoFi Money new account and deposit bonus.
  • There are several other established high-yield savings accounts at 3.30%+ APY that aren’t the absolute top rate, but historically do keep it relatively competitive for those that don’t want to keep switching banks.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
A common question is what to do with a big pile of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (plan to buy a house soon, just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My usual advice is to keep things simple and take your time. If not a savings account, then put it in a flexible short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • No Penalty CDs offer a fixed interest rate that can never go down, but you can still take out your money (once) without any fees if you want to use it elsewhere. CIT Bank has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 4.10% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit. Ally Bank has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 3.50% APY for all balance tiers. Marcus has a 13-month No Penalty CD at 3.50% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. You may wish to open multiple CDs in smaller increments for more flexibility.
  • INSBANK has a 12-month certificate at 4.85% APY. $2,500 minimum. Early withdrawal penalty is 90 days of interest.
  • NASA FCU has a special 9-month certificate at 4.60% APY. $10,000 min, new money required. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization membership.

Money market mutual funds + Ultra-short bond ETFs*
Many brokerage firms that pay out very little interest on their default cash sweep funds (and keep the difference for themselves). * Money market mutual funds are regulated, but ultimately not FDIC-insured, so I would still stick with highly reputable firms. I am including a few ultra-short bond ETFs as they may be your best cash alternative in a brokerage account, but they may experience short-term losses.

  • Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund is the default sweep option for Vanguard brokerage accounts, which has an SEC yield of 4.22%. Odds are this is much higher than your own broker’s default cash sweep interest rate.
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund currently pays 4.36% SEC yield ($3,000 min) and 4.46% SEC Yield ($50,000 min). The average duration is ~1 year, so there is some term interest rate risk.
  • The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 4.57% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 4.51% SEC yield while holding a portfolio of investment-grade bonds with an average duration of ~6 months.

Treasury Bills and Ultra-short Treasury ETFs
Another option is to buy individual Treasury bills which come in a variety of maturities from 4-weeks to 52-weeks and are fully backed by the US government. You can also invest in ETFs that hold a rotating basket of short-term Treasury Bills for you, while charging a small management fee for doing so. T-bill interest is exempt from state and local income taxes.

  • You can build your own T-Bill ladder at TreasuryDirect.gov or via a brokerage account with a bond desk like Vanguard and Fidelity. Here are the current Treasury Bill rates. As of 1/9/23, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.24% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.70% annualized interest.
  • The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 3.94% SEC yield and effective duration of 0.10 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 3.87% SEC yield and effective duration of 0.08 years.

US Savings Bonds
Series I Savings Bonds offer rates that are linked to inflation and backed by the US government. You must hold them for at least a year. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest. The annual purchase limit for electronic I bonds is $10,000 per Social Security Number, available online at TreasuryDirect.gov. You can also buy an additional $5,000 in paper I bonds using your tax refund with IRS Form 8888.

  • “I Bonds” bought between November 2022 and April 2023 will earn a 6.89% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More on Savings Bonds here.
  • In mid-April 2023, the CPI will be announced and you will have a short period where you will have a very close estimate of the rate for the next 12 months. I will have another post up at that time.
  • See below about EE Bonds as a potential long-term bond alternative.

Prepaid Cards with Attached Savings Accounts
A small subset of prepaid debit cards have an “attached” FDIC-insured savings account with exceptionally high interest rates. The negatives are that balances are severely capped, and there are many fees that you must be careful to avoid (lest they eat up your interest). There is a long list of previous offers that have already disappeared with little notice. I don’t personally recommend nor use any of these anymore, as I feel the work required and the fees charged if you mess up exceeds any small potential benefit.

  • Mango Money pays 6% APY on up to $2,500, if you manage to jump through several hoops. Requirements include $1,500+ in “signature” purchases and a minimum balance of $25.00 at the end of the month.
  • NetSpend Prepaid pays 5% APY on up to $1,000 but be warned that there is also a $5.95 monthly maintenance fee if you don’t maintain regular monthly activity.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with unique risks. You have to jump through certain hoops which usually involve 10+ debit card purchases each cycle, a certain number of ACH/direct deposits, and/or a certain number of logins per month. If you make a mistake (or they judge that you did) you risk earning zero interest for that month. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others would rather not bother. Rates can also drop suddenly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling.

  • Pelican State Credi Union pays 5.11% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into receive only online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit, online bill payment, or automatic payment (ACH) per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization membership.
  • All America/Redneck Bank pays 4.50% APY on up to $15,000 if you make 10 debit card purchases each monthly cycle with online statements.
  • The Bank of Denver pays 4.00% APY on up to $15,000 if you make 12 debit card purchases of $5+ each, receive only online statements, and make at least 1 ACH credit or debit transaction per statement cycle. Thanks to reader Bill for the updated info.
  • Presidential Bank pays 4.00% APY on balances between $500 and up to $25,000 (3.00% APY above that) if you maintain a $500+ direct deposit and at least 7 electronic withdrawals per month (ATM, POS, ACH and Billpay counts).
  • Find a locally-restricted rewards checking account at DepositAccounts.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
CDs offer higher rates, but come with an early withdrawal penalty. By finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider building a CD ladder of different maturity lengths (ex. 1/2/3/4/5-years) such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account. When one CD matures, use that money to buy another 5-year CD to keep the ladder going. Some CDs also offer “add-ons” where you can deposit more funds if rates drop.

  • Navy Federal Credit Union has a special 15-month CD at 5% APY. Open now with just $50, but you can still add on more deposits later. You must have a military relationship to join NavyFed.
  • Lafayette Federal Credit Union has a 5-year certificate at 4.63% APY ($500 min), 4-year at 4.58% APY, 3-year at 4.52% APY, 2-year at 4.47% APY, and 1-year at 4.42% APY. They also have jumbo certificates with $100,000 minimums at even higher rates. These are competitive rates to build a CD ladder, but know that the early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is very high at 600 days of interest. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization ($10 one-time fee).
  • You can buy certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. You may need an account to see the rates. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance and easy laddering, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. Right now, I don’t see any 5-year non-callable CDs. Be wary of higher rates from callable CDs, which means they can call back your CD if rates drop later.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk, but I still track them to see the rest of the current yield curve.

  • Willing to lock up your money for 10 years? You can buy long-term certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. You might find something that pays more than your other brokerage cash and Treasury options. Right now, I see a 10-year CDs at (none available, non-callable) vs. 3.60% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates drop.
  • How about two decades? Series EE Savings Bonds are not indexed to inflation, but they have a unique guarantee that the value will double in value in 20 years, which equals a guaranteed return of 3.5% a year. However, if you don’t hold for that long, you’ll be stuck with the normal rate, currently 2.10%. As of 1/9/23, the 20-year Treasury Bond rate was 3.83%.

All rates were checked as of 1/9/2023.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Current Fintech App Review: $50 Bonus, 4.00% APY on $6k (Direct Deposit Now Required)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Current is part of the new wave of fintech apps that partner with a traditional bank. In this case, banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group, member FDIC. Current reminds me a lot of the Chime app, with its quick sign-up process, modern smartphone app, and user-friendly feature set targeting the young and underbanked (average customer age for both is 27 years old).

Everyone now gets (no monthly fee):

  • No minimum balance. No minimum opening deposit.
  • No credit check. No Chexsystems check.
  • No overdraft fees.
  • Fee-free ATM withdrawals within the 40,000+ Allpoint ATM network.
  • Access to paycheck up to 2 days early.
  • Gas station authorization holds immediately released.
  • On top of no overdraft fees, also get up to $100 in fee-free overdraft coverage.
  • 3 Savings Pods (earn 4% APY on up to $6,000 total).

4% APY details. Current offers 4% APY on their “Savings Pods”, which is definitely a differentiator if they keep it up. A “savings pod” is like a sub-account where you can set aside money for a specific goal like “rainy day”, “travel”, etc. Interest is paid out daily. There are no restrictions on transferring money in and out of a “savings pod”.

You can create 3 savings pods with up to $2,000 earning interest per pod, for a total of up to $6,000 earning 4% APY. That works out to $240 a year, or $20 a month in interest.

Current says that this is not meant as a temporary rate (via Techcrunch in January 2022):

“We’re not approaching this as a promotional rate,” explains Current VP of Product, Josh Stephens. “We’re approaching it as something that’s available for all for the foreseeable future…I think, certainly, you see promotional rates from other folks out there with a lot of bells and whistles attached to it. But this is something that’s available for anyone, with no balance minimum, no fees,” he says.

Update December 2022: Current added a direct deposit requirement of $200+ per month to get the 4% APY on savings pods.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

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SkyOne FCU Savings / Checking $400 Bonus w/ Direct Deposit

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

SkyOne Federal Credit Union has a $100 savings + $300 checking account promotion with qualifying direct deposits. New members only. There is also a separate $300 credit card bonus. Based in Hawthorne, California, membership is open nationwide through membership in a partner organization… and they’ll pay for your membership when you join:

We’re intensely dedicated to serving our members and their communities — and no, that’s not just a line. We’re serious about that passion. That’s why we partner with organizations and non-profits that reflect the values that our members care about.

Choose any one of the organizations we’re partnered with when opening an account with us and we’ll pay your membership dues for that organization.*

They even mention a simple $25 bonus with promo code JOIN, but I think you can only use one promo code. Hat tip to reader Mary and DoC. Offer expires 12/31/22.

$100 Savings Bonus highlights:

  • Must use promo code GIFT
  • Must maintain a $1,000 balance for 3 months.
  • Max APY is 0.05% APY.

$300 Checking Bonus highlights:

  • Must use promo code GIFT
  • Must establish direct deposit within 30 days of account opening, and receive a total of $1,000+ in qualifying direct deposits per statement cycle for six consecutive cycles into your new checking account during the qualification period.
  • Max APY is 0.05% APY.
  • Minimum balance of $2,500 or have monthly aggregate deposits of $1,000 or more to avoid $5 monthly fee.

Full fine print:

1 Get $100: Open an account online from December 9, 2022, to December 31, 2022, use promo code GIFT and deposit the minimum opening balance amount of $5 into a Primary Savings Account, and maintain a $1000 balance for 3 months. This offer is intended for new members only. You are not eligible for this offer if you are a current owner of a SkyOne savings account or if you have closed an account within the last 12 months. Savings Rate is 0.05% APY. APY=Annual Percentage Yield. Rates are effective as of the last dividend declaration date. The rate is variable and may change after the account is opened. A $500 balance is required to earn dividends. Dividends are posted and compounded monthly. Fees may reduce earnings. Please refer to the Fee Schedule and All in One Disclosure for complete details. All account terms and conditions apply.

2 Get $300: Open a new SkyOne Advantage checking account online from December 9, 2022, to December 31, 2022, using promo code GIFT. within 30 days of account opening establish direct deposit and receive a total of $1,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits per statement cycle for six consecutive cycles into your new checking account during the qualification period. A qualifying direct deposit is a direct deposit of your salary, pension, Social Security, or other regular monthly income, electronically deposited through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network to this checking account. Transfers from one account to another, mobile deposits, or deposits made at a banking location or ATM do not qualify. Advantage Checking earns dividends of .05% APY if the balance requirement is met. APY=Annual Percentage Yield. Rates are effective as of the last dividend and declaration date. The rate is variable and may change after the account is opened. A $2,500 balance is required to earn dividends. Dividends are posted and compounded monthly. Fees may reduce earnings. Please refer to the Fee Schedule and All in One Disclosure for complete details. All account terms and conditions apply. This offer is intended for new checking accounts only. Offer is not available to existing SkyOne checking account holders or those whose accounts have been closed within the last 12 months.

Thinking about this one. I like to open accounts at credit unions that show a commitment to providing competitive products in multiple areas. In addition to the checking and savings promo, SkyOne is also offering a 22-month CD at 5% APY as well as a 15-month CD at 4.50% APY with some flexible withdrawal and add-on features. Too bad their 5-year certificate rates are not nearly as competitive.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Best Interest Rates on Cash – December 2022 Update

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Here’s my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of December 2022, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. We all need some safe assets for cash reserves or portfolio stability, and there are often lesser-known opportunities available to individual investors. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to see how much extra interest you’d earn by moving money between accounts. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 12/4/2022.

TL;DR: 5% on up to $10,000 from fintech. 5% APY on up to $100k via a 7-month promo CD. 4% APY available on liquid savings. 1-year CD at 4.71% APY. 5-year CD at 4.75% APY. Compare against Treasury bills and bonds at every maturity (12-month near 4.69%). 6.89% Savings I Bonds still available if you haven’t maxed out 2022 limits.

Fintech accounts
Available only to individual investors, fintech companies often pay higher-than-market rates in order to achieve fast short-term growth (often using venture capital). “Fintech” is usually a software layer on top of a partner bank’s FDIC insurance.

  • 5% on up to $10,000. Juno now pays 5% on all cash deposits up to $10,000 and 3% on cash deposits from $10,001 up to $250,000. $50 direct deposit bonus. Please see my Juno review for details.
  • 4.00% APY on $6,000 with no direct deposit requirement. Current offers 4% APY on up to $6,000 total ($2,000 each on three savings pods). No direct deposit required. $50 referral bonus for new members with $200+ direct deposit with promo code JENNIFEP185. Please see my Current app review for details.
  • 4.00% APY on up to $250,000, but requires direct deposit and credit card spend. Currently a waitlist for new applicants. The top tier requires you to maintain positive cashflow in the checking account each month, $500 in total monthly direct deposits, and $500 in credit card purchases each month. Existing customers will get up to 4% APY through April 2023, with requirements waived through March 2023. Please see my updated HM Bradley review for details.

High-yield savings accounts
Since the huge megabanks STILL pay essentially no interest, I think every should have a separate, no-fee online savings account to accompany your existing checking account. The interest rates on savings accounts can drop at any time, so I list the top rates as well as competitive rates from banks with a history of competitive rates. Some banks will bait you with a temporary top rate and then lower the rates in the hopes that you are too lazy to leave.

  • The leapfrogging to be the temporary “top” rate continues. All America/Redneck Bank is at 4% APY for balances up to $75,000 ($500 to open, no min balance). Republic Bank of Chicago has a Digital Money Market account at 4.00% APY ($2,500 minimum to open and avoid monthly fee, new money only).
  • SoFi Bank is now up to 3.25% APY + up to $275 new account bonus with direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount each month for the higher APY. SoFi has their own bank charter now so no longer a fintech by my definition. See details at $25 + $250 SoFi Money new account and deposit bonus.
  • There are several other established high-yield savings accounts that aren’t a top rate, but historically do keep it relatively competitive for those that don’t want to keep switching banks.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
A common question is what to do with a big pile of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (plan to buy a house soon, just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My usual advice is to keep things simple and take your time. If not a savings account, then put it in a flexible short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • No Penalty CDs offer a fixed interest rate that can never go down, but you can still take out your money (once) without any fees if you want to use it elsewhere. CIT Bank has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 3.65% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit. Ally Bank has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 3.30% APY for all balance tiers. Marcus has a 13-month No Penalty CD at 3.05% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. You may wish to open multiple CDs in smaller increments for more flexibility.
  • My eBanc has a 12-month certificate at 4.71% APY. $5,000 minimum. Early withdrawal penalty is 90 days of interest.
  • Andrews FCU has a special 7-month certificate at 5.00% APY (offer ends 12/14). $1,000 min, $100k max. Anyone can join this credit union with a ACC membership, and ACC membership is free with promo code “Andrews”. My previous application experience.

Money market mutual funds + Ultra-short bond ETFs*
Many brokerage firms that pay out very little interest on their default cash sweep funds (and keep the difference for themselves). * Money market mutual funds are regulated, but ultimately not FDIC-insured, so I would still stick with highly reputable firms. I am including a few ultra-short bond ETFs as they may be your best cash alternative in a brokerage account, but they may experience short-term losses.

  • Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund is the default sweep option for Vanguard brokerage accounts, which has an SEC yield of 3.70%. Odds are this is much higher than your own broker’s default cash sweep interest rate.
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund currently pays 4.32% SEC yield ($3,000 min) and 4.42% SEC Yield ($50,000 min). The average duration is ~1 year, so there is some term interest rate risk.
  • The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 4.21% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 4.31% SEC yield while holding a portfolio of investment-grade bonds with an average duration of ~6 months.

Treasury Bills and Ultra-short Treasury ETFs
Another option is to buy individual Treasury bills which come in a variety of maturities from 4-weeks to 52-weeks and are fully backed by the US government. You can also invest in ETFs that hold a rotating basket of short-term Treasury Bills for you, while charging a small management fee for doing so. T-bill interest is exempt from state and local income taxes.

  • You can build your own T-Bill ladder at TreasuryDirect.gov or via a brokerage account with a bond desk like Vanguard and Fidelity. Here are the current Treasury Bill rates. As of 12/2/2022, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 3.81% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.69% annualized interest.
  • The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 3.52% SEC yield and effective duration of 0.10 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 3.47% SEC yield and effective duration of 0.08 years.

US Savings Bonds
Series I Savings Bonds offer rates that are linked to inflation and backed by the US government. You must hold them for at least a year. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest. The annual purchase limit for electronic I bonds is $10,000 per Social Security Number, available online at TreasuryDirect.gov. You can also buy an additional $5,000 in paper I bonds using your tax refund with IRS Form 8888.

  • “I Bonds” bought between November 2022 and April 2023 will earn a 6.89% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More on Savings Bonds here.
  • In mid-April 2023, the CPI will be announced and you will have a short period where you will have a very close estimate of the rate for the next 12 months. I will have another post up at that time.
  • See below about EE Bonds as a potential long-term bond alternative.

Prepaid Cards with Attached Savings Accounts
A small subset of prepaid debit cards have an “attached” FDIC-insured savings account with exceptionally high interest rates. The negatives are that balances are severely capped, and there are many fees that you must be careful to avoid (lest they eat up your interest). There is a long list of previous offers that have already disappeared with little notice. I don’t personally recommend nor use any of these anymore, as I feel the work required and the fees charged if you mess up exceeds any small potential benefit.

  • Mango Money pays 6% APY on up to $2,500, if you manage to jump through several hoops. Requirements include $1,500+ in “signature” purchases and a minimum balance of $25.00 at the end of the month.
  • NetSpend Prepaid pays 5% APY on up to $1,000 but be warned that there is also a $5.95 monthly maintenance fee if you don’t maintain regular monthly activity.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with unique risks. You have to jump through certain hoops which usually involve 10+ debit card purchases each cycle, a certain number of ACH/direct deposits, and/or a certain number of logins per month. If you make a mistake (or they judge that you did) you risk earning zero interest for that month. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others would rather not bother. Rates can also drop suddenly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling.

  • All America/Redneck Bank pays 4.25% APY on up to $15,000 if you make 10 debit card purchases each monthly cycle with online statements.
  • The Bank of Denver pays 4.00% APY on up to $15,000 if you make 12 debit card purchases of $5+ each, receive only online statements, and make at least 1 ACH credit or debit transaction per statement cycle. Thanks to reader Bill for the updated info.
  • Presidential Bank pays 3.75% APY on balances between $500 and up to $25,000 (3.00% APY above that) if you maintain a $500+ direct deposit and at least 7 electronic withdrawals per month (ATM, POS, ACH and Billpay counts).
  • Find a locally-restricted rewards checking account at DepositAccounts.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
CDs offer higher rates, but come with an early withdrawal penalty. By finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider building a CD ladder of different maturity lengths (ex. 1/2/3/4/5-years) such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account. When one CD matures, use that money to buy another 5-year CD to keep the ladder going. Some CDs also offer “add-ons” where you can deposit more funds if rates drop.

  • Bread Financial has a 5-year certificate at 4.75% APY ($1,500 min), 4-year at 4.65% APY, 3-year at 4.50% APY, 2-year at 4.50% APY, and 1-year at 4.50% APY. The early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is 365 days of interest.
  • Department Of Commerce Federal Credit Union has a 5-year certificate at 4.70% APY ($500 min), 4-year at 4.59% APY, 3-year at 4.57% APY, 2-year at 4.61% APY, and 1-year at 4.40% APY. The early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is 180 days of interest. Anyone can join this credit union through a $5 membership in the American Consumer Council (ACC). Enter ACC membership number on the online application.
  • You can buy certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. You may need an account to see the rates. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance and easy laddering, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. Right now, I see a 5-year CD at 4.85% (non-callable). Be wary of higher rates from callable CDs, which means they can call back your CD if rates drop later.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk, but I still track them to see the rest of the current yield curve.

  • Willing to lock up your money for 10 years? You can buy long-term certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. You might find something that pays more than your other brokerage cash and Treasury options. Right now, I see a 10-year CDs at 5.25% (non-callable) vs. 3.56% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates drop.
  • How about two decades? Series EE Savings Bonds are not indexed to inflation, but they have a unique guarantee that the value will double in value in 20 years, which equals a guaranteed return of 3.5% a year. However, if you don’t hold for that long, you’ll be stuck with the normal rate currently 2.10%. As of 12/2/2022, the 20-year Treasury Bond rate was 3.79%.

All rates were checked as of 12/4/2022.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.


Reader Question: Higher Interest Rates on Cash Without Internet Access or Cell Phone?

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Here’s a reader question that I found interesting regarding “low-tech” retirees:

Hi – my 82 year-old father-in-law does not own a cell phone or a computer. He has very little “visibility” on the internet because he was a self-employed craftsman for the last 40 years. But he has money to invest, and it is sitting in a near-zero savings account. For the reasons listed above, he cannot qualify for any of the high-yield savings accounts that are out there. Their methods of identifying customers require a cell phone and some kind of documentable internet presence. Maybe he is an extreme example, but I am guessing there are others in similar situations. Any thoughts on how such a person can obtain a higher yield? Thanks.

I am empathetic to this problem as I am frequently helping older relatives navigate modern life without internet access. I’m also a fan of low-tech as a backup form of resilience and emergency preparedness. What would happen if the power went down for an extended period? What would happen if you passed away suddenly and nobody could figure out your passwords?

This question specifically addresses low interest rates on cash. It is not an accident that NONE of the three biggest banks by branch size (Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo) offer a decent interest rate on their basic checking and savings accounts. (Even Citibank only offers their high-yield Accelerate savings account in states where they have no physical branches.) If they made it easy to sign up for a “high-yield savings account”, they would lose many millions in profit as all the offline folks would happily switch over their deposits earning 0.01% APY. My 94yo great-aunt will dilute her dish soap until it comes back on sale at the local grocery store. You can bet she would walk right into her local branch to sign up for a savings account paying 3% APY instead of 0.02% APY!

My first thought is that I would open an account with Fidelity Investments, as they have solid history as a traditional broker with a fully-staffed customer service phone line. Fidelity would still run just fine if there was only snail-mail envelopes and rotary phones. This Fidelity Core Positions page is a handy bookmark to see the current interest rates (screenshot below taken 11/18/2022) on the various options for your core position (default for uninvested cash). As you can see, the rates are quite competitive with online banks. Money market funds are not FDIC-insured, but they are very close (and even closer after recent regulations). I personally don’t lose a bit of sleep on my Fidelity money market funds and I also snail mail them large checks every year for my Solo 401k plan.

In addition, Fidelity has a decent branch network (“Investor Centers”) at major metro areas nationwide. Finally, Fidelity offers a solid inventory for brokered CDs and access to Treasury bills and bonds if you were willing to lock up your money for a higher rate.

Why don’t I include Vanguard? While Vanguard money market funds are excellent and usually pay even higher interest rates than Fidelity money market funds, I have heard far too many customer complaints about hour-long hold times for phone customer service. Vanguard also does not have a physical branch network. I try my best to only use Vanguard for simple index fund transactions and nothing complicated. Meanwhile, TD Ameritrade and Schwab do have some money market options and physical branches, but you must make every transaction manually while the default is a sad cash sweep program paying less than 0.50% APY. This is why I’d pick Fidelity over the others. (No, Fidelity did not pay me to say any of this. Unfortunately…)

Another option would be a local credit union that is looking for loan growth (which requires deposit growth) and thus is offering high interest rates. You would want to find one that has a physical branch in your area, and the best resource for this is DepositAccounts.com which allows you to search by zip code. Make sure to uncheck the “Web Only” box and check the “Local Branches” box.

This will hopefully let you find a physical branch nearby that will offer a decent rate. Oftentimes, the good rates only show up in certificates of deposit (which allow them to match maturities) but you could simply ladder even 1-year CDs over time to maintain a solid rate with decent liquidity. Many of the military-affiliated credit unions have a larger branch network and a history of competitive products, and some of them can be joined without military status. Good luck and thanks for helping others!

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

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Stockholm Banco vs. FTX: Creating Money From Nothing in 1661 vs. 2022

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As with the rest of the finance world, I’ve been following the collapse of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). There are many explainers (Matt Levine is my fav, but paywall?), while new details keep emerging. Crypto the newborn currency is growing up and finding out the hard way why traditional finance has all the rules it has. Central bank? FDIC insurance? Independently-audited financials? A board of directors? Not being allowed to buy personal houses with company money and having other expenses approved with emojis? 💸 From the most recent bankruptcy filing and written by the new FTX CEO of less than a week:

Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here. From compromised systems integrity and faulty regulatory oversight abroad, to the concentration of control in the hands of a very small group of inexperienced, unsophisticated and potentially compromised individuals, this situation is unprecedented.

As a fitting follow-up to the idea of timeless financial wisdom, Doomberg (also paywall) brings us historical perspective from Stockholm Banco, which in 1661 was the first European bank to print banknotes. I found this detailed history of Stockholm Banco [pdf] on the website of Sveriges Riksbank. A single person was granted great and unsupervised power to effectively create unlimited currency. What could go wrong?

In 1656, Johan Palmstruch was finally granted the country’s first bank charter by the King of Sweden after multiple rejections. (His proposal only succeeded after he promised half the profits to the Crown.) At the time, people had to use cumbersome copper and silver currency (see above) that fluctuated in value based on industrial demand for those metals. The slab of copper above was “10 dalers” and the size of two sheets of letter paper and weighed 43 pounds!

It was the inconvenience of copper plate money that the exchange bank would remedy. Institutions and the general public could deposit their plate money in the bank in exchange for a receipt, which could then be used in transactions with other parties. This was a great relief for commerce. In the bank charter, Karl X Gustav emphasised ‘the good convenience our subjects thereby obtain, that in this way they are rid of much subtraction and addition, hauling and dragging and other trouble that the copper coin entails in its handling’. The weighty plates boded well for the success of the exchange bank.

A simple piece of paper could now represent any amount of dalers (100 daler note below):

The charter allowed the creation of an exchange bank. People could deposit their slabs of copper and silver at the bank, and instead receive a paper note promising that it could be redeemed back again at any time. Convenient! The charter also allowed the creation of a loan bank. The bank lent out money, and charged interest. The exchange bank and the loan bank were supposed to be separate. But look at all those pretty deposits just sitting there!

The charters treated the exchange bank and the loan bank as separate entities but this was not observed in practice. Although the exchange bank was no more than a depository for its clients’ money, which could be withdrawn without notice, the Bank started to lend its holdings. This state of affairs continued until 1664.

Soon the deposits were all lent out. But people still wanted loans! There was money to be made! If only there was a way to keep the whole things spinning…

Palmstruch found a solution. According to Erik Appelgren, a bank commissioner, ‘Not long afterwards, credit notes became a supplement invented by Herr Director for the shortage of money’. The bank would issue notes declaring that the holder had a claim on Stockholms Banco for a specified sum of money; the Bank would redeem the notes in exchange for cash. […]

This was a novelty in European banking. Earlier attempts to introduce notes had invariably tied them to deposits. Such certificates of deposit could be transferred as a token of value to business associates, who in turn could pass them on in the same way. In contrast, Palmstruch’s notes were not backed by particular deposits; instead, they relied on public confidence that the Bank would redeem them on demand. The system relied on the Bank’s credibility.

Success! Print as much money as you want! Expansion! Even the Crown and other high-ranking officials borrowed money.

Thanks to the credit notes, lending by the Bank ceased to be dependent on deposits. Loans could be provided for as much as the Bank was prepared to issue notes. After a tentative start, the flood gates were opened during 1663. The Crown borrowed 500,000 d km, Chancellor De la Gardie took a total of 255,000 d km for himself, the tar company borrowed 200,000 d km. More and more loans were unsecured. The business flourished; branches were opened in Abo, Falun and Goteborg; in Skane (ceded to Sweden by Denmark in 1658) the three upper Estates requested a separate branch in either Malmo or Landskrona.

What if… something spooked the customers… and people actually wanted all their deposits back?

However, reality soon caught up. On 12 September 1663, Joachim Schuttehielm, a bank secretary, reported to Palmstruch, who was away in Vasteras, that so much money had been withdrawn that the Bank had less than 4,000 d km in ready cash. To make matters worse, a depositor had announced that he wished to withdraw 10,000 d km. Schuttehielm asked Palmstruch to send money as soon as he could but the Director had nothing to send.

The bank collapsed after only six years. During the cleanup, audits revealed tons of missing money. Palmstruch was sentenced first to execution (later reduced to jail), and died only a year after his eventual release.

The Court of Appeal was not impressed. On 22 July 1668 Palmstruch was dismissed as director and sentenced to the loss of his privileges. He was banished for life and ordered to compensate within six months for ‘all the deficiency and shortage in the Bank that can demonstrably be proven’. If he failed to pay what he owed, he would be executed.

Let’s compare to the current FTX situation. Started out with a simple idea and got out of control very fast. FTX is less than 4 years old. Everyone was easily distracted by getting rich, all greased by the political donations and naming rights that spread the money around and the “effective altruism” that the media loved. The power to create unlimited currency for a while – FTX claimed billions of SRM and FTT tokens as assets – essentially things that FTX made out of thin air and knew it. Eventually, the desperate loaning out (aka stealing) of $10 billion in customer deposits to help themselves out of a jam. The panicked discovery. The coming criminal proceedings.

Individual investors are again reminded why FDIC and NCUA insurance exists – counterparty risk is real. It doesn’t matter what you own if you let the wrong place hold it for you.

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