Evergreen Money is a new fintech startup focused on tax-smart money management by Bill Harris, previously CEO of Intuit, PayPal, and Personal Capital (now Empower). Here a short video clip of his Bloomberg TV appearance. They are starting out with their “Liquid Treasuries” product, which combines a bank account and Treasury Bills using two different accounts:

• Traditional checking account through Coastal Community Bank, member FDIC. You get the usual fintech bank stuff: ATM/debit card, ACH routing/account numbers. Currently pays 5.00% APY as of 4/1/2024. As with all checking accounts, the APY may change at any time.
• US Treasury Bills held inside a brokerage account through Jiko Securities, Inc, member SIPC. US Treasury Bill are fully backed by the US government. Current yield for a 4-week T-Bill is ~5.48% and the interest is exempt from state and local taxes.
• There is a 0.03% monthly fee for their Treasury Bill service, which works out to a 0.36% annual fee.

Here’s a visualization of how this works:

At a very high level, this is already how my Fidelity Brokerage and Cash Management Account works. Their money market mutual fund holds mostly Treasury bills and repos, which are also very safe, and then when I need money to pay for stuff, they sell some of those securities and my kids have new goggles to lose. Fidelity also charges a similar 42 basis points (0.42% annual expense ratio) for SPAXX.

However, I can see the appeal here because the Treasury Bill interest would be “pure” and 100% exempt from state and local income taxes. Very often, money market fund interest (like SPAXX) is not 100% exempt from state taxes as it holds a lot of stuff that isn’t T-Bills, and even something like the Fidelity Treasury Only Money Market Fund (FDLXX) that I manually buy was only about 90% exempt in 2023.

There is currently a $10,000 minimum to open account at Evergreen Money. T-Bills are sold in $100 minimum increments, so if you kept at least $10,000 there (which they technically require), they could probably get pretty close to maintaining 99%+ of assets in T-Bills.

You could also create your own ladder of T-Bills, either directly at TreasuryDirect.gov or via a broker with an auto-roll feature like Fidelity, but that is still some degree of work to manage. If you have significant cash assets, this might probably be worth saving the expense ratio, whereas 0.36% on $10,000 is $3 a month ($36 a year).

$250 New Client Bonus. Currently, if you open and fund with the $10,000 minimum buy 6/30/24, they will give you a $250 bonus. There doesn’t appear to be a minimum hold period, but it will take 15 days for the credit to post and I’m not sure if they will close your account if you go below $10,000. Their Rates and Fees page lists a “Minimum Relationship Balance Requirement: $10,000 (We may waive this at our discretion)”. The fine print:

To qualify for the $250 New Client Bonus, you must open a new Liquid Treasuries account and fund it with deposit(s) of at least $10,000 between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on April 11, 2024 and 11:59 PM Eastern Time and June 30,2024. The full $10,000 must be cleared and posted to your account prior to 11:59 Eastern Time on June 30, 2024 to be eligible for the bonus. The one-time bonus will appear as a credit to your account within 15 calendar days from the date the qualifying deposit has cleared and posted. Evergreen employees and paid testers are not eligible. You are responsible for any taxes owed. This offer is non-transferable and Evergreen reserves the right to change or cancel this offer at any time.

You know I can’t help myself with these things, so I decided to open an account and try it out. Expect the usual fintech ID verification process where you have to take a picture of your ID with your smartphone. I also had to send in a bank/credit card/utility bill with my name and address on it. Here’s a screenshot of my account (funds are still in-transit).

Despite the fact that the EvergreenMoney.com website has a very generic feel, after doing my own due diligence, they do appear to be a legit company trying something different (although Jiko has done the T-Bill thing with the Public brokerage app). I do wonder why Jiko is licensing out their technology when they themselves offer a very similar product called Spendable T-Bills. I am guessing Evergreen Money has the marketing budget, as they are on a hiring binge with many job openings on LinkedIn in Miami, Florida. I wonder what features they will add next. Thanks to reader Larry for the tip.

Updated April 2024. Navy Federal Credit Union is the nation’s largest credit union, with a long history of serving active military members. More recently, they have expanded their field of membership to include veterans and family members of veterans. NavyFed often offers special rates and/or features on their share certificates. Here’s a recent example:

• Limited-Time 18-month EasyStart Certificate at 4.70% APY. Open with as little as $50. No maximum balance. Make additional deposits any time. You also get a single early withdrawal with no penalty.

I opened one with the $50 minimum because I thought the optionality was neat. If rates drop drastically, I’ll have the ability to add unlimited additional funds at 4.70% APY. If rates rise drastically, I can withdraw it all at once with no penalty. If nothing big happens (most likely scenario), I’ll only have committed $50. I already have other products with NavyFed, so it didn’t require any additional paperwork.

Capital One has brought back a deposit promotion worth up to $1,500 for new 360 Savings accountholders. It’s a good bonus, but only for “new” customers and those that are willing to keep an eye on things. Here’s their definition of “new”:

If you have or had an open 360 Performance Savings, 360 Savings, 360 Money Market, Savings Now or Confidence Savings account as a primary or secondary account holder with Capital One on or after January 1, 2022, you will be ineligible for the bonus. If your account is in default, closed or suspended, or otherwise not in good standing, you will not receive the bonus.

Note: Some readers have reported in the past that they were not able to apply the promo code even as valid new customers, and Capital One responded that this was a targeted promotion even though there is no such language on the offer page nor in the terms and conditions. After applying, I would contact them and make sure that the promo code “BONUS1500” was accepted before making a large deposit for this promo.

The steps:

• Open a new 360 Performance Savings account with promo code BONUS1500 on or after April 3, 2024.
• Deposit $20,000+ of external funds during the 15-day Initial Funding Period after opening your account.
• Hold the deposit(s) in your account for an additional 90 days after the 15-day Initial Funding Period ends.
• $20,000+ deposited = $300 bonus.
• $50,000+ deposited = $750 bonus.
• $100,000+ deposited = $1,500 bonus.
• See the bonus in your new account within 60 days after holding.
• You’ll also earn their normal interest rate (variable, but currently 4.25% APY as of 4/17/24). No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements.

Note that the 90-day “maintain balance” period is after and in addition to the end of the 15-day “initial funding period”. So if you are counting from the opening day, that is a total of 105 days after opening. This is important as other readers have gotten denied for the bonus when withdrawing after 91-100 days. You may wish to chat with Capital One to confirm the exact date.

As long as you hit the tiers exactly, you are getting 1.5% of your deposit with technically a minimum holding period of 90 days, but you’ll probably want to send it in a little early and take it out a little late to be safely within the deadlines. Let’s call it 120 days for a conservative round number. This works out to the equivalent of (a little more than) a 4.5% annualized yield. If you assume the current 4.25% APY holds, that would be an estimated 4.5% + 4.25% = 8.75% annualized yield for those 120 days.

A 4-month CD at nearly 9% APY is not bad if you have a lot of money and a short-term horizon for it. Again, this one is only for new customers or those that have closed their previous CapOne360 savings-type accounts by January 1, 2022.

Updated with new offer. Axos Bank has a $300 bonus with relatively straightforward requirements using promo code FREEDOM300. You must open a new Cashback Checking account by 7/31/2024 and fund within 30 days of account opening. Set up direct deposit of $1,000+ each calendar month, and that will earn you $100 per month for 3 months ($300 total). Historically, they have been pretty flexible on what is considered direct deposit.

The fine print:

To be eligible to earn all or a portion of the cash incentive as part of the “FREEDOM300″ $300 promotion, an Axos Bank CashBack Checking account that includes the promotional code ” FREEDOM300″ must be opened between November 1, 2023, at 12 a.m. PST and July 31, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Axos Bank reserves the right to limit each primary account holder to one (1) checking account promotional offer per year, and customers who have held primary ownership of an Axos Bank or Axos Bank for Nationwide checking account at any time in the past 12 months may be disqualified from the “FREEDOM300” offer. Promotional terms and conditions are subject to change or removal without notice. Bonus cash may be taxable and reported on IRS Form 1099-MISC. Consult your tax advisor. After meeting the initial requirements mentioned above, the amount of cash bonus earned will depend on meeting the additional requirements outlined below:

To earn up to a $300 bonus, you must be approved for your new Axos Bank CashBack Checking account, fund it within 30 days of account opening, and have qualifying direct deposits that total at least $1,000.00 each calendar month. A cash bonus of up to $300 can be earned in the following manner during the first four (4) statement cycles. A statement cycle is a calendar month consisting of the days your account was open during that month. A maximum of three (3) payouts of $100 for each calendar month that the CashBack Checking account is receiving the direct deposit requirement, the bonus can be earned during the first four (4) statement cycles, and the bonus will be deposited into your Axos Bank CashBack Checking account within 10 business days following the end of the statement cycle in which the direct deposit requirement was met. Your Axos Bank CashBack Checking account must be open and in good standing at the time the bonus is paid to be eligible to receive the bonus, and your Axos Bank CashBack Checking account must remain open for 120 days, or an early closure fee of up to $300 may apply, equal to the amount of the total bonus earned up to $300.

I’ve done a few Axos Bank bonuses in the past (too recent for me to qualify for this), and the good news is that they do pay out reliably in my experience.

Updated with new bonus details. First Tech Federal Credit Union has a new $300 checking bonus. This new promo is set to run through 6/30/24, but is specifically for their new Reward Checking account that pays up to 5.00% APY (on up to $15,000 balance) if you meet a bunch of different hoops including 20 debit card transactions with $500+ in monthly spend. However, you can still get the $300 without meeting the 5.00% APY requirements. This promo is also valid for existing First Tech Rewards checking account owners who have not set up a direct deposit yet.

Here’s how to make it happen:

1) Open a First Tech Reward Checking account. Already have one? You’re set!
2) Set up a new payroll direct deposit to your First Tech Rewards Checking of $1,000+ per month for a minimum of three months.
3) Earn your $300 bonus!

When I applied for a previous promo, First Tech CU paid the $8 membership fee for the partner organization on my behalf so that I could join the credit union, although they mentioned it might be eventually be reported on 1099-INT. I did not experience a hard credit check, although they did a soft check on Experian.

The monthly requirements for earning the 5.00% APY interest (on up to $15,000 balance) are:

• 20 card transactions with $500+ in monthly spend.
• Electronic statements
• ACH / direct deposit $1,000+ monthly

Offer valid for enrollment between February 26, 2024 and June 30, 2024 for members without an existing direct deposit. Members with existing direct deposits or who are already enrolled in a First Tech direct deposit campaign are not eligible. Participant is defined as 18 years of age or older and the primary account owner on a First Tech Rewards Checking (FTRC) account. Direct deposits are considered new if there has been no direct deposit activity in the Participant’s share accounts on which they are the Primary Owner within the previous 18 months. Membership is required and is subject to approval. Fees could reduce earnings on the account. FTRC accounts must be personal accounts. Fiduciary, trust, business, or organization accounts are not eligible. Participant will be enrolled in the promotion upon receipt of new direct deposit transaction into the FTRC account (“Enrollment”). In order to receive any bonus payout, in addition to satisfying the payout conditions set forth in this disclosure, the Membership Savings account must be in good standing (not in default, closed, inactive, or otherwise not in good standing) during the period of time commencing with Enrollment and ending with the applicable date of payout. Any inquiries or disputes must be received by January 31, 2025.

New Direct Deposit Offer: New direct deposit must occur at least on New Direct Deposit Offer: New direct deposit must occur at least once per calendar month from the Participant’s employer payroll into the First Tech Rewards Checking (FTRC) account of which the Participant is the primary account owner. Direct deposits from a non-employer payroll source do not qualify. The monthly aggregate amount of all qualifying direct deposits must equal to at least $1,000 to earn the $300 bonus. Enrollment is the date of the initial direct deposit transaction. During the period of time commencing with Enrollment and ending 120 calendar days after Enrollment (“Enrollment Period”), at least one direct deposit transaction must occur each calendar month starting with the initial direct deposit transaction. A minimum of three direct deposit transactions must be received during the Enrollment Period. (EXAMPLE: If a member’s initial direct deposit is March 1, 2024, additional required direct deposits must occur at least once in each subsequent calendar month following the month in which the initial direct deposit is made, the last direct deposit must be received by June 29, 2024.) Only the Participant will receive credit for the direct deposits. Any qualifying bonus will be deposited to the Participant’s Membership Savings account the first week following the Enrollment Period. Bonuses will be considered dividends and may be reported on IRS form 1099-INT.

Updated with new offer. Truist Bank formed from the merger of BB&T and Suntrust Banks, now roughly the 10th largest US bank with branches in 17 states and DC. Trust has a new $400 checking bonus for new checking customers that have a mailing address within a state in their branch footprint: AL, AR, GA, FL, IN, KY, MD, MS, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV or DC. I usually don’t list bonuses that aren’t nationwide, but this is a sizable bonus with a large regional bank. If I lived in this area, I’d certainly rather open an account when they are giving out 400 bucks. Here are the steps:

• Open a new Truist One Checking account online from 2/28/24 through 6/26/24. Minimum opening deposit is $50. Must open online with promo code TRUIST400DC24.
• Receive at least one qualifying Direct Deposit* of $500 or more, AND
• Complete at least 15 qualifying debit card purchases** within 90 days of account opening. All debit purchases must be posted to your account to qualify.

Note the following definitions for new customers:

Clients that are the primary account holder on an existing personal checking account with Truist or who have closed a personal checking account with Truist on or after 2/28/23 are not eligible to participate.

The Truist One Checking account has a $12 monthly maintenance fees that is waived each statement cycle by any one of the following:

• $500+ in total qualifying Direct Deposits
• Maintain a total combined ledger balance of $500 or more in Truist related accounts across personal deposits (excluding Truist HSA) and all investments as reflected on the business day before your statement cycle end date.
• Having a personal Truist credit card, mortgage or consumer loan, excluding LightStream®.
• Having a linked Small Business Checking Account.
• Students under the age of 25.

Greenlight is a popular reloadable debit card service for kids, where parents can manage and track their kids spending. You can also add an allowance, payments for recurring chores or one-time jobs, and teach them compound interest via “parent-paid interest”. I suppose its wise to show the kids how handle digital spending before the credit card offers arrive.

I decided to try out the new PSECU perk that offers the basic tier of Greenlight for free. (I did the PSECU $300 checking promo first.) You must enroll at Greenlight.com/PSECU and link a PSECU checking account in order to get the benefit. The “Greenlight Select” membership is a special tier for such partners, but is mostly comparable to the “Greenlight Core” tier on their website, which costs $4.99 a month. Included in the “Greenlight Select” membership:

• Debit Mastercards for up to 5 kids. Send money instantly and keep tabs on spending with real-time notifications.
• Educational app. The parents have their app where they get notified of every purchase, and the kids have their own app with educational games and short lessons (optional). Kids can divide their money into “savings” or “giving” baskets as well as create specific savings goals.
• Parental controls. Created automated allowance payments. Set category and store-level spending limits.
• 1% APY interest. This is the lowest tier and the lowest interest, although some other apps don’t pay any interest at all. You can get up to 5% APY on $5,000 if you upgrade to the $15/month tier.
• Roundup feature. You can set it to round up purchases to the next dollar and put the difference in a savings account.
• No overdraft fees. Does not allow overdrafts, so no overdraft fees.
• Banking services provided by Community Federal Savings Bank, member FDIC.

Teaching compound interest with higher interest rates. It can be hard to visualize compound interest at low interest rates, so parents can increase it by paying a higher “interest” rate out of their own pockets. For example, here is an illustration of $100 earning a 25% interest rate (paid by the parent) as opposed to a 5% interest rate. It makes the idea of earning interest on interest more immediate and tangible. Ideally, this can teach them that delayed gratification turns it into future rewards. You can set interest rates from 1% up to 100%.

Unfortunately, to add on investments, I would have to upgrade to the $10 a month tier or higher. If I had a teen ready for investing, I’d probably use the Fidelity Youth account instead (available for age 13-17 only, and my kids aren’t that old yet).

For kids under 13, I think that Greenlight would serve as a nice alternative to piggy banks. (Greenlight has no minimum age requirement.) While I suppose $5 a month isn’t a lot of money for all these features, I still like “free” better. After a few quick internet searches for “Greenlight Select”, I found multiple local banks and credit unions in my area that offered this free tier of service. If you plan on paying for it, there is $30 bonus available with a 1-month free trial (bonus not stackable with this free offer).

Updated with 2024 promo details, free Greenlight kids debit card perk. Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union (PSECU) has a $300 new checking account bonus that is broken up into two stages ($200+$100). That is also my referral link as I successfully did a similar $300 deal from last year. PSECU is a digital-first credit union with a very open membership. If you don’t satisfy the available free options, anyone can join with $10:

Don’t meet any of the criteria above? No problem! You can still become eligible for PSECU membership by joining the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS).

PRPS is a statewide association providing education, advocacy, and resources for those working and volunteering to manage Pennsylvania’s 6,000+ local parks. Park and recreation departments provide safe and affordable recreation opportunities, creating stronger and more inclusive communities.

PRPS membership dues are $20, but we cover $10 when you select to join PRPS during our application process.

There may also be a required $5 initial deposit into a share savings account. I also experienced a hard credit check on Experian, which is (unfortunately) common amongst credit unions. Here are the details on the bonus requirements:

$200 Checking Bonus (Stage 1)

• Become a PSECU member using promo link and promo code RIGHTNOTEREFER (should be automatically applied) and add a free checking account with debit card.
• Sign up and log into digital banking (online or mobile).
• Establish Qualifying Payroll Direct Deposit(s) that total at least $500 per calendar month.
• Must be completed in the first 60 days of establishing your membership.

$100 Checking Bonus (Stage 2)

• Continue recurring Qualifying Payroll Direct Deposits totaling at least $500 per calendar month for 3 consecutive months after Stage 1 requirements are met, with a total additional amount deposited of at least $1,500 during Stage 2.
• Complete a minimum of 10 Eligible Debit Card Purchases. Eligible Debit Card Purchases are defined as individual purchases of at least $10 for a minimum overall purchase total of at least $100.
• Must be completed within 120 days of establishing your membership.

My application process went smoothly and similar to other credit unions. I did have to upload a scan of the front and back of my driver’s license to help verify my identity (which is a good thing in my opinion) as well as answer some identity verification questions based on my credit report. The application took a couple days to process but I was able to get my account information and online access without any phone call or paperwork required. I did have to call them briefly to get my checking account number (didn’t want to wait on the free checks to arrive) in order to set up my direct deposit.

Added 2024: Another useful perk of PSECU for those with kids and teens is they include a free Greenlight subscription, which is a popular reloadable debit card service for kids. This is usually $5 a month ($60 a year).

Full terms and conditions:

*Hit the Right Note – Up to $300 Bonus Terms and Conditions
From 1.1.24 to 12.31.24, PSECU is running a new member incentive bonus. To receive up to $300, new members must sign up with promotional code RIGHTNOTEREFER and satisfy each of the requirements listed below. PSECU will deposit member incentive bonus into the Regular share within 45 days after the requirements are satisfied. Promotion open to U.S. Residents who are 18 years of age or older at the time the account is opened. Limit one (1) new member Hit the Right Note bonus per tax identification number used to open a new PSECU account. Joint owners listed on accounts are not eligible to be rewarded for this bonus unless they open their own account. You will not be eligible for the Hit the Right Note bonus if you are a current PSECU member, have closed an account within the past 12 months, or have received any new member incentive bonus within the past 12 months. Members who open accounts and/or loans by fraudulent, suspicious, or illegal means, including but not limited to providing PSECU with fraudulent or fabricated information, are not eligible to participate in this bonus offer. PSECU may adjust the deposited bonus or remove the deposited bonus at any time if PSECU suspects accounts and/or loans were opened by fraudulent, suspicious, or illegal means, including but not limited to providing PSECU with fraudulent or fabricated information. $5 is required to open and maintain a Regular share account. This $5 share deposit is also required to be eligible to receive the bonus, and the member must be in good standing as defined by PSECU’s Bylaws Article II, Section 1. A $5 minimum share purchase will be made on behalf of the new member by PSECU. If the member account is closed within the first year of membership, the initial $5 share will be retained by PSECU. The Annual Percentage Yield on PSECU’s Regular share account is 0.50%. This variable rate is current as of 12.1.23 and may change. Withdrawals and fees may reduce earnings on the account. The recipient of the bonus (up to $300) is solely responsible for payment of applicable taxes on that amount. If you have any questions, please seek the advice of a qualified tax professional. All decisions of PSECU regarding this promotion are final. PSECU may terminate or change the terms and conditions of this promotion without notice. Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.