Category: Saving & Banking
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The Fed may raise rates in September, but top CDs already pay about 4.5%
For most of the past year the story on interest rates was that they were heading down, and savers were told to lock in yields before they fell. The picture has shifted. After cutting rates late in 2025, the Federal Reserve has held steady through 2026, and with inflation and oil prices climbing again, markets…
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Banks must make the first $275 of a check available the next business day
Deposit a check and your bank may put a hold on it for a few days before you can touch the full amount. What many people do not realize is that federal rules force the bank to hand over at least the first $275 by the next business day. Knowing that number can be the…
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Your bank deposits are insured up to $250,000, and a few simple moves can cover even more
With four U.S. banks having failed so far in 2026, the most in a year since 2023, it is a fair moment to ask a simple question: if your bank went under tomorrow, is your money safe? For most people the answer is yes, up to $250,000, and with a few deliberate moves you can…
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Millions still in the old SAVE student-loan plan have a short window to switch or get moved to a pricier one
Millions of borrowers who parked their federal student loans in the SAVE plan are being pushed to make a decision, and the clock is short. After courts ruled the SAVE repayment plan unlawful, the Education Department began moving borrowers off it, giving each one 90 days to pick a new plan. Miss that window and…
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Big banks pay about 0.38% on savings while online accounts pay near 4%
Savings parked at a big bank are probably earning almost nothing, while the very same money could be working ten times harder somewhere just as safe. The typical savings rate at the largest banks is a rounding error, yet online accounts that carry the same federal insurance are paying near 4%. Moving your cash costs…
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Americans are owed about $70 billion in unclaimed cash, free to search
Somewhere in a state office, there may be money with your name on it. Across the country, states and some federal agencies are holding roughly $70 billion in cash that belongs to ordinary people who simply lost track of it. Checking whether any of it is yours costs nothing, and the search takes only a…
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Babies born from 2025 through 2028 can get a $1,000 government deposit in a new Trump Account
A baby born in 2025 or later can now start life with $1,000 already invested in her name, courtesy of the federal government. The catch is that the money does not show up on its own. A parent has to claim it, and right now millions of families either have not done so yet or…
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Two credit unions are automatically refunding overdraft and NSF fees, and members don’t have to file a claim
Overdraft and bounced-check fees are among the most resented charges in banking, so it is worth noting when members get some of that money back. Two credit unions have agreed to settle claims that they charged improper overdraft and non-sufficient-funds fees, and the standout feature for affected members is what they do not have to…
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A payable-on-death name on a bank account skips probate for your heir
One of the most useful estate-planning tools costs nothing, takes a few minutes at the bank, and spares your family a slow, public court process after you die. It is a payable-on-death designation, and adding one to a checking, savings, or CD account lets the money pass straight to the person you name, without a…
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Some banks are quietly cutting savings rates, so locking a one-year CD near 4.4% now can protect your yield
The best savings rates in years have been quietly slipping, and the accounts paying them are usually the ones that let you walk away anytime. That flexibility is nice until the rate drops out from under you. For savers who do not need every dollar liquid, locking part of a cushion into a one-year certificate…