Lately, I've been watching a video series on personal finance at Lynda.com that is taught by financial advisor, Jane Barratt. If you are wanting to learn more about personal finance OR just need a few extra tips and insights about your finances, I'd highly recommend you check it out.
In the series, Barratt mentioned something very simple but profound about where we stash our money. She noted that many of us could be unknowingly cheating ourselves by where we put our savings.
No brainer, right? Well, please stay with me for a second.
Currently, my bank (and savings account, with U.S. Bank) offers 0.05% on money that I have in their account. So, every month they deposit a few cents here for my allowing them to use my money. As you know, banks make money off of your money that you keep in their vaults. And, in return, many of them pay you a mere pittance for the privilege.
In our case, we have two checking accounts that we have money in. One acts as a savings account and the other is a regular checking account where money comes in and out. We hardly ever touch that savings account. That being the case, Barratt suggests that we ought to be looking for the best highest yielding savings account.
Granted, we aren't going to get rich off the interest. But, here's a look at what is currently out there, per the NerdWallet's savings account rate chart:
Rates as of 10/16/2015
I don't know about you, but 1.05% looks a lot better than 0.05%!
Given that I could be getting a better return on my savings, I am essentially cheating my family out of a whole percentage of interest from our savings! Yikes!
Needless to say – this is not earth-shattering, but something to really keep in mind. And, over time, we all know how this stuff adds up.
Where do you keep your savings?
Since we all manage our money differently, I'd be curious to know where you put your savings? I'm assuming that you want it readily available in case of emergencies or other needs. But, given that most of this money doesn't get touched very often, do you invest it, put it in a money market, under your bed?
I'd be curious to know.
9 Comments
I’ve always used Synchrony Bank & Barclays and I’ve never been disappointed. Returns are high. I’ve read great reviews about Ally Bank too.
I keep my emergency fund in my Provident Credit Union rewards checking account paying 1.36%. No minimum, 10 card purchases a month, one auto deposit, and it’s good up to $25,000. I love it!
Beyond that, I may have to check out Mango Money for the smaller stuff.
I use Capital One for savings. I never knew about the other online banks but I’ll be looking more into the other one. Especially since the APY percentages are higher.
Thanks Kimberly. Have heard good things about Capital One 360 account too.
Thanks Aaron for the good information. If your readers want to take it to the next level, Mangomoney offers 6% and Paypay Prepaid offers 5%. They limit this high rate to the first 5000.00 on deposit but it’s still a great deal. If your lucky enough to have more than 5000 to invest you can open one account, and your wife can open another, for a total of 10,000. The only “catch” other than the 5000 limit is Mango requires a small monthly direct deposit (otherwise you earn ‘just’ 2%) and paypal Prepaid charges a small monthly fee of 3 or 4 bucks. I’ve used them both for about 6 months and am very pleased!
Those are great rates Keith! Thanks for the info.
Thanks for the great info! I am considering these options. I don’t see that mango requires the direct deposit? Looks like they are offering a bonus $20 for signing up for direct deposit and using it twice Within 90 days and at least $50.
I use discover savings. Discover has really good customer service that keeps me as a customer rather than moving for .1% difference.
I have always put it in online institutions. I do not have a brick and mortar bank for “saving.” I use Sallie Mae and HSBC. I like HSBC because when I travel, I can use their ATM abroad and not have any fees. Plus, they give me 6 withdrawal a month without any fees at any ATM. Sallie Mae use to have scan feature for deposit, but the took that away and gone mobile, which I do not like.
You should be careful of the “introductory” rate vs. the standard rate. Everbank with whom I use to bank did that. But you can always just move it.
Great point Allison – those rates can come up and bite you.