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Practical guides to saving, borrowing, investing, and protecting your money. Understand the tradeoffs, then check the numbers.
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The Fed's November 6 report showed card balances jumped in September. One month can mislead. The bigger change is the rate: banks now add 15.61 points on top of the prime rate, up from 11.72 in 2019.
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The Fed's November 2 survey found a few more banks lowering credit card limits. Here is what a lower limit does to your credit score, the two rules that protect you and what to do.
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A brokerage account that sends cash to partner banks. Check its rates, fees and withdrawal rules before moving your savings.
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October hiring came in at more than twice the forecast, and odds of a December Fed hike rose to about 77% to 80%. What the last hike did for savers, and what a second one is worth.
A clear path through a bigger decision.
Guidebook · 19 published chapters
Where to keep your cash so it is safe and earns more: how much to hold, how CD ladders work, what FDIC insurance covers, and when Treasuries beat a bank.
Start guidebook →Guidebook · 8 published chapters
Should you move your savings to a higher-rate bank? How much you would gain, how long a top rate lasts, whether banks follow the Fed, and how to switch safely.
Start guidebook →Guidebook · 8 published chapters
How much of your bank money is insured? How joint, trust and business accounts are counted, which bank sits behind your app, and what a bank failure pays.
Start guidebook →Guidebook · 8 published chapters
Is a bank account signup bonus worth it? A plain guide to what you really earn, how it compares with savings, the tax bill, who qualifies and how to keep it.
Start guidebook →Guidebook · 12 published chapters
A plain guide to Trump accounts for children: how to claim the $1,000, who can add money, what it is invested in, how it is taxed, and what happens at 18.
Start guidebook →Guidebook · 10 published chapters
Where to keep your cash while rates are high: what each account is, why rates differ, how tax and the Fed change the answer, and how much to hold at each age.
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Guide
The Fed's November 6 report showed card balances jumped in September. One month can mislead. The bigger change is the rate: banks now add 15.61 points on top of the prime rate, up from 11.72 in 2019.
Guide
The Fed's November 2 survey found a few more banks lowering credit card limits. Here is what a lower limit does to your credit score, the two rules that protect you and what to do.
Guide
A brokerage account that sends cash to partner banks. Check its rates, fees and withdrawal rules before moving your savings.
Guide
October hiring came in at more than twice the forecast, and odds of a December Fed hike rose to about 77% to 80%. What the last hike did for savers, and what a second one is worth.
Guide
The November 2026 I bond rate is 5.51%, with a 1.40% fixed rate, the highest since 2006. How it compares with savings and CDs, and when savings still wins.
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Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred: 4x points on dining and groceries for $325, or 6% cash back on groceries for $95. See which pays more on your food spending.
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Savor pays 3% on groceries, dining, entertainment and streaming and 1% on the rest. Quicksilver pays 1.5% on everything. Here is when each one pays more.
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Venture charges $95 a year and earns 2 miles per dollar. VentureOne is free and earns 1.25 miles. Here is how much you must spend before the fee pays for itself.
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Which rewards card type fits you? Find your situation, from rare trips to big grocery bills or a card balance, and see whether cash back, points or miles pays more.
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Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Freedom Flex: both have no annual fee and the same dining and drugstore rates. The 5% quarterly categories decide which one pays more.
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Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Sapphire Reserve: a $95 fee against $795. See how much travel and how many credits you must use before the Reserve pays more.
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A flat-rate card pays the same on everything. A bonus category card pays more in some places and less in others. Here is the math to see which one pays you more.
Get the week's biggest rate changes in savings, CDs and mortgages, free.