Best Interest Rates on Cash – July 2022 Update

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Here’s my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of July 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 7/6/2022.

TL;DR: 4% APY on up to $6,000 for liquid savings at Current with no direct deposit requirement. BrioDirect 1.80% APY liquid savings. 1-year CD 2.50% APY. 5-year CD 3.64% APY. Treasury bond rates worth a comparison. 9.62% Savings I Bonds still available if you haven’t done it yet.

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.

  • 4% APY on $6,000. 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.
  • 3% APY on up to $100,000, but requires direct deposit and credit card spend. HM Bradley pays up to 3% APY if you open both a checking and credit card with them, and maintain $1,500 in total direct deposit each month and make $100 in credit card purchases each month. Please see my updated HM Bradley review for details.
  • 3% APY on 10% of direct deposits + 1% APY on $25,000. One Finance lets you earn 3% APY on “auto-save” deposits (up to 10% of your direct deposit, up to $1,000 per month). Separately, they also pay 1% APY on up to another $25,000 with direct deposit. New customer $50 bonus via referral. See my One Finance review.
  • 3% APY on up to $15,000, requires direct deposit and credit card transactions. Porte requires a one-time direct deposit of $1,000+ to open a savings account. Porte then requires $3,000 in direct deposits and 15 debit card purchases per quarter (average $1,000 direct deposit and 5 debit purchases per month) to receive 3% APY on up to $15,000. New customer bonus via referral. See my Porte review.

High-yield savings accounts
Since the huge megabanks 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.

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. CFG Bank has a 13-month No Penalty CD at 1.70% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. Ally Bank has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 1.00% APY for all balance tiers. Marcus has a 13-month No Penalty CD at 1.25% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. You may wish to open multiple CDs in smaller increments for more flexibility.
  • Bread Financial has a 12-month certificate at 2.50% APY. Early withdrawal penalty is 180 days of interest.

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 1.42%. Compare with the Fidelity Government Money Market Fund (SPAXX), Fido’s sweep option which charges a higher expense ratio and thus only offers a 0.99% SEC yield.
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund currently pays 2.40% SEC yield ($3,000 min) and 2.50% SEC Yield ($50,000 min). The average duration is ~1 year, so your principal may vary a little bit.
  • The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 2.21% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 1.80% 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 7/5/2022, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 1.29% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 2.77% annualized interest.
  • The Goldman Sachs Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF (GBIL) has a 0.87% SEC yield and the SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 0.77% SEC yield. GBIL appears to have a slightly longer average maturity than BIL.

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 May 2022 and October 2022 will earn a 9.62% 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-October 2022, 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.

  • The Bank of Denver pays 2.00% APY on up to $10,000 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. If you meet those qualifications, you can also link a Kasasa savings account that pays 1.00% APY on up to $25k. Thanks to reader Bill for the updated info.
  • Presidential Bank pays 2.25% APY on balances between $500 and up to $25,000, if you maintain a $500+ direct deposit and at least 7 electronic withdrawals per month (ATM, POS, ACH and Billpay counts).
  • Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union (soon Liberty FCU) pays 3.30% APY on up to $20,000. You’ll need at least 15 debit transactions and other requirements every month.
  • Lake Michigan Credit Union pays 3.00% APY on up to $15,000. You’ll need at least 10 debit transactions and other requirements every month.
  • (I’ve had a poor customer service experience with this CU, but the rate is still good.) Lafayette Federal Credit Union is offering 2.02% APY on balances up to $25,000 with a $500 minimum monthly direct deposit to their checking account. No debit transaction requirement. They are also offering new members a $100 bonus with certain requirements. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization ($10 one-time fee).
  • 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.

  • Lafayette Federal Credit Union (LFCU) has a 5-year certificate at 3.64% APY ($500 min), 4-year at 3.39% APY, 3-year at 3.13% APY, and 2-year at 2.88% APY. Note that the early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is a relatively large 600 days of interest. Anyone nationwide can join LFCU by joining the Home Ownership Financial Literacy Council (HOFLC) for a one-time $10 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 see a 5-year CD at 3.35% APY. Be wary of higher rates from callable CDs listed by Fidelity.

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 CD at 3.80% APY vs. 2.93% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates rise.
  • 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 which is quite low (currently 0.10%). I view this as a huge early withdrawal penalty. But if holding for 20 years isn’t an issue, it can also serve as a hedge against prolonged deflation during that time. Purchase limit is $10,000 each calendar year for each Social Security Number. As of 7/5/2022, the 20-year Treasury Bond rate was 3.31%.

All rates were checked as of 7/6/2022.

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Comments

  1. Why not recommendding lfcu credit union? It provides good rates compare to others I guess.

  2. Jonathan, why do you no longer recommend Lafayette Federal Credit Union?

    • I was unable to access my account and/or funds for over a week despite calling and/or emailing them every day. My multiple e-mails were never replied to, my calls were redirected to an answering service and then never returned. I eventually got through and got it sorted, but it was very frustrating and I did not like the feeling of not having any access to my money. I took my bonus and withdrew my money, as the hassle was definitely not worth 2.02% APY. For example, at Ally, I have always been able to talk to a human 24/7.

      • Understood! I had issues as well initially but took my complaint to a higher level.I was immediately compensated and recently moved my funds over to their 5 year CD.
        Not interested in fulfilling monthly paycheck deposits, however their certificate rates are good!

  3. Billy scout says

    I saw some horrible reviews on the ibonds customer service. Any personal experience on this?

    • I just opened one on the website and experience was pretty simple & hassle free (without any need for any personalized customer service). This Wealthion video was very helpful:
      “I-Bonds For Inflation Protection: Why Own Them, How They Work, How To Buy Them, Pros & Cons”

  4. For Fidelity, under “Call Protected”, do I want it to say YES or NO? I am kind of confused on which one is non-callable. Call protection is a provision that prohibits the issuer from buying it back before the maturity, so I think I would want it to say YES if I wanted it to be non-callable. However, the higher rates generally say “YES” under “Call protected”, which makes me think that YES somehow means ‘Callable.’ In the past I’ve had CDs that were called while interest rates were dropping, so I was hoping you could clarify how to avoid the callable CDs at Fidelity.

    • I agree, that’s not really clear upfront. Per the Fidelity CD page:

      Your CD might be Callable or Call Protected, giving you the flexibility to choose a potentially higher rate now in exchange for the risk of the CD being called away from you. Alternatively you can choose Call Protection, which gives you more certainty of a rate of return over a defined period.

      So it would seem that “call protected = yes” is the same as non-callable.

      The rates may or may not be highest for callable, it just depends. Banks know that individuals prefer non-callable, so if they are really trying to be the best rate and get funds, they will offer the best rate and non-callable.

      For example, right now I see that the top rate for the (highly-competitive) 5-year is call-protected, but the (much less competitive) 10-year 4% APY CD is not call-protected. Definitely an important thing to note.

  5. Scott Daniels says

    Sadly, I opened a Current App account on Friday, July 8th, somehow it kept populating an old cellular # so I changed it my current cell # then on Monday, July 11th the company’s fraud dept via email closed my account without any further explanation and won’t allow me to open any accounts with them in the future.
    BTW, my w/d from my bank account for the 1st pod for $2k had already taken place early Monday morning.

    I have been following you since the beginning and you have never steered me wrong.

    • Sorry to hear that, hope it all gets sorted out. These fintechs save money with all sorts of automated processes and shortcuts, so sometimes things do get caught and mangled.

  6. Stephen Buchanan says

    Where did T-Mobile Money go on your list? I got email yesterday (7/12/22) from them announcing that the rate was going up from 1.00% to 1.50% APY “Effective on or before July 15, 2022”

  7. Can anyone recommend a decent BUSINESS savings account for a high yield? Thank You.

  8. JandJFishing says

    Hey Jonathan, I’m curious why you don’t include Treasury Notes in your write-up, particularly the 2 Year Note (expected to be over 3% in the upcoming auction) that has an attractive yield compared with other options in your article.

    • Treasury bond rates are worth a comparison at every maturity right now. Rates are easy to find when you are ready to compare, but also change every day rather significantly.

      I’ve already listed the Treasury rates for 4-week, 1-year, 10-year, and 20-year. Had to draw the line somewhere 😀

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