Deals & Offers — Page 2

Raisin Marketplace: Up to $400 Deposit Bonus (and Why I’m Skipping It)

Posted on March 5, 2025 // Leave a Comment

Raisin is a financial marketplace that allows you to access high-interest certificates of deposit and savings accounts from multiple different banks and credit unions without having to open up a new account at each one. Right now, they have some new deposit bonuses that are pretty solid based on the bonus-to-deposit ratios and minimum holding periods. However, I will personally not be taking advantage of them due to their use of custodial FBO accounts. I think it’s most useful to both point out the existence of these bonuses and explain my take on them. Details below.

Here are the new bonuses:

New customer $250 bonus. Open a new account with promo code GET250, deposit $25,000 within 14 days, and maintain for 90 days for the $250 bonus.
Existing customer deposit bonus, up to $400. Must deposit $50,000 in new money. $200 on a 3–6 month CD. $300 on a 7–11 month CD. $400 for a 12+ month CD. Must maintain for full CD maturity period.

How Raisin works. The benefit of Raisin is that you can easily access aggressively high rates at a new bank or credit union without having to open yet another new account (and endure credit checks, identify verification hurdles, join partner organizations, leave funds in share savings accounts, etc). The price is added complexity, higher risk for miscommunication and errors, and a place in a regulatory shadow zone.

Instead of opening a direct account at a new partner bank, there are at least three different parties.

Raisin, which is the overall business (“financial technology company”) and not a bank and not a credit union. (Source #1)
There are the middlemen, Custodial Bank(s) and Service Bank. The Custodial Bank opens up FBO (For Benefit Of) accounts at each of the Partner Banks/Credit Unions in THEIR names. These FBO accounts are basically big pooled accounts, and the Custodial Bank is supposed to keep track of all the money going in and out for all the individual Raisin customers in their own virtual ledger. The Service Bank is in charge of moving your funds amongst the various banks. Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC), Member FDIC, is the Service Bank. CBKC, Lewis & Clark Bank and Starion Bank, each Member FDIC, are the Custodial Banks. (Source #2)
There are the partner banks. These banks and credit unions are looking to grow deposits, but they have no idea who you are as an individual. They come and go on the Raisin platform. They only see that they opened a single, huge FBO account for the Custodial Bank. (Source #3)

While this setup appears to be perfectly legal (as far I can tell, I am not a lawyer), that doesn’t mean that there is someone to clean up the mess if something goes wrong. It’s like if someone steals your wallet and the cops are too busy with violent crime to track them down, it doesn’t matter if it’s illegal, you’re still not getting your money back.

The real-world example is what happened with Juno, Yotta, Synapse, and Evolve Bank & Trust. They had major disagreements about the ledger tracking all the deposits and withdrawals. They all blamed each other for the missing funds (~$50 million). Since no bank actually failed, the FDIC did not step in. No other regulatory agency stepped in. I was surprised. It was all left to a severely-underfunded bankruptcy court, and the mess still isn’t figured out. Someone ran off with tens of millions of dollars, and innocent individuals were left holding the bag.

Source #1:

Raisin is not a bank and your money is always handled by a federally regulated financial institution — whether in transit, stored in the Cash Account, or in an account at a partner bank. The Custodial Bank keeps records of all funds deposited through the Raisin platform for added security.

Source #2

Custodial accounts are accounts held on for the benefit of Raisin customers by a custodial bank at the banks and credit unions where customers deposit their money through Raisin. When a customer makes a deposit through the Raisin platform into a savings product offered by a given financial institution, the funds move from the customer’s external bank account (also referred to as their reference account) to a custodial account held by one of Raisin’s partner custodial banks at the financial institution offering the savings product. Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC), Lewis & Clark Bank and Starion Bank, each Member FDIC, are the Custodial Banks.

Source #3:

An FDIC-supervised custodial bank opens the “For Benefit Of” account for each customer and agrees directly with Raisin’s customers to act as the custodian of their funds. This custodial bank is authorized by Raisin customers, as their agent, to hold their deposits at federally regulated banks and credit unions on their behalf in a custodial capacity. Customer funds are never co-mingled with Raisin funds.

Again, if everyone does what they say they will, then it’s all good. The problem is what happens when they don’t. If it happens with Raisin (or any of the parties involved, all relatively small institutions), it has the potential to be a complete mess that could take years to untangle. In today’s regulatory environment, I have zero interest in putting my cash into any sort of regulatory grey area.

In contrast, the CIT Bank $225/$300 deposit offer involves a simple, direct relationship with CIT Bank, an FDIC-insured bank, where you have an individual/joint account directly held in your name. There is a single system. There is no potential pointing of figures between multiple parties. There is a long, established history of the FDIC stepping in resolve a bank failure within days. It’s about as safe as it gets.

Bottom line. I’m doing the CIT bank offer, but not the Raisin offer.

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 5, 2025

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SGOV, STIP, TIP iShares ETFs: Claim Your State Income Tax Exemption (2024/2025)

Posted on March 5, 2025 // 1 Comment

As a follow-up to my posts for Vanguard and Fidelity money market funds, iShares ETFs (Blackrock) has also recently released their US GOI percentages for 2024 tax year. US Government Obligation Interest (US GOI) like Treasury bills and bonds are generally exempt from state and local income taxes. However, in order to claim this exemption, you’ll likely have to manually enter it on your tax return after digging up a few extra details.

The tax document has a pretty good summary of the situation for all brokers:

The Form 1099-DIV (or substitute form) you received from your financial advisor or brokerage firm may include income derived from U.S. Government and agency obligations. This income may be excluded from state income tax (although in many states, only the income from Treasury obligations is exempt from personal state income tax). The information below is provided to assist with the completion of shareholder state income tax returns. The amount in Box 1a of 2024 IRS Form 1099-DIV should be multiplied by the applicable percentages below to obtain the dollar amount of income derived from the sources categorized below. Because the qualifications for exclusion vary by state (some states have investment threshold requirements), please consult your tax advisor for details.

It’s notable that even things like the iShares iBonds 20XX Term TIPS ETFs are not 100% US government obligations, so it’s important to reference this document and not assume. For iShares TIPS Bond ETF (TIP) and iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond ETF (STIP) the USGOI percentage for 2024 was indeed at 100.00%.

For iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV), the USGOI percentage for 2024 was 97.53%. This is pretty good and why SGOV is my default cash position at most brokers. The tax document also confirms that at least 50% of the assets of the fund were invested in Federal Obligations at the end of each quarter of the fiscal year. That means that SGOV met the minimum criteria for the dividend income to be exempt in the states of California, Connecticut, and New York.

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Investing //

Last updated: March 5, 2025

Virgin Red Rewards Credit Card: 60,000 Bonus Points (Limited-Time Offer)

Posted on March 3, 2025 // Leave a Comment

The Virgin Red Rewards credit card is the co-branded card for Virgin Red, the loyalty program for Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages. In addition, Virgin points can be used for other things like Delta Airlines flights, Legoland tickers, all the way down to a bag of AMC movie popcorn. Right now, there is a limited-time offer, so let’s take a closer look.

60,000 Virgin Points when you open an account between 2/18/25-3/31/25 and spend $3,000 in the first 90 days.
3X Virgin Points per $1 spent on Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages.
2X Virgin Points per $1 spent at grocery stores, on dining out, select streaming services and EV charging.
1 Virgin Point per $1 spent on everything else.
Spend $15,000 in a year to choose one Personal Perk, or $30,000 to?choose two. Options include Flying Club reward voucher for a companion seat or cabin upgrade (Virgin Atlantic), a free night stay or priority upgrade (Virgin Hotel), or a $150/$300 Bar Tab credit or Blue Extras perk package (Virgin Voyages).
Book two nights at a Virgin Hotel, get your third night free with this card.
Add an authorized user and earn 2,500 Virgin Points. Maximum of 10,000 Virgin Points.
Earn Tier Points with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Earn 25 Tier Points for $2,500 of qualifying spend, up to 50 Tier Points a month.
Anniversary bonus: 5,000 Virgin Points every year you renew.
$99 annual fee.

This card is currently a Mastercard issued by Synchrony Bank. While Synchrony is not my favorite issuer, that can actually be a good thing once if you’ve already gotten many of the other popular rewards cards and they start to turn you away…

What can you redeem Virgin Points for? First, a quick reminder that there are both Virgin Red points and Virgin Flying Club points. Although they are separate programs, you can link your accounts together and use your points across both programs.

You can redeem Virgin points for free flights on Virgin Atlantic Airlines, including Economy, Premium Economy, and Upper (First) Class. There is no fixed award chart, but you can use this Reward Seat Checker tool to see what is available. Here are the best case scenarios for a Saver reward, which are very limited. You’ll also have to watch out for carrier-imposed surcharges, which are not included.

The US partner airlines include Delta Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. There are also a variety of international partner airlines including both SkyTeam (Air France/KLM) and non-SkyTeam (like ANA), which I won’t go into detail here.

For Hawaiian Airlines, here are the roundtrip costs, excluding taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges.

For Delta Airlines, here are the one-way costs for domestic flights within the US, excluding taxes, fees and carrier-imposed surcharges. The cost is based on distance, so it can be a relatively better deal for shorter Delta flights within the US.

Lots of incoming transfer partners. Even if you rarely/never fly Virgin, a positive feature is that there are many ways to get Virgin points if you need some extra to meet a redemption. These are all the programs that transfer into Virgin Red points at a 1:1 ratio:

American Express Membership Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Bilt Rewards
Capital One Miles
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Wells Fargo

You can also transfer from Marriott Bonvoy at a different 3:1 ratio (plus possible 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred).

Like most co-branded credit cards, the value depends a lot on how often you already use Virgin products. As someone who has never used any Virgin product, my plan for this card would be instead to use the bonus points within the first year on economy Delta flights for my entire family. I’d transfer enough points over from another program to top off the account and use them all at once. I’ll have to see if Delta flies to where we want to go and calculate the cost based on distance.

Bottom line. The Virgin Red Rewards credit card is the co-branded card for Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages. Right now, there is a limited-time offer of 60,000 bonus Virgin points, which are can be redeemed towards airfare on Virgin Atlantic or Delta Airlines, along with some other partner airlines.

I do believe it is reasonably easy to get $600+ of flight value out of 60,000 Virgin points, so I will be adding this card to my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The information for the Virgin Red Rewards credit card has been collected independently by My Money Blog. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 3, 2025

5% Cash Back Cards: Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Home Improvement, Streaming – January through March 2025

Posted on March 1, 2025 // 49 Comments

Activation reminder for 2025 1st Quarter. The credit cards below offer 5% cash back and up on specific categories that rotate each quarter. It takes a little extra attention, but it can add up to hundreds of dollars in additional rewards per year without changing your spending habits. You can also buy gift cards at places with 5% back now but spend the gift cards later. (* You can buy gift cards from lots of different places at grocery and drug stores…) New cardmembers may also get an upfront sign-up bonus.

Discover it Card

From January 1st through March 31st, 2025, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

Restaurants
Home Improvement Stores
Select Streaming Services (Includes Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Apple Music, Apple TV, Audible, DirecTV Stream, FUBO, Google Play Music and Video, Max, iHeartRadio, MLB.TV, Netflix, Pandora, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Showtime, SiriusXM, Sling TV, Spotify, Starz, Vudu, YouTube Music, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV.)

Enroll after logging into your online account. 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.

Discover it $100 bonus + Double Cashback Match details. If you are a new applicant and sign up via Discover Card referral link, you will get a ~~$50~~ improved $100 Cashback Bonus after your first purchase within 3 months of being account opening. On top of that, you will also get Cashback Match for an entire year – a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically. During those 12 months, your 5% cash back rewards becomes 10% cash back, and your 1% cash back rewards become 2% cash back. You can verify this on the application by looking under “Terms and Conditions” or searching for “cashback match” and “statement credit offer”:

Refer a Friend: You will receive a $100 statement credit after making a purchase within three months of account opening. A Balance Transfer or Cash Advance does not qualify as a purchase. You must apply online through your friend’s digital referral link and be approved by 11:59pm ET, December 31, 2025 in order to be eligible for the $100 statement credit offer. Phone, mail-in, and other digital applications are not eligible for referral rewards. Offer may not be combined with any other introductory offer. Promotional award will be applied within 8 weeks.

Cashback Match: We’ll match all the cash back rewards you’ve earned on your credit card from the day your new account is approved through your first 12 consecutive billing periods or 365 days, whichever is longer, and add it to your rewards account within two billing periods. You’ve earned cash back rewards only when they’re processed, which may be after the transaction date. We will not match: rewards that are processed after your match period ends; statement credits; rewards transfers from Discover checking or other deposit accounts; or rewards for accounts that are closed. This promotional offer may not be available in the future and is exclusively for new cardmembers. No purchase minimums.

Chase Freedom Flex Card

From January 1st through March 31st, 2025, you can earn 5% cash back (or 5X Ultimate Rewards points) on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

Grocery Stores excluding Walmart & Target
Norwegian Cruise Line
Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships
Hair, Nails, & Spa Services

(The categories are also the same for the old Chase Freedom card, which is no longer available to new applicants.)

Enroll each quarter online in your Chase account or at ChaseBonus.com. As long as you activate by the 14th of the first month in each quarter, the rewards are retroactive. Technically, you earn Ultimate Rewards points which may be worth even more when converted to airline miles or hotel points instead of cash if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card. You could also use the Pay Yourself Back tool to additional value. Currently, the Chase Freedom Flex card is offering new applicants a $200 bonus if you sign up and make $500 in purchases in your first three months. No annual fee.

Citi Custom Cash Card

This card offers 5% cash back on your *single* top eligible spending category up to $500 each month (which effectively adds up to $1,500 a quarter). Eligible categories include broad ones like restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, or select travel, but you only get 5% for the top category that month and 1% on everything else. To simplify things you could, for example, elect to only use this card for 5% cash back on gas all year long (up to $500 per month).

Currently, the Citi Custom Cash card is offering new applicants a $200 bonus after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. You’ll actually get 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. No annual fee.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

6% cash back at US supermarkets all year long (on up to $6,000 per year)
6% cash back at select US streaming subscriptions (includes Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube TV, and more).
Disney Streaming Bundle benefit (worth up to $84/year). Get $7/month back (as a statement credit) after you spend $9.99 or more each month an on auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription. Valid only at Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.Espn.com in the US. You must enroll your card ahead of time.
3% cash back at US gas stations and transit (taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (See Rates and Fees)
Terms Apply.

I use this card all year long for 6% cash back on groceries up to the limit and put all my streaming services on it (including Disney+ bundle), and then in December use up the $6k annual limit on gift cards bought in the supermarket aisle. New cardholders are also eligible for a $250 welcome offer after $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See details in link.

U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card

You must choose the two 5% cash back categories every quarter, out of a preset selection of specific categories:

Fast Food
Cell Phone Providers
Home Utilities
Ground Transportation
Select Clothing Stores
Electronics Stores
Car Rentals
Gyms/Fitness Centers
Sporting Goods Stores
Department Stores
Furniture Stores
Movie Theaters
TV, Internet, and Streaming Services

Unfortunately, you can’t pick a broad category like gas stations, restaurants, or grocery stores. Make sure to choose your categories each and every quarter, even if you want them to stay the same. If you do not choose your categories, all purchases revert to only earning 1% cash back for that quarter. No annual fee. Currently, new applicants are offered a $200 bonus after you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.

Amazon Prime Rewards Card

Earn 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods all year long. Up to 10% cash back on select items during special promos. Prime membership required. New cardholder bonus varies by account. No annual fee.

Citi Dividend Card. This card has not been available to new applicants for years now, but if you still have the grandfathered card you can view and activate your quarterly 5% category here. Limit of $300 cash back for the calendar year.

Rates and Fees for Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express :Rates and Fees for Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Last updated: March 14, 2025

Hilton Honors American Express Cards: 70k Points + Free Night Award (Limited-Time Offer)

Posted on February 27, 2025 // 9 Comments

Hilton Hotels and American Express have co-branded credit cards with special perks for Hilton customers. Each person can only get one welcome offer, per card in your entire lifetime, so it’s best to apply during a temporary bump-up and/or limited-time offer.

card_name

70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
7X Hilton points per dollar on purchases directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
5X Hilton points per dollar on purchases at US restaurants, US supermarkets, and US gas stations.
3X Hilton points for all other eligible purchases.
Hilton Honors(TM) Silver status comes with this card. Spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on this card within a calendar year and upgrade this benefit to Hilton Honors(TM) Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
No foreign transaction fees.
No annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

card_name

Limited Time Offer: 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first six months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/29/2025.
12X Hilton points on eligible Hilton purchases.
5X Hilton points on other purchases on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year, 3X points thereafter.
Up to $240 in Hilton credits annually (Up to $60 per quarter). Get up to $60 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made with this card directly with a Hilton portfolio property.
Complimentary Hilton Honors(TM) Gold Status (free breakfast, room upgrades based on availability, 5th standard reward night free).
Upgrade this benefit to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the calendar year if the total eligible purchases on your Card Account during a calendar year reach $40,000 or more.
Complimentary National Car Rental(R) Emerald Club Executive(R) status. Enrollment is required through the link on your American Express online account. Terms apply.
$195 annual fee.
See Rates and Fees

What are Hilton Honor points worth? The best value is from booking free hotel nights or using their “Points & Money” option where you pay with a combination of Hilton points and cash. Hilton has some really nice properties, but the value varies from hotel to hotel. I just ran a search and for the same 60,000 Hilton points, I could book rooms that cost $320 or $532 cash. I’ve seen some valuations around 0.6 cents per point, which I think is fair on average, but I would be more conservative at 0.5 cents a point. That would make 150,000 points = $750 value and 100,000 points = $500 value towards Hilton hotel stays.

The good part of Hilton points is that they have so many different hotel brands, from business-class DoubleTree to luxury Waldorf Astoria. Hilton also lets you transfer and pool points with other with other family or household members. As long as you keep them active (once every 12 months), I do like to keep some around. These credit cards are handy for creating activity.

Free Night Award details. When it is offered (not all the time), the Free Night Award is valid for a one-night standard room at eligible Hilton properties, and also covers resort fees and taxes. There are many great and valuable options to redeem, but importantly read about the property exclusions here. Here are the full terms. To redeem the Free Night Reward, you must call 1-800-446-6677 (1-800-HHONORS). It’s quite easy and I’ve found the agents to be very helpful if you want to combine multiple certificates, combine a paid stay and a Free Night Award, etc. Free Night Rewards will expire 12 months from date of issuance.

I’ve used this Free Night Award at the Grand Wailea in Maui, and that standard room would have cost 110,000 Hilton Points otherwise. Other fancy possibilities include Conrad New York, Conrad London, Waldorf Astoria Park City, and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.

Bottom line. Hilton American Express cards offer regular Hilton customers a good opportunity to earn additional points towards free Hilton hotel stays as well as additional perks like status upgrades. The best time to apply for a Hilton co-branded American Express card is during a limited-time increase to their welcome offers. This is because American Express has changed their policy to only allow each person to get a welcome offer once per card.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

Hilton Honors Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: See Rates and Fees

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: February 27, 2025

TastyTrade Referral (Important Correction!)

Posted on February 25, 2025 //

Update: I’m very sorry, I was in a rush and read the offer wrong. There is no $500 for the referred person. Please don’t open and fund. If I end up getting a $500 reward for referring you, I will send you the $500. However, I don’t have a way of tracking this, so please contact me now if you opened an account with my referral code and have already funded. My recommendation is to not fund – especially due to the long 6-month holding period.

~~TastyTrade brokerage is offering a $500 double referral offer. However, it is only for the referring person, not the referred.~~

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Investing //

Last updated: March 2, 2025

Fidelity Money Market Funds: Claim Your State Income Tax Exemption (Updated 2025)

Posted on February 20, 2025 // 9 Comments

Updated. As the brokerage 1099 forms for the 2024 Tax Year are coming out, here is a quick reminder for those subject to state and/or local income taxes. If you earned interest from a money market fund, a significant portion of this interest may have come from “US Government Obligations” like Treasury bills and bonds, which are generally exempt from state and local income taxes. However, in order to claim this exemption, you’ll likely have to manually enter it on your tax return after digging up a few extra details.

(Note: California, Connecticut, and New York exempt dividend income only when the mutual fund has met certain minimum investments in U.S. government securities. They require that 50% of a mutual fund’s assets at each quarter-end within the tax year consist of U.S. government obligations.)

Fidelity has released US GOI percentages for 2024 on their institutional website, but it’s a little hard to read since it includes a lot of funds and share classes that are used by Fidelity-affiliated financial advisors and institutional portfolios. Their tax document page still says “Expected mid February” – Update 2/22: 2024 Percentage of Income from
U.S. Government Securities now available. The numbers from both sources are the same, although rounded off differently for some reason.

Here are the results for the most popular core Fidelity money market funds:

Fidelity® Treasury Only Money Market Fund (FDLXX, CUSIP 31617H300) – 97.0032%.
Fidelity® Government Money Market Fund (SPAXX, CUSIP 31617H102) – 55.0877%.
Fidelity® Government Cash Reserves (FDRXX, CUSIP 316067107) – 57.1917%.
Fidelity® Treasury Money Market Fund* (FZFXX, CUSIP 316341304) – 50.5640%. *FZFXX did not meet the minimum investment in U.S. Government securities required to exempt the distribution from tax in California, Connecticut, and New York.
Fidelity® Government Money Market Fund Premium Class (FZCXX, CUSIP 31617H706) – 55.0877%. This fund has a $100,000 minimum, but also a lower expense ratio than SPAXX, which means it earns about 0.10% more yield annually as of this writing 2/20/25.

To find the portion of Fidelity dividends that may be exempt from your state income tax, multiply the amount of “ordinary dividends” reported in Box 1a of your Form 1099-DIV by the percentage listed in the PDF. For example, if you earned $1,000 in total interest from Fidelity Treasury Only Money Market Fund (FDLXX) in 2024, then $970.03 could possibly be exempt from state and local income taxes. If your marginal state income tax rate was 10% that would be a ~$97 tax savings for every $1,000 in total interest earned.

On a net after-tax basis, folks with a ~10% state income tax rate will likely find that FDLXX earns more interest than the default core holdings of SPAXX/FZFXX, even though the gross yield of SPAXX/FZFXX is higher than that of FDLXX.

To obtain these tax savings, you’ll have to manually adjust your state/local income tax return. I don’t believe that TurboTax, H&R Block, and other tax software will do this automatically for you, as they won’t have the required information on their own. (I’m also not sure if they ask about it in their interview process.) If you use an accountant, you should also double-check to make sure they use this information. Here is some information on how to enter this into TurboTax:

When you are entering the 1099-DIV Box 1a, 1b, and 2a – click the “My form has info in other boxes (this is uncommon)” checkbox.
Next, click on the option “A portion of these dividends is U.S. Government interest.”
On the next screen enter the Government interest amount. This will be subtracted from your state return.

Standard disclosure: Check with your state or local tax office or with your tax advisor to determine whether your state allows you to exclude some or all of the income you earn from mutual funds that invest in U.S. government obligations.

[Image credit – Tax Foundation]

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Investing, Taxes //

Last updated: February 23, 2025

Gemini Crypto: $75 Bonus after Trading $100 (Referral Promo Code)

Posted on February 19, 2025 // 4 Comments

Crypto exchange Gemini has upped their referral offer for a limited-time to a $75 bonus in crypto after you open a new account and trade $100. Above is a screenshot from my app. This is much higher than the standard offer. You can do something as simple as trade something buy and sell $100 of USDC or GUSD stablecoin, if you want something with minimal volatility although it’s still crypto and not FDIC-insured. You should get confirmation of the bonus after a day or so. That’s my referral link, which should auto-populate with the promo code adryypgfd; Thanks if you use it!

Don’t miss out on $75 in free crypto. Sign up for Gemini and trade at least $100 to earn $75 in the crypto of your choice for a limited time.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Last updated: February 19, 2025

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles + $250 Travel Credit (Limited-Time Offer)

Posted on February 18, 2025 // 11 Comments

New limited-offer with first year bonus value of $1,000. The card_name is a premium travel rewards card with a flat 2 Miles per dollar on all purchases. 75,000 miles can be redeemed as a $750 credit towards any travel purchase made with the card (any airline website, any hotel website, AirBNB stays, Uber rides, no blackout dates). Right now, there is also a limited-offer with an additional $250 travel credit valid for hotels and flights booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Here are the highlights:

75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year – that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.
2X Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
5X Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options. They offer a Price Match Guarantee.
Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.
Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network. This perk is valid through December 31, 2024.
Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase-or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn.
$50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection.
No foreign transaction fees.
$95 annual fee.

Note the following about existing or previous cardholders:

Existing or previous cardmembers are not eligible for this product if they have received a new cardmember bonus for this product in the past 48 months.

(Capital One’s “ultra-premium” card is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which has more perks including Priority Pass airport lounge access and a $300 annual travel credit through Capital One Travel, but also a higher $395 annual fee. This Venture card is more directly competitive with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, while the Venture X competes more directly with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.)

Redemption details. Capital One “miles” can be redeemed directly for a cash statement credit on a 1 mile = $0.01 basis when offsetting any travel purchase made on the card within the past 90 days. In other words, 50,000 miles = $500 toward travel. That means you can fly on any airline or stay at any hotel, pay with this card, and then “erase” that purchase using your miles balance later. This even includes AirBnB vacation rentals, car rentals, and Uber rides.

This means that earning 2 miles on on every $1 in purchases essentially makes this a 2% back card when applied towards travel. You also have the option of booking travel through their travel portal, similar to Chase Ultimate Rewards, but you are not required to do so. You have the flexibility of booking through them or making the purchase directly through the airline, hotel, car rental counter, etc. This makes it easy to combine and spend all your Capital One miles.

Miles transfer options. Capital One now allows you to transfer your “miles” into select airline miles programs as well. Here are the airline transfer partners:

Aeromexico
Air France/KLM
Air Canada Aeroplan
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Avianca Lifemiles
British Airways Avios
Emirates Skywards
Etihad
EVA
Finnair
Qantas
Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
TAP Air Portugal
Turkish Airlines
Virgin Red

Hotel partners

Accor Live Limitless
Choice Hotels

If you know how to leverage one of these international airline miles programs (my favorites are Aeroplan and Avios since you can combine family points), this can be a very valuable option. Otherwise, it’s nice to know you can always get a certain level of value by redeeming against any travel purchase.

Bottom line. The card_name earns 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, which you can either redeem against any travel purchase or transfer to one of their airline/hotel partners.

Due to the $900+ potential first-year value, I will be adding this card to my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: February 21, 2025

TurboTax Promo: Switch to TurboTax, File on App by 2/28, Get Deluxe/Premium For $0 Federal, $0 State

Posted on February 17, 2025 // 2 Comments

Here is a new TurboTax App promo link that offers free tax filing ($0 Federal, $0 State) for ALL tax situations (not just 1040EZ form users). This includes their TurboTax Standard, Deluxe, and Premium products. Here are the specific set of requirements:

Switch to TurboTax. You must not have used TurboTax last year to file your taxes. (If you used TurboTax the year before last, but not last year, you’re still eligible for this offer.)
Use the TurboTax app to start and file. You must start and file your taxes using the TurboTax mobile app. The offer link above should provide a QR code to scan.
DIY only – TurboTax Live not included. This offer is only available for the “Do your own taxes” product. TurboTax Live products are excluded.
File by February 28, 2025. Taxes must be filed by February 28, 2025.

Even if they ask you to “upgrade” in the app, as long as you follow the rules above, the fee should be waived at the checkout. “We might ask you to upgrade, but we’ll waive the fee as long as you file on the app by February 28.”

TurboTax has gotten into trouble in the past for advertising their Free Edition, but often little things like having a single 1099-MISC form would make you ineligible and thus you’d have to upgrade to a paid product. Now, they must disclose that roughly 37% of filers qualify for Free Edition.

Meanwhile, the retail price of TurboTax Premium is now up to $89 Federal + $39 per State. There are discounts everywhere, but it’s still close to $100 total after 30% off. You can get this deal even if you have a 1099-MISC form or two, some investment income from a stock sale on a 1099-B, want to itemize deductions, and have rental income, or something like that.

I’ve never done taxes on an app, but they claim that it’s actually easier since you can take pictures of all your forms to upload them, instead of typing it all in. However, their FAQ seems to offer another workaround if you still want to avoid the app. As long as you *start* on the app, and *file* on the app, you can work on your stuff on a web browser in the middle.

You’re eligible for this offer when you start and file your taxes in the TurboTax mobile app.
If you switch to doing your taxes using a web browser instead of the app, we’ll show you a reminder that you must file in the app to redeem the offer.
If you choose not to file in the app, the cost of TurboTax will go back to regular pricing, which is based on the complexity of your tax return.

Federal and State e-File is included at no additional cost. I know that TurboTax Desktop charges you an additional $25 for a State e-File (you can print and mail for free), but according to their online chat (and some unofficial online sources), this TurboTax State Online/App version includes Federal and State e-File at no additional cost. I don’t like how TurboTax makes this information hard to find, and that there are different policies for Desktop vs. Online.

With a $0 all-in cost including Fed+State eFile if you qualify, this is definitely a strong offer, but the deadline is coming up and I’m still getting late brokerage 1099s trickling in mid-February. 😡 Let’s hope for no amended 1099s! 🤞 I’m looking at you, Apex Clearing…

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of TurboTax. I usually don’t write about TurboTax unless there is an especially good deal on them, and I think this deal is worth sharing since the retail price of TurboTax Premium is $89 Federal + $39 per State.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Taxes //

Last updated: February 17, 2025

Southwest Airlines Credit Cards: New Companion Pass Offer (Good Through February 2026)

Posted on February 11, 2025 // 26 Comments

New limited-time offer on select cards that includes a Companion Pass good through 2/28/26. Southwest Airlines Rapid points are very flexible, as they let you use points to book basically any available seat that could be bought with cash. A conservative approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to roughly $520+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for every 40,000 Southwest points. That also means 85,000 points is worth roughly $1,100 in Wanna Get Away airfare. Plus, they still offer two free checked bags on all flights.

In addition, their Companion Pass lets you pick one person to fly with free when you book both paid AND award flights (including to Hawaii!) on Southwest. Once you qualify by earning 135,000 points in a calendar year, you earn the Companion Pass for both the rest of the year in which you earn it AND all of the next year (ex. rest of 2025 + all of 2026). Importantly, all points earned from credit cards count toward the requirement, and each card also offers a 10,000 point boost toward the Companion Pass requirement. Oftentimes if you get both a new personal and a new business card in the same year, you can meet this requirement with the new cardmember bonuses alone (especially if you include the spending required to unlock the bonus).

New limited-time offer: Right now if you apply by 3/31/25, you have an opportunity to earn the Companion Pass much more easily with a reasonable spending hurdle. See details below. This promotional Companion Pass doesn’t last through the end of 2026, but it does last until 2/28/26.

card_name

Limited-time offer: Earn a Companion Pass(R) good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year.
10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
2X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
25% back on inflight purchases
All points earned count towards Companion Pass(R).
$69 annual fee.

card_name

Limited-time offer: Earn a Companion Pass(R) good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
3X points on Southwest purchases.
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
25% back on inflight purchases
1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually (no limit on TQP earned).
4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
$149 annual fee.

The following are business credit cards:

card_name

80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
9,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
NEW: 4X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
NEW: 2X points on rideshare.
2X points on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
Inflight WiFi Credits (up to 365 x $8 credits per year).
Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit. Receive a statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS.
$199 annual fee.

card_name

60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
6,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
3X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
2X points and Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
$99 annual fee.

Value of Rapid Rewards points. Redeeming Southwest points for flights varies in a narrow range, but a very reasonable approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to $650+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for every 50,000 points or $1,300+ in Wanna Get Away airfare from 100,000 points (you are still liable for taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way). Importantly, Southwest does NOT have blackout dates or seat restrictions when you redeem with points. This means that Southwest points are much easier to use than a “saver award” on traditional airlines.

Now, if you manage to qualify for the the Companion Pass on every trip that you book with those points, that doubles the potential value of each award redemption. In other words, 125,000 Rapid Rewards, would usually get you $1,850 in Wanna Get Away airfare, but with the Companion Pass you’d get an extra companion ticket for every flight booked.

There may be other options like gift cards, but the redemption value is less than half the value you could get from redeeming for flights.

Southwest points expiration policy, per Southwest.com:

Do the points I earn expire?

No, your Rapid Rewards points do not expire. However, if you choose to close your account, the points in your account will be terminated.

Southwest still includes two free checked bags per person. The fees on the other airlines have crept up to $30 per bag, each-way. That adds up.

Our family policy is to not try out a new credit card unless it offers us $500 in total value. Just the free award flights from the points are enough to satisfy that rule, and then you can add on the potential value of the companion tickets.

Card restrictions. All of these Southwest credit cards are subject to “5/24” restrictions, which means that your application will be automatically denied if you have opened 5 or more credit cards in the last 24 months (check your credit reports). Our household strategy is to have one person only apply for Chase 5/24 cards, and the other person applies for everything else. There is also this language on the consumer card:

The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.

Basically, you can get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest consumer card once every 24 months. You can also get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest business card once every 24 months.

Stack your Companion Pass with Chase Ultimate Rewards points. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest points on a 1:1 basis. If you book an award flight with those Southwest points while you have the Companion Pass, you can double the value of your Ultimate Rewards points as well.

Bottom line. Southwest credit cards offer new cardholders the opportunity to earn hundreds of dollars worth of Wanna Get Away airfare, but if you time things right and maybe combine the welcome offers from a personal and business card, you can also grab the Southwest Companion pass, which provides a free companion ticket on every flight bought with cash OR points booked both during the rest of the year in which you earned it, AND the full next calendar year. Finally, Southwest still includes two free checked bags per person on every flight.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and the Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //

Last updated: February 11, 2025

Best Interest Rates Survey: Savings Accounts, Treasuries, CDs, ETFs – February 2025

Posted on February 9, 2025 // 4 Comments

Here’s my monthly survey of the best interest rates on cash as of February, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Banks love taking advantage of our idle cash, and you can often earning more money while keeping the same level of safety by moving to another FDIC-insured bank or NCUA-insured credit union. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to see how much extra interest you could earn from switching. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 2/9/2024.

TL;DR: Liquid, short-term rates slightly lower overall. Longer-term rates actually went up a little; there are 4%+ APY 5-year CDs. Compare against Treasury bills and bonds at every maturity, taking into account state tax exemption. I no longer recommend fintech companies due to the possibility of loss due to poor recordkeeping and lack of government regulation. (Ex. Evergreen Wealth at 5% APY is a fintech.)

High-yield savings accounts
Since the huge megabanks still pay essentially no interest, everyone should at least have a separate, no-fee online savings account to piggy-back onto 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 and solid user experience. 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.

The top saving rates at the moment top out at about what Quontic Bank offers at 4.75% APY (No min). Roger.bank is at 5.00% APY (no min), but does require an additional checking account. I have no direct experience with either, but those are top rates. CIT Platinum Savings is now at 4.30% APY with $5,000+ balance.
SoFi Bank is at 3.80% APY + up to $325 new account bonus with direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount (even $1) each month for the higher APY. SoFi has historically competitive rates and full banking features. See details at $25 + $300 SoFi Money new account and deposit bonus.
Here is a limited survey of high-yield savings accounts. They aren’t the top rates, but a group that have historically kept it relatively competitive such that I like to track their history.

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. Marcus has a 7mo/13mo No Penalty CD at 4.15% APY with a $500 minimum deposit. Farmer’s Insurance FCU has 9-month No Penalty CD at 4.25% APY with a $1,000 minimum deposit. Consider opening multiple CDs in smaller increments for more flexibility.
Abound Credit Union has a 8-month certificate special at 4.75% APY ($500 min). Anyone can join this credit union nationwide with $10 fee. Early withdrawal penalty is 90 days of interest.

Money market mutual funds
Many brokerage firms that pay out very little interest on their default cash sweep funds (and keep the difference for themselves). Note: Money market mutual funds are highly-regulated, but ultimately not FDIC-insured, so I would still stick with highly reputable firms.

Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund (VMFXX) is the default sweep option for Vanguard brokerage accounts, which has an SEC yield of 4.27% (changes daily, but also works out to a compound yield of 4.35%, which is better for comparing against APY). Odds are this is much higher than your own broker’s default cash sweep interest rate.
Vanguard Treasury Money Market Fund (VUSXX) is an alternative money market fund which you must manually purchase, but the interest will be mostly (100% for 2024 tax year) exempt from state and local income taxes because it comes from qualifying US government obligations. Current SEC yield of 4.26% (compound yield of 4.35%).

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, which can make a significant difference in your effective yield.

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 2/7/25, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.32% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.24% annualized interest.
The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 4.27% SEC yield (0.09% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.09 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 4.18% SEC yield (0.136% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.15 years.

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.

“I Bonds” bought between November 2024 and April 2025 will earn a 3.11% 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-April 2025, 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.

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.

OnPath Federal Credit Union (my review) pays 7.00% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and login to online or mobile banking once per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization. You can also get a $100 Visa Reward card when you open a new account and make qualifying transactions.
Genisys Credit Union pays 6.75% APY on up to $7,500 if you make 10 debit card purchases of $5+ each per statement cycle, and opt into online statements. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
La Capitol Federal Credit Union pays 6.25% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases of at least $5 each per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization, Louisiana Association for Personal Financial Achievement ($20).
Falcon National Bank pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make at least 15 debit card purchases, 1 direct deposit OR ACH credit transaction, and enroll in online statements.
Credit Union of New Jersey pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make 12 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit, online bill payment, or automatic payment (ACH) per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
Andrews Federal Credit Union pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit or ACH transaction per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization.
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.

KS State Bank has a 5-year certificate at 4.30% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.30% APY, 3-year at 4.30% APY, 2-year at 4.25% APY, and 1-year at 4.30% APY. $500 minimum. The early withdrawal penalty (EWP) for the 5-year is a huge 540 days of interest.
Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) has a 5-year certificate at 4.35% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.30% APY, 3-year at 4.25% APY, 2-year at 4.05% APY, and 1-year at 4.35% APY. Early withdrawal penalty for the 4-year and 5-year is 365 days of interest. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee (or try promo code “consumer”).
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 non-callable CD at 4.25% APY (callable: no, call protection: yes). Be warned that both Vanguard and Fidelity will list higher rates from callable CDs, which importantly means they can call back your CD if rates drop later. (Issuers have indeed started calling some of their old 5%+ CDs during 2024.)

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk (tbh, I don’t use them at all), 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 CDs at [n/a] (non-callable) vs. 4.48% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates drop.

All rates were checked as of 2/9/25.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Investing // Tagged: monthlyrateupdate

Last updated: February 11, 2025

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles + $250 Travel Credit (Limited-Time Offer)

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Southwest Airlines Credit Cards: New Companion Pass Offer (Good Through February 2026)

Best Interest Rates Survey: Savings Accounts, Treasuries, CDs, ETFs – February 2025

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