$250 bonus is back. In the current low interest rate world, easy bank bonuses have become more attractive way to boost your safe interest income. BBVA has brought back their popular $250 bonus promotion for a limited-time. $200 bonus for opening a new BBVA Free Checking account between April 12-26 and receive a qualifying direct deposit of $500+ by June 30th, 2021. Additional $50 bonus by adding a new BBVA Savings account between April 12-26 and having a savings balance of at least $1,000 on June 30th, 2021. If you want the entire $250 bonus, be sure to check the boxes for both offers on the promotion landing page. You must keep the account open for at least 12 months, otherwise they may claw back the bonus. You must be … [Read More...]

Updated. OnJuno is a new fintech banking app with the notable features of 2.15% bonus rate on up to $30,000 and also 5% cash back on select merchants. They partner with Evolve Bank and Trust for FDIC insurance. Here’s my updated review after a few months of use. Here are the basics of their two options: Basic tier. 2.15% Bonus Rate on up to a $5,000 checking balance. 5% cash back on up to $500 a year in debit card purchases ($25 max). 1 free out-of-network ATM withdrawal per month. No monthly fee. Metal tier. 2.15% Bonus Rate on up to a $30,000 checking balance. 5% cash back on up to $3,000 a year in debit card purchases ($150 max). 3 free out-of-network ATM … [Read More...]

Update: As of 4/8/21, the ZYNLO website now lists their money market as “no longer available”, although the rate is still 1.25% APY if you opened it in time. The savings account pays 0.80% APY and still includes the roundups. There is a new “Tomorrow Savings” account that only pays 0.40% APY, so I’m not sure why anyone would pick that one. ZYNLO Bank is another new “digital-first” bank, backed by the FDIC insurance of PeoplesBank in Massachusetts. Along with the common features of no monthly fees and Allpoint ATM network access, ZYNLO differentiates itself from the banking app crowd in a few different ways. 0.80% to 1.25% APY. Their main page advertises 0.80% APY on their Money Market account, which is already … [Read More...]

I own inflation-linked bonds as part of my investment portfolio. Specifically, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) make up about 1/3rd of the bond portion, or 10% of my total portfolio. I go into more detail in my post Reasons To Own TIPS, but essentially they pay interest based on a fixed real yield plus ongoing inflation. To simplify: if the real yield is 1% and inflation is 3%, they pay 4%. Traditional “nominal” Treasury bonds simply pay a flat interest rate that doesn’t change with inflation (i.e. 3%). The difference between the TIPS real yield and the nominal Treasury yield is at any given time is what inflation would have to be for them to pay out the exact same total yield, called… [Read More...]

Here’s my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on cash as of April 2021, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. There are many lesser-known opportunities to improve your yield while keeping your principal “safe” (FDIC-insured or equivalent). 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 4/5/2021. Fintech accounts Available only to individual investors, fintech accounts oftentimes pay higher-than-market rates in order to achieve high short-term growth (often using venture capital). I define “fintech” as a software layer on top of a different bank’s FDIC insurance. Although I do use some of these after doing … [Read More...]

Here’s my monthly roundup of the best interest rates on “safe” cash as of March 2021, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. I keep 12 months of expenses as part of my semi-retirement cashflow planning, and there are many lesser-known opportunities to improve your yield while still being FDIC-insured or equivalent. 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 3/8/2021. Fintech accounts Available only to individual investors, fintech accounts oftentimes pay higher-than-market rates in order to achieve high short-term growth (i.e. higher interest via venture capital). I define “fintech” as a software layer on top … [Read More...]