Guides and calculators
Everything on this site, in one place. The calculators do arithmetic on numbers you supply. The guides answer the questions that come up once the arithmetic is done, each one sourced to the FDIC, the Federal Reserve, the CFPB or the IRS rather than to another finance blog.
Calculators
Your figures stay in your browser and are never sent to us.
- HYSA calculatorWhat a balance grows to at a given APY, with monthly deposits.
- APY calculatorTurn a rate into an APY, and see what two accounts differ by in dollars.
- Compound interestHow compounding frequency changes the outcome over time.
- Emergency fundSize the fund from your own essential spending, and time the gap.
- Savings goalWhat to set aside each month to reach a target by a date.
- CD calculatorMaturity value for a term deposit, and what the term costs you.
Guides
How the accounts work, what the rules actually say, and where the traps are.
- HYSA vs money marketNearly the same product, two real differences, and one dangerous name collision.
- HYSA vs CDA CD locks your rate and your money. When that trade is worth making.
- Savings vs checkingWhat belongs in each, and what leaving too much in checking costs.
- How much to keep in savingsFour pools with four different rules, not one number.
- FDIC insuranceThe third clause most summaries drop, and why it decides your coverage.
- Withdrawal limits and accessThe six-transfer rule was lifted, not abolished. Your bank chose.
- Why savings rates changeWhy your APY dropped, and why cuts reach you faster than rises.
- Fees and minimumsBelow about ten thousand dollars, the fee matters more than the rate.
- Switching accountsThe order that never leaves your money unreachable.
- Marketplaces and online banksA marketplace is not a bank. Where the money sits and who insures it.
- Savings interest and taxYou owe it even if you never withdrew a penny. The 1099-INT rules.
Account comparisons
We do not publish bank APYs. Rates change without notice and a stale figure is worse than none, so these compare accounts on fees, access and minimums, and link you to the bank for the current rate.
- Best HYSAsAccounts compared on fees, access and minimums. No published rates.
- No-fee savingsAccounts without a monthly maintenance charge.
- Money market accountsDeposit accounts with cheque or card access.
- CDsTerm deposits, penalties and what to check before locking money.
- Marcus reviewOne account examined in detail, fees and access included.
Want to know when the savings landscape changes?
We will email you when the Federal Reserve moves its target rate, when the FDIC publishes new national averages, and when we publish a newly verified comparison. We do not track individual banks’ APYs and we will not pretend to, so this is an infrequent email about things that genuinely change the picture.
Email only. We never send your calculator figures anywhere, they are worked out on your device. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and you can reply to any of them to come off the list.