Starbucks App: Load $20 w/ Chase Pay, Get Gold Status + 300 Bonus Stars

Posted on November 15, 2017 // 8 Comments

starbucksStarbucks and Chase Pay have a new promotion that gets you 300 bonus stars when you load $20+ via Chase Pay on the Starbucks app. Click the link for specific instructions for iOS or Android phones. Expires November 21st, 2017. Easy to sign up and my 300 points showed up quickly.

  • 300 stars is enough to earn Gold Status (or renew your current Gold status), after which you can redeem 125 stars for a free food or drink on the menu at Starbucks.
  • Chase Pay requires you to have an eligible Chase Visa consumer credit card, debit card, or Chase Liquid card.

300 stars can be valued at over $10 pretty easily, as every 125 star reward can be redeemed nearly any food or drink item on their menu. Besides a huge Venti caffeine/sugar bomb, most of their lunch food items are over $5 and some are closer to $9. They now have protein boxes, protein bowls, hot/cold sandwiches, and more. Alcoholic beverages are excluded.

What can I redeem my Reward for?

Starbucks® stores: one [1] complimentary handcrafted beverage [standard Starbucks menu sizes only], food item or ready-to-drink bottled beverage at participating Starbucks stores.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

ZOE XL2: Our Favorite Lightweight Double Stroller for Travel

Posted on November 13, 2017 // 6 Comments

zoexl2

If you have young children and like to travel, you likely appreciate a lightweight stroller that still retains those small-but-important features.* After trying out several different brands, our family favorite is the ZOE XL2 double stroller (see 600+ reviews, buy direct from ZOE as a third-party seller). They aren’t a big name brand and you won’t find them in any major big box retailer.

This double stroller weighs only 16 pounds and the single stroller only weighs 10 pounds. That means this double stroller is lighter than many single strollers. How? They made it from aluminum as opposed to steel. Meanwhile, it still has quick-folding capability, extended shade canopies, 135 degree recline, lower basket, and snack/cup holders.

We’ve taken the ZOE XL2 on multiple extended international trips and the weight savings makes a big difference. It can be hard to explain until you compare it side-by-side with strollers that call themselves “lightweight” yet are twice as heavy. Weigh your current stroller and compare! Both of us can carry the XL2 with one hand.

There are also cheap “umbrella” double strollers, but they lack the extended shade canopies and/or deeper recline that allows for easier naps in the stroller.

Our only warning is to keep the removable cupholders in your carry-on bags if you don’t use a gate check bag. (We also recommend a gate check bag for protection. Yes, it’ll get beaten up and probably torn after about 10 flights. I think of it as paying less than $2 per flight. Besides, would you rather have the abuse be inflicted directly upon your stroller?)

Right now ZOE is liquidating their stock of returned and open-box strollers. The prices and discounts vary, but as of this writing you can get the XL1 for $100 and XL2 for $190. They promise it to be “like new” and never taken outside. This is not a sponsored or paid post, we are simply happy customers and they announced this sale to their mailing list members.

* I’m not saying this stroller is only for travelers as it is our “daily driver” as well, but it does cost more than some other value brands. A few more pounds matters less when you’re not carrying it through airports and pushing it 10 miles a day up and down hills.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers, Family //

IKEA In-Store Discount 2017: $25 off $150 Coupon

Posted on November 12, 2017 // 2 Comments

ikea0This weekend only, IKEA has a printable $25 off $150 coupon [pdf] that is valid through 4/22/18. The coupon states that you can also show it on your phone at checkout. Valid in US stores only. Here is selected fine print:

Not valid on IKEA Kitchen Event offer, IKEA services, Eat for Free or Kids Eat Free IKEA Food Offers, IKEA FAMILY Individual Kitchen Planning Service Offer or in the IKEA Restaurant or Swedish Food Market. Not valid on previous purchases or the purchase of IKEA Gift Cards.

IKEA coupons are pretty rare, other than their ongoing $25 off $250 moving coupon.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Groupon: Free 60-Day Kindle Unlimited Membership w/ Finance Book List

Posted on November 7, 2017 // 1 Comment

grpn_ku

Groupon is offering a Free 60-Day membership to Kindle Unlimited. You must not have had been a KU subscriber within the last 12 months. A Kindle Unlimited (KU) subscription usually costs $9.99 a month and includes free access to a special library of over 1 million eBooks, thousands of audiobook narrations, and current issues of various magazines. As with Netflix, when the membership ends, your ability to read the books end as well.

After making the purchase, you must “view” the voucher and redeem the unique code here. Note that you must link a credit card and they will charge you $9.99 a month after the initial 60 days by default. To prevent this, you can visit here and cancel the auto-renewal. It will says something like “Your benefits will continue until January 6, 2018, after which your card will not be charged and your membership will end.”

What books are included? You can view all Kindle Unlimited books here. You can search Kindle Unlimited titles here after clicking the “Kindle Unlimited Eligible” box on the top-left. There are is a mix of a few bestsellers, some older classics, and a lot of independently-published titles of varying quality. Here are some finance-related titles that caught my eye:

Kindle Unlimited authors get paid per page that is read. Therefore, your reading can support their efforts.

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Deals & Offers //

Amazon Assistant Browser Extension: $5 off $25 Promotion (Back Again For Some)

Posted on November 5, 2017 // 5 Comments

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Promo is back, supposedly for new customers but may work if you uninstalled it previously. I was just able to do again myself for another easy five bucks. Amazon Assistant is a browser extension for most popular web browsers. I usually don’t like these “helpers” as they slow down my computer and track my every movement even more than usual, but Amazon is offering a $5 off $25 coupon for new users. You can always un-install or disable it after you use up the coupon. Here’s how to get the promotion applied to your account:

  • Install the Amazon Assistant browser plugin. (Here is an alternate link if that first one doesn’t work.) When complete, you should see a little Amazon Assistant “a” icon on your top right of your browser.
  • Make sure you are signed into your Amazon account. Click on the Amazon Assistant “a” icon on the top right, and scroll through the introductory tutorial.
  • Click on the “Redeem offer now” button to apply the credit to your account.

azassist

Add items to your cart initiated within the plugin (do a search for what you want). During checkout, look for $5 off your next $25 purchase. Your cart must contain physical goods sold by Amazon.com. Here is a link to all the promo details.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

All-Clad VIP Factory Seconds Sale: Next One 11/6-11/8

Posted on November 2, 2017 // 7 Comments

allcladvipAll-Clad cookware is known to be very high quality, but also quite expensive. If you cook regularly, you can justify the high price with the fact that the stainless steel pots and pans will essentially last forever. (I would skip the non-stick stuff, even anodized won’t last forever.)

HomeandCooksales.com is how All-Clad unloads their products with slight cosmetic blemishes. All sales final. However, you still get the same limited lifetime warranty as if you’d bought them at Williams-Sonoma. Really, who cares about dents and scratches when it comes to cookware?

The products which are for sale on this site are FACTORY SECONDS. They have minor cosmetic scratches and/or dents. There are no defects which will affect the cookware’s performance. For this event, all sales are final, no returns will be accepted.

The next big sale is 11/6-11/8 but you can see some items available now with the passcode ACVIPNOV17. To get future passcodes and reminders, send an e-mail to allcladvipfactorysale@groupeseb.com to get on their mailing list.

I would still compare prices before purchasing. Amazon has been known to make price drops in response to these sales, and those items are not factory seconds (and also accept returns). You can also get 5% back at Amazon with an Amazon Prime credit card or Discover It card this quarter.

I’ve been slowly accumulating my “permanent cooking portfolio” of All-Clad pots/pans and Le Creuset/Staub dutch ovens. I recommend buying some Bar Keepers Friend as it helps wash off the stuck bits on stainless steel. Also good on bath tubs, kitchen sinks, and stove tops.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Best Interest Rates on Cash – November 2017

Posted on November 1, 2017 // 13 Comments

percentage2

Interest rates are slowly inching upwards. Don’t let a megabank pay you 0.01% APY or less for your idle cash. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. I focus on rates that are nationally available to everyone (not restricted to certain geographic areas or specific groups). Rates checked as of 11/1/17.

High-yield savings accounts
While the huge brick-and-mortar banks rarely offer good yields, there are many online savings accounts offering competitive rates clustered around 1.1%-1.3% APY. Remember that with savings accounts, the interest rates can change at any time.

  • Top rates: DollarSavingsDirect at 1.50% APY. SalemFiveDirect at 1.50% APY. Redneck Bank and All America Bank (they are affiliated) having Mega Money Market accounts paying 1.50% APY on balances up to $35,000.
  • More rates from banks with solid history of competitive rates: CIT Bank at 1.35% APY up to $250k, Synchrony Bank at 1.30% APY, GS Bank at 1.30% APY, and UFB Direct at 1.41% APY ($5k min).
  • I’ve experienced the “bait-and-switch” of moving to a new bank only to have the rate lowered quickly afterward. Until the rate difference is huge, I’m sticking with a Ally Bank Savings + Checking combo due to their history of competitive rates (including CDs), 1-day interbank transfers, and overall user experience. I also like the free overdraft transfers from savings that let’s me keep my checking balance at a minimum. Ally Savings is at 1.25% APY.

Money market mutual funds + Ultra-short bond ETFs
If you like to keep cash in a brokerage account, you should know that money market and short-term Treasury rates have inched upwards. It may be worth the effort to move your money into a higher-yielding money market fund or ultrashort-term bond ETF. The following bond funds are not FDIC-insured, but if you want to keep “standby money” in your brokerage account and have cheap/free commissions, it may be worth a look.

  • Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund currently pays an 1.13% SEC yield. The default sweep option is the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund, which has an SEC yield of 0.99%. You can manually move the money over to Prime if you meet the $3,000 minimum investment.
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund currently pays 1.57% SEC Yield ($3,000 min) and 1.68% SEC Yield ($50,000 min). The current average effective duration is 1 year.
  • The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 1.54% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 1.62% SEC yield while holding a portfolio of investment-grade bonds with an average duration of ~6 months. More info here.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
I am often asked what to do with a big wad of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My standard advice is to keep things simple. If not a savings account, then put it in a short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • Ally Bank No-Penalty 11-Month CD is paying 1.50% APY for $25,000+ balances and 1.25% APY for $5,000+ balances. The CIT Bank 11-Month No-Penalty CD is at 1.45% APY with a lower $1,000 minimum deposit and no withdrawal penalty seven days or later after funds have been received. The lack of early withdrawal penalty means that your interest rate can never go down for 11 months, but you can always jump ship if rates rise.
  • GS Bank’s 12-month CD is at 1.65% APY with $500 minimum. For sizeable balances, Advancial Federal Credit Union has a 6-month CD at 1.72% APY ($50k min) and a 12-month CD at 1.87% APY ($50k min). If you don’t otherwise qualify, you can join with a $5 fee to Connex Professional Network and maintaining $5 in a Share savings account. Via DepositAccounts.

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. There are annual purchase limits. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest.

  • “I Bonds” bought between November 2017 and April 2018 will earn a 2.58% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. At the very minimum, the total yield after 12 months will be 1.29% with additional upside potential. More info here.
  • In mid-April 2018, 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.

Prepaid Cards with Attached Savings Accounts
A small subset of prepaid debit cards have an “attached” FDIC-insured savings account with high interest rates. The negatives are that balances are capped, and there are many fees that you must be careful to avoid (lest they eat up your interest). The other catch is that these good features may be killed off without much notice. My NetSpend card now only has an eligible balance up to $1,000.

  • Insight Card is one of the best remaining cards with 5% APY on up to $5,000 as of this writing. Fees to avoid include the $1 per purchase fee, $2.50 for each ATM withdrawal, and the $3.95 inactivity fee if there is no activity within 90 days. If you can navigate it carefully (basically only use ACH transfers and keep up your activity regularly) you can still end up with more interest than other options. Earning 4% extra interest on $5,000 is $200 a year.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with some risk. You have to jump through certain hoops, and if you make a mistake you won’t earn any interest for that month. Rates can also drop quickly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling. But the rates can be high while they last.

  • Northpointe Bank has Rewards Checking at 5% APY on up to $10k. The requirements are (1) 15 debit card purchases per month (in-person or online), (2) enrolling in e-statements, and (3) a monthly direct deposit or automatic withdrawal of $100 or more. ATM fees are rebated up to $10 per month.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
You might have larger balances, either because you are using CDs instead of bonds or you simply want a large cash cushion. Buying finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider a custom CD ladder of different maturity lengths such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account.

  • Advancial Federal Credit Union (see above) has their 18-month CD at 1.96% APY ($50k min) and a 24-month CD at 2.04% APY ($50k min). The early withdrawal penalty is 180 days of interest.
  • Ally Bank also has a 5-year CD at 2.25% APY (no minimum) with a relatively short 150-day early withdrawal penalty and no credit union membership hoops. For example, if you closed this CD after 18-months you’d still get an 1.64% effective APY even after accounting for the penalty.
  • Hanscom Federal Credit Union is offering a 4-year Share Certificate at 2.50% APY (180-day early withdrawal penalty) if you also have Premier Checking (no monthly fee if you keep $6,000 in total balances or $2,000 in checking). HFCU also offers a 3% APY CU Thrive “starter” savings account with balance caps. HFCU membership is open to active/retired military or anyone who makes a one-time $35 donation to the Nashua River Watershed Association.
  • Mountain America Credit Union has a 5-year Share Certificate rate at 2.60% APY ($5 minimum) with a 365-day early withdrawal penalty. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution, 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 certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer the same FDIC-insurance. As of this writing, Vanguard is showing a 10-year non-callable CD at 2.65% APY (Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs from Fidelity.) Unfortunately, current long-term CD rates do not rise much higher even as you extend beyond a 5-year maturity.
  • How about two decades!? Series EE Savings Bonds are not indexed to inflation, but they have a 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 a sad 0.10% rate). You could view as a huge early withdrawal penalty. You could also view it as long-term bond and thus a hedge against deflation, but only if you can hold on for 20 years. Too long for me.

All rates were checked as of 11/1/17.

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

California Residents: Southwest Credit Card Companion Pass Shortcut Offer

Posted on October 19, 2017 // 4 Comments

Southwest Premier Credit Card ArtIf you are a California resident, check out this special offer on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card that provides a shortcut to the SWA Companion Pass:

  • Plus Consumer (CA Only), $69 annual fee, 40,000 point bonus
  • Premier Consumer (CA Only),$99 annual fee, 40,000 point bonus
  • Premier Business (CA Only), $99 annual fee, 60,000 point bonus

The Companion Pass lets a designated person fly with you for free on all your Southwest flights – both paid and award flights! (You must still cover taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way.) Usually, you have to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 110,000 Rapid Rewards points within a calendar year in order to qualify. However, this special offer lets you get it after applying for a new card and making a single purchase of any amount.

Here are some additional things to consider:

  • How California residency is determined: “Individual must have a valid California address as evidenced by their application for the Rapid Rewards® Credit Card.” PO Boxes are not allowed as billing addresses. You should probably have the same billing address on your Rapids Rewards account.
  • You must open the card by 11/30/17, and allow up to 8 weeks after your first purchase to receive the Companion Pass. The pass will be valid until 12/31/18.
  • Chase has a rule that they will automatically deny approval on this credit card if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule).
  • Not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Rapid Rewards Credit Card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new cardmember bonus for a Rapid Rewards Credit Card within the last 24 months.
  • Rapid Rewards® points won’t expire as long as your card is open or you have flight-earning or partner-earning activity at least once every 24 months.
  • You must still pay the annual fees of $69 or $99, depending on the card.

Southwest recently announced that they plan to start flying to Hawaii, but the flights probably won’t be until late 2018 or early 2019. Therefore, you might try to time your purchases so that you get the 40,000/60,000 point bonus in 2018 as part of a larger plan to earn 110,000 points throughout 2018 and get another Companion Pass good through the end of 2019.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Amazon Prime: Buying Add-On Items Without Minimums w/ Alexa

Posted on October 14, 2017 // 14 Comments

alexaboxOn of the main benefits of Amazon Prime is that you can buy things whenever you want with no minimum purchase requirement, shipped to you for free. Mostly. Amazon classifies some of their lower-priced products as “Add-On” items, which must be bundled with $25 of items shipped by Amazon, excluding gift cards.

I understand the reason for this. I usually don’t even use 1-day or 2-day shipping even on larger orders. I pick up the No-Rush shipping credit and then let Amazon bunch up my orders and ship them more efficiently. However, I like actually making the purchase, otherwise some things will languish in my cart and I wonder why it never came. Also, this lets me lock in the current price for items that are temporarily discounted. Sometimes I want a $6 item but I just ordered $100 off stuff yesterday and I don’t need anything else.

You can have Add-On items ship without meeting the minimum purchase requirement by ordering it via the Alexa voice assistant. If you don’t have an Echo Dot or similar, you can also access Alexa on-demand via the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the Amazon Dash Wand with Alexa, and now through the Amazon Music app. These also let you access Alexa-only deals.

Here’s an additional time-saving trick, picked up from minisnoey of SD:

  • For example, let say you need Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews, Small Dog, 30 count. It costs $8 but is an add-on item.
  • If you tried to order via Alexa and say “order dog chews”, there are a hundred types of dog chews. It might take a long time for Alexa to figure out the exact type, size, and count of dog chews that you want. Some people have resorted to spelling out the product name letter-by-letter. T-E-D-I-O-U-S.
  • However, this time place the Add-On item in your online shopping cart via website or Amazon app. Do not buy it yet.
  • Now using Alexa, ask to buy the item “order dog chews”. Alexa should now know that you want the dog chews that are in your cart. She will verify the name and price, and you can now buy it via Alexa without any minimum order requirement. Frustration-free ordering.

Many times, I already have another order in process so it just gets bundled along.

Bonus tip: This deal is still working: $10 bonus on your first RE-order via Alexa ($10 minimum order).

In order to qualify for the $10 credit offer, you must: (1) be an Amazon Prime member that has never made a reorder with Alexa Voice Shopping and (2) order a physical product in your Amazon.com Order History of at least $10. The reorder must be made using voice shopping on your device with Amazon Alexa.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

MoviesAnywhere: 5 Free Digital Movies After Linking Accounts

Posted on October 12, 2017 // 2 Comments

moviesany1

MoviesAnywhere is a service that links up movies that you bought online at one retailer and lets you view them on another retailer. For example, you might buy a movie from iTunes and watch it from Amazon Video. This “digital movie locker” service used to be called Disney Movies Anywhere, but just expanded to include Disney, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. Per e-mail from iTunes:

We wanted to let you know that Disney Movies Anywhere has expanded its list of participating studios to include Disney, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. As a result, the service has rebranded to Movies Anywhere.

As Disney Movies Anywhere transitions to Movies Anywhere, you’ll need to create a new Movies Anywhere account in the Movies Anywhere iOS app or at the Movies Anywhere website before you can reconnect it to your Apple ID.

To encourage people to switch over, they are offering up to 5 free movies after you sign up at MoviesAnywhere for a new account and link up retailers (Vudu, iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play). There is no promo code required (scroll down to see banner), but it is a limited-time offer.

  • Link one retailer, and get Ice Age and Ghostbusters (2016) for free.
  • Link a second retailer, and get Big Hero 6, Jason Bourne, and The Lego Movie for free.

I’ve used this feature for Disney movies, and I like the added convenience. I got my 5 free movies without issue instantly after linking.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Amazon Cash: Add $25, Get $5 Bonus Credit

Posted on October 11, 2017 // 9 Comments

az_cash5

Updated. Amazon is running a new promotion that gives you $5 Amazon bonus credit if you add $25 via Amazon Cash. Amazon ran a similar promo earlier this year that expired, so note that this one is only valid if you haven’t used Amazon Cash before.

Amazon Cash let you load cash into your Amazon account and buy things online. You get a unique barcode linked to your Amazon account, and then bring it in to a participating physical store. You can either print it out or use your smartphone. There are no fees. Participating stores include GameStop, CVS Pharmacy, KwikTrip, Fred’s Pharmacy, Cumberland Farms, and more.

Ask the cashier to scan your barcode like you’re buying a physical item. The cashier may not be familiar with the program, but as long as they scan it/see screen/enter $25, and you pay, it will go through. You can pay with pay with cash or credit card, and the funds will be loaded onto your Amazon balance (same place as where gift cards go).

Try Amazon Cash for the first time by adding $25 or more to your Amazon Balance and earn a $5 Amazon Credit towards your next purchase on Amazon.com. Your discount will automatically be applied at checkout. This is a limited time offer, one per Amazon customer account. The promotional credit expires on December 31, 2017.

Something easy to do if you are already in a mall with a Gamestop or shopping at CVS. Note that the $5 free credit must be used on products shipped and sold by Amazon.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Best Interest Rates on Cash – October 2017

Posted on October 2, 2017 // 7 Comments

percentage2

Interest rates are slowly waking up from their multi-year slumber. Don’t let a megabank pay you 0.01% APY or less for your idle cash. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. I focus on rates that are nationally available to everyone (not restricted to certain geographic areas or specific groups). Rates checked as of 10/2/17.

High-yield savings accounts
While the huge brick-and-mortar banks rarely offer good yields, there are many online savings accounts offering competitive rates clustered around 1.0%-1.2% APY. Remember that with savings accounts, the interest rates can change at any time.

  • The Mega Money Market accounts of both Redneck Bank and All America Bank (they are affiliated) are paying 1.50% APY on balances up to $35,000. Note that amounts over $35,000 earn only 0.50% APY.
  • Other sample top rates: DollarSavingsDirect at 1.40% APY, CIT Bank at 1.35% APY up to $250k, Synchrony Bank at 1.30% APY, Goldman Bank at 1.20% APY, and UFB Direct at 1.41% APY ($5k min).
  • I’ve experienced the “bait-and-switch” of moving to a new bank only to have the rate lowered quickly afterward. Until the rate difference is huge, I’m sticking with a Ally Bank Savings + Checking combo due to their history of competitive rates (including CDs), 1-day interbank transfers, and a overall user experience. I also like the free overdraft transfers from savings that let’s me keep my checking balance at a minimum. Ally Savings is at 1.20% APY.

Money market mutual funds + Ultra-short bond ETFs
If you like to keep cash in a brokerage account, you should know that money market and short-term Treasury rates have inched upwards. It may be worth the effort to move your money into a higher-yielding money market fund or ultrashort-term bond ETF.

  • The Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund currently pays an 1.12% SEC yield. The default sweep option is the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund, which has an SEC yield of 0.98%. You can manually move the money over to Prime if you meet the $3,000 minimum investment.
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond Fund currently pays 1.46% SEC Yield ($3,000 min) and 1.57% SEC Yield ($50,000 min). The current average effective duration is 1.0 years.
  • The following bond ETFs are not FDIC-insured, but if you want to keep “standby money” in your brokerage account and have cheap/free trades, it may be worth a look. The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Bond ETF (MINT) has a 1.58% SEC yield and the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) has a 1.60% SEC yield while holding a portfolio of investment-grade bonds with an average duration of ~6 months. More info here.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
I am often asked what to do with a big wad of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My standard advice is to keep things simple. If not a savings account, then put it in a short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • Ally Bank No-Penalty 11-Month CD is paying 1.50% APY for $25,000+ balances and 1.25% APY for $5,000+ balances. The CIT Bank 11-Month No-Penalty CD is at 1.45% APY with only a $1,000 minimum deposit and no withdrawal penalty seven days or later after funds have been received. The lack of early withdrawal penalty means that your interest rate can never go down for 11 months, but you can always jump ship if rates rise.
  • Advancial Federal Credit Union has a 6-month CD at 1.63% APY ($50k min) and a 12-month CD at 1.78% APY ($50k min). If you don’t otherwise qualify, you can join with a $5 fee to Connex Professional Network and maintaining $5 in a Share savings account. Via DepositAccounts.

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. There are annual purchase limits. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest.

  • “I Bonds” bought between May and October 2017 will earn a 1.96% rate for the first six months, and then a variable rate based on ongoing inflation after that. While that next 6-month rate is currently unknown, at the very minimum the total yield after 12 months will around 1% with additional upside potential. More info here.
  • In mid-October, 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.

Prepaid Cards with Attached Savings Accounts
A small subset of prepaid debit cards have an “attached” FDIC-insured savings account with high interest rates. The negatives are that balances are capped, and there are many fees that you must be careful to avoid (lest they eat up your interest). The other catch is that these good features may be killed off without much notice. My NetSpend card now only has an eligible balance up to $1,000.

  • Insight Card is one of the best remaining cards with 5% APY on up to $5,000 as of this writing. Fees to avoid include the $1 per purchase fee, $2.50 for each ATM withdrawal, and the $3.95 inactivity fee if there is no activity within 90 days. If you can navigate it carefully (basically only use ACH transfers and keep up your activity regularly) you can still end up with more interest than other options. Earning 4% extra interest on $5,000 is $200 a year.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with some risk. You have to jump through certain hoops, and if you make a mistake you won’t earn any interest for that month. Rates can also drop quickly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling. But the rates can be high while they last.

  • Northpointe Bank has Rewards Checking at 5% APY on up to $10k. The requirements are (1) 15 debit card purchases per month (in-person or online), (2) enrolling in e-statements, and (3) a monthly direct deposit or automatic withdrawal of $100 or more. ATM fees are rebated up to $10 per month.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
You might have larger balances, either because you are using CDs instead of bonds or you simply want a large cash cushion. Buying finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider a custom CD ladder of different maturity lengths such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account.

  • Advancial Federal Credit Union (see above) has increased their rates a bit since last month, with their 18-month CD at 1.96% APY ($50k min) and a 24-month CD at 2.04% APY ($50k min). The early withdrawal penalty is 180 days of interest.
  • Ally Bank also has a 5-year CD at 2.25% APY (no minimum) with a relatively short 150-day early withdrawal penalty and no credit union membership hoops. For example, if you closed this CD after 18-months you’d still get an 1.64% effective APY even after accounting for the penalty.
  • Hanscom Federal Credit Union is offering a 4-year Share Certificate at 2.50% APY (180-day early withdrawal penalty) if you also have Premier Checking (no monthly fee if you keep $6,000 in total balances or $2,000 in checking). HFCU also offers a 3% APY CU Thrive “starter” savings account with balance caps. HFCU membership is open to active/retired military or anyone who makes a one-time $35 donation to the Nashua River Watershed Association.
  • Mountain America Credit Union has a 5-year Share Certificate rate at 2.60% APY ($5 minimum) with a 365-day early withdrawal penalty. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution, 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 certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer the same FDIC-insurance. As of this writing, Vanguard is showing a 10-year non-callable CD at 2.65% APY (Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs.) Unfortunately, current long-term CD rates do not rise much higher even as you extend beyond a 5-year maturity.
  • How about two decades!? Series EE Savings Bonds are not indexed to inflation, but they have a 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 a sad 0.10% rate). You could view as a huge early withdrawal penalty. You could also view it as long-term bond and thus a hedge against deflation, but only if you can hold on for 20 years. Too long for me.

All rates were checked as of 10/2/17.

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Treasury Bills and Bonds //
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