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Here’s my monthly survey of the best interest rates on cash as of October 2025, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Banks and brokerages 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 10/13/2025.

TL;DR: Savings account interest rates have dropped slightly overall. You can get 4.6% and 4.5% APY if you accept some hoops/restrictions. Short-term T-Bill rates have fallen slightly, now ~4.1%. Top 5-year CD rates are ~4.3% APY, while 5-year Treasury rate is ~3.6%.

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 rate at the moment: Pibank at 4.60% APY (no min), but they have some weird restrictions; like you can only use wire/Plaid to deposit and wire transfers to withdraw funds?! Presidential Bank has a 4.50% APY savings account that requires an Advantage Checking account. You’ll have to decide if the hoops are worth it. CIT Platinum Savings is now at 3.85% APY with $5,000+ balance and is offering an up to $300 deposit bonus which increases your effective APY for a while. There are many banks in between.
• SoFi Bank is at 3.80% APY + up to 4.50% APY for 6 months + $325 new account bonus with qualifying 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.
• 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. I call this the “okay/good” zone of 3.40%+.

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 13-month No Penalty CD at 3.95% APY ($500 minimum deposit). Farmer’s Insurance FCU has a 9-month No Penalty CD at 4.00% APY ($1,000 minimum deposit). USA USALLIANCE Financial CU has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 3.90% APY ($500 minimum deposit).
• Abound Credit Union has a 10-month certificate at 4.30% APY ($500 min). Early withdrawal penalty is 90 days of interest. Anyone can join this credit union via $10 membership fee to join partner organization.

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 a 7-day SEC yield of 4.04% (changes daily, but also works out to a compound yield of 4.12%, 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 7-day SEC yield of 4.04% (compound yield of 4.12%).

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 10/10/25, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.09% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 3.61% annualized interest.
• The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 4.12% 30-day SEC yield (0.09% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.10 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 4.02% 30-day SEC yield (0.136% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.15 years. The new Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL) has a 4.12% 30-day SEC yield (0.07% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.10 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 May 2025 and October 2025 will earn a 3.98% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More on Savings Bonds here.
• In mid-October 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 post another update 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 $150 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.
• Oklahoma Central Credit Union pays 6.00% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases (non-ATM) per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union if they are “affiliated with another credit union”.
• La Capitol Federal Credit Union pays 5.75% 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).
• First Southern Bank pays 5.50% APY on up to $25,000 if you make at least 15 debit card purchases, 1 ACH credit or payment 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 5.50% APY (down from 6%) 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.

• United Fidelity Bank has a 5-year certificate at 4.30% APY ($1,000 minimum), 4-year at 4.25% APY, 3-year at 4.20% APY, 2-year at 4.20% APY, and 1.5-year at 4.25% APY. Early withdrawal penalties are not disclosed clearly online.
• Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) has a 5-year certificate at 4.00% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.00% APY, 3-year at 4.00% APY, 2-year at 4.25% APY, and 1-year at 4.00% 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”).
• Lafayette Federal Credit Union (LFCU) has a 5-year certificate at 3.97% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 3.97% APY, 3-year at 3.97% APY, 2-year at 4.02% APY, and 1-year at 4.02% APY. Slightly higher rates with jumbo $100,000+ balances. Note that the early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is a relatively large 600 days of interest. Anyone nationwide can join LFCU by joining the Home Ownership Financial Literacy Council (HOFLC) for a one-time $10 fee.
• You can buy certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. You may need an account to see the rates. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance and easy laddering, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. Right now, I see a 5-year non-callable brokered CD at 3.75% 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 (and will!) call back your CD if rates drop significantly later.

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. 4.05% 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 10/13/25.

* I no longer recommend fintech companies due to the possibility of significant loss due to poor recordkeeping and the lack of government protection in such scenarios. The point of cash is absolute safety of principal.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

The One Key and One Key+ credit cards are travel rewards cards offered by Expedia Group (Expedia, Hotels.com, and VRBO) and issued by Wells Fargo. Rewards are earned as “OneKeyCash” which can only be used to offset travel bookings on one of those three sites. Personally, the main draw for me is VRBO as we often book one larger space instead of two hotel rooms for our family of five. Right now, there is a limited-time offer. Highlights:

One Key Card

• New cardholder bonus: $400 in OneKeyCash after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• 3% back in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.
• 3% back in OneKeyCash at gas stations, grocery stores and on dining.
• 1.5% back in OneKeyCash on all other purchases.
• Automatic Silver One Key status. Supposedly, this includes “savings of 15% or more on over 10,000 hotels worldwide.” Unlock Gold when you spend $15,000 per calendar year.
• Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees, cell phone protection, and travel protections like travel accident insurance and trip cancellation insurance.
• No annual fee.

One Key+ Card (note the plus sign!)

• New cardholder bonus: $600 in OneKeyCash after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• 3% back in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.
• 3% back in OneKeyCash at gas stations, grocery stores and on dining.
• 2% back in OneKeyCash on all other purchases.
• Automatic Gold One Key status. Supposedly, this includes “savings of 20% or more on over 10,000 hotels worldwide.” Unlock Platinum when you spend $30,000 per calendar year.
• $100 in OneKeyCash each year on your Cardholder anniversary.
• $120 Global Entry/TSA credit. Receive one statement credit up to $120 for a Trusted Traveler Program, such as Global Entry® or TSA PreCheck®.
• Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees, cell phone protection, and travel protections like travel accident insurance and trip cancellation insurance.
• $99 annual fee.

The credit card rewards stack on top of the standard OneKeyCash earned for booking on Expedia, Hotels.com, and VRBO. However, it’s often cheaper to book a hotel directly at their own website, so I usually don’t use Expedia or Hotels.com. With VRBO, often the same house is also listed on Airbnb and on a small independent management site. Sometimes VRBO is the cheapest (after all their fees and taxes) or offers the best refund policy, so I still use VRBO in those cases.

Limitations on Expedia flight bookings. You can use OneKeyCash for a flight, but note the following limitations:

To use OneKeyCash on a flight, you will need enough OneKeyCash to cover the entire cost of your eligible flight, including taxes and fees, and may not add any optional extras like checked bags or seat assignments. You can purchase those extras after booking your ticket. OneKeyCash may only be used on selected flights.

In contrast, you can use OneKeyCash to partially offset a VRBO rental, down to the penny. Note that not all VRBO properties are eligible for OneKeyCash redemption (VRBO must be their payment processor) and you must use the “Pay Now” option.

I personally don’t usually use Expedia or Hotels.com on a regular basis, but I do book on VRBO regularly enough to expect to use up the OneKeyCash bonus. For those that have done most of the other big credit card bonuses, this card still offers some good potential value, even if it is in a more restricted rewards system.

Amazon is running yet another “Huge Sale!” called Prime Big Deal Days. I’m late, and by the time you read this, it might be over. (You probably didn’t miss that much.) Check your wishlist. Check your “Buy Again” past purchases. I’ve listed again a few of my favorite things below as well.

Yes, I’m recycling most of the stuff from an old post, but that’s the thing to do as this is when where a lot of easy credits and extended free trials are reset. Time to spend a minute to click-and-check. I’ve gotten over $50 in easy value from the free trials and refreshed Shop with Points credits.

(Note: If you are reading this in an email/RSS reader, unfortunately I am not allowed to include any Amazon affiliate links in e-mails, so they have been removed. Please click here to view the links.)

As the name suggests, most deals require a Prime membership. New members can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Amazon Prime for Young Adults (age 18-24) has a 6-month free trial and $7.49/month after that (50% off regular). If you’ve already done the trial, you can simply buy a single month of Prime for $14.99 ($6.99 with SNAP, EBT or Medicaid card).

“Shop with Points” Promos (Check again if reset/targeted) Most likely, only the top three will work this time around, but I still clicked and checked.

• Discover Cash Back.
• American Express Membership Rewards points.
• American Express Rewards Dollars (Ex. Blue Cash, Blue Cash Preferred).
• Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
• U.S. Bank Rewards points.
• Capital One Rewards points
• Citi Thank You points.

Amazon Free Trials

• Kindle Unlimited – 3 month free trial. Usually $11.99 a month. Might be a different length for you. Targeted.
• Amazon Music – 4 month free trial. Usually $10.99 a month. Targeted.
• Audible Premium Plus – 3 month free trial. Includes 1 free credit per month, so that’s 3 free audiobooks. Targeted.
• Whole Foods / Amazon Fresh Grocery Delivery Subscription – 3 month free trial. May not be a special length. Unlimited free delivery on orders $35+ from Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh, and local retailers. Regular price is $10 a month.

Stuff I Own (and Would Buy Again)

• Dyson V11 Origin Cordless Vacuum We still love our cordless Dyson. I’m sure a knockoff nowadays will do the trick, but this is another daily workhouse in our household. We had the V8 before, but the extra power of this one is useful.
• Amazon Eero 6E mesh WiFi router system 3-pack. If you have WiFi coverage issues and haven’t upgraded your router recently, I do recommend an upgrade. It just makes WiFi something you don’t worry about anymore. No more dead spots.
• Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Noise Canceling Headphones. I’m not an audiophile, but these feel great, work well on planes, and are reliable.
• COSORI Air Fryer 6 Qt. Love this air fryer. We use it nearly every day; heats things up like a microwave, except it keeps things crispy instead of soggy. Easy to clean.
• Vitamix 5200 blender. Kitchen staple, sometimes we use it a lot, sometimes rarely, but it’s always there ready and powerful.

Here’s my 2025 Q3 income update as a companion post to my 2025 Q3 asset allocation & performance update. Even though I don’t focus on high-dividend stocks or covered-call income strategies – I still track the income from my portfolio as an alternative metric to price performance. The total income goes up much more gradually and consistently than the number shown on brokerage statements, which helps encourage consistent investing. Here’s a related quote from Jack Bogle (source):

The true investor will do better if he forgets about the stock market and pays attention to his dividend returns and to the operating results of his companies. – Jack Bogle

Stock dividends are a portion of profits that businesses have decided to distribute directly to shareholders, as opposed to reinvesting into their business, paying back debt, or buying back shares. They have explicitly decided that they don’t need this money to improve their business, and that it would be better to distribute it to shareholders. The dividends may suffer some short-term drops, but over the long run they have grown faster than inflation.

Here is the historical growth of the S&P 500 total dividend, which tracks roughly the largest 500 stocks in the US, updated as of 2025 Q3 (via Yardeni Research):

Tracking the income from my portfolio. Three of the primary income “trees” that produce income “fruit” in my portfolio are Vanguard Total US Stock ETF (VTI), Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS), and Vanguard Real Estate Index ETF (VNQ).

In the US, the dividend culture is somewhat conservative in that shareholders expect dividends to be stable and only go up. Thus the starting yield is lower, but grows more steadily with smaller cuts during hard times. Companies do buybacks as well, often because they are easier to discontinue. Here is an updated chart of the trailing 12-month (ttm) dividend per share over the last 15 years paid by the Vanguard Total US Stock ETF (VTI) via WallStNumbers.com.

European corporate culture tends to encourage paying out a higher (sometimes even fixed) percentage of earnings as dividends, but that also means the dividends move up and down with earnings. The starting yield is currently higher but may not grow as reliably. Here is an updated chart of the trailing 12-month (ttm) dividend per share over the last 15 years paid by the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS).

In the case of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), they are legally required to distribute at least 90 percent of their taxable income to shareholders as dividends. Historically, about half of the total return from REITs is from this dividend income. Here is an updated chart of the trailing 12-month (ttm) dividend per share over the last 15 years paid by the Vanguard Real Estate Index ETF (VNQ).

The dividend yield (dividends divided by price) also serve as a rough valuation metric. When stock prices drop, this percentage metric usually goes up – which makes me feel better in a bear market. When stock prices go up, this percentage metric usually goes down, which keeps me from getting too euphoric during a bull market.

Finally, the last income component of my portfolio comes from interest from bonds and cash. Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) and Schwab US TIPS ETF (SCHP) are example holdings, with the actual amount varying with the prevailing interest rates, the real rates on TIPS, and the current rate of inflation.

Dividend and interest income yield. To estimate the income from my portfolio, I use the weighted “TTM” or “12-Month Yield” from Morningstar (checked 10/6/24), which is the sum of the trailing 12 months of interest and dividend payments divided by the last month’s ending share price (NAV) plus any capital gains distributed (usually zero for index funds) over the same period. My TTM portfolio yield is now roughly 2.53%.

In dividend investing circles, there is a metric called yield on cost, which is calculated by dividing the current dividend by the original purchase price. In other words, while my portfolio yield today is 2.53%, that is because the current market price is also a lot higher. My yield based on my portfolio value from 10 years ago (October 2015) is over 5%.

What about the 4% rule? For big-picture purposes, I support the simple 4% or 3% rule of thumb, which equates to a target of accumulating roughly 25 to 33 times your annual expenses. I would lean towards a 3% withdrawal rate if you want to retire young (closer to age 50) and a 4% withdrawal rate if retiring at a more traditional age (closer to 65). I don’t enjoy debating this number. It’s just a quick and dirty target to get you started, not a number sent down from the heavens!

During the accumulation stage, your time is better spent focusing on earning potential via better career moves, improving your skillset, networking, and/or looking for asymmetrical (unlimited upside, limited downside) entrepreneurial opportunities where you have an ownership interest.

Our dividends and interest income are not automatically reinvested. They are simply another “paycheck”. As with our other variable paychecks, we can choose to either spend it or invest it again to compound things more quickly. You could use this money to cut back working hours, pursue a different career path, start a new business, take a sabbatical, perform charity or volunteer work, and so on. You don’t have to wait until you hit a magic number. Our life path has been very different because of this philosophy. FIRE is Life!

Kraken is offering up to a 2% deposit bonus in October for any customer that deposits $1,000+ in cash or crypto during October. The deposit bonus will vary from 1% to 2% depending on total deposits across all customers, with the strange rule that when $500 million in total aggregate deposits are made and the full 2% deposit is triggered, the entire promo ends immediately, so you need to have participated by then. The bonus will then be paid within 14 days after the promo ends, in their USDG stablecoin.

Net deposits are calculated by total cash and crypto deposited, minus withdrawals during the promotion period. Your deposits earn a 1% match rate, which can boost up to 2% based on community progress. The final rate is set based on the total community net deposit value at the end of the promo (Oct 31 or when $500M is reached).

You must keep your net deposits at Kraken through November 1st, 2026. You can trade your deposit, and market fluctuations are okay as long as you don’t withdraw any funds. Full terms here.

Kraken is best known as a crypto exchange, but as of early 2025 they now offer US stock trading under Kraken Securities through a partnership with Alpaca (press release). The terms say that you can trade your deposits, so technically I don’t see why you couldn’t move your cash to Kraken, buy a T-Bill ETF like SGOV or VBIL (current SEC yields ~4.11% and 4.12%), and basically earn up to an additional 2% APY on your cash for a year.

A 2% deposit bonus for a 12-month hold is a pretty good deal. For me, the main catch is that you have to trust the US regulatory agencies that manage SIPC insurance in case Kraken Securities fails during the next year. ETFs held in an SIPC brokerage account are definitely better than an uninsured crypto account, but I just worry it could be messy, so I’d probably size my risk (deposit amount) accordingly.

If you haven’t already, you should also grab Kraken’s $75 new crypto account bonus and 30 days of free money spins, where I earned almost $20 in random crypto like DOGE and PEPE: