Amazon Prime Days 2026 is now live will run June 23-26, 2026. Beyog the “early” deals, I always look out for reset points credits and extended free trials to try out again. As usual, I recommend checking for discounts on the things you already buy. Check your “Buy Again” past purchases here. I’ve listed a few of my favorite things below as well.

(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 Students (age 18-24) has a 7-day trial for 99 cents 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).

Deals and Offers

• List of all current product-specific Prime deals (updated constantly). This list appears to be targeted to your browsing history.
• Live Amazon Device Deals (Echo, Blink, Eero, Ring, Kindle, Fire, etc).
• $5 Large Pizza from Little Caesars. Will be live 6/15-6/26. Up to 5 redemptions. Once per order, per day.
• $200 Instant Amazon Gift card bonus with Prime Visa. Will be live 6/1-7/9. “Get a $200 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval for Prime Visa (June 11–July 9) or $120 for Prime Store Card (June 23–26). Earn 10% back or more on exclusive deals, plus unlimited 5% back year-round at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and more—with no annual fees. During Prime Day, cardmembers can also earn 7% back on eligible Amazon.com purchases (June 23-26) when they choose No-Rush Delivery.”

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 $11.99 a month. Targeted.
• Audible Standard – 3 month free trial. Usually $8.99 a month. This is the basic plan that doesn’t allow you to keep any audiobooks, but you can stream during the trial. Targeted.
• Remember that you can cancel these trials immediately after activation, and they will still work until the end of the trial period. This avoids you forgetting to cancel.

“Shop with Points” Promos (Check again if reset/targeted)

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

Random Favorite Things & Recent Discoveries (Not necessarily on sale right now)

• Amazon Eero 6E mesh WiFi router system 3-pack (sale). 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. This “6E” model supports speeds up to 2.5Gbps and up to 6,000 sf, while the cheaper “6” version supports up to 500 Mbps and 4,500 sf.
• COSORI Air Fryer. We still use our air fryer nearly every day; heats things up like a microwave, except it keeps them crispy instead of soggy. Easy to clean in dishwasher.
• Coway Airmega AP-1512HH True HEPA Air Purifier. I have two of these air purifiers, one in each of the kids’ rooms. I think they are over 5 years old now and still going fine. Simple design, reliable, and easy to change filters. I use these cheaper VEVA brand replacement filters that are still of good quality.
• Bosch ICON windshield wipers. These are the most expensive, but they are also the best and longest-lasting in my experience. No longer mess with the rest.
• Tiptree Passion Fruit Curd. Delicious on so many things, their lemon curd is excellent as well but the passionfruit (aka “lilikoi butter”) flavor is one of those things that I can only find easily on Amazon.

Plynk is a standalone brokerage app that is quietly a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments. It seems to be a place where they can experiment with a younger target audience with tools like automatic recurring investments, simulated trading, educational tools, etc. They’ve also offered a few worthwhile bonuses in the app. Plynk just underwent another design reboot, and – surprise! – the interface now looks a lot more like Robinhood.

Plynk also just added a new promotion called Dividend Match (hat tip DoC), which pays you a bonus of 25% of the dividends your taxable brokerage account holdings earn each calendar month, up to $250 max per year. Important highlights:

• Dividend match is available to both existing and new customers. No opt-in required.
• Eligible shares. For common stock and non-daily accrual mutual funds and ETFs, you must hold for at least 30 calendar days prior to the ex-dividend date to receive the Bonus. For mutual funds and ETFs that accrue daily interest and generally pay a dividend at the end of each month, there is no required holding period.
• Formula: Eligible_Shares × Dividend_Per_Share × 25% subject to the $250 annual cap on Bonus amount.
• The annual cap resets on January 1 of each year.

An interesting bonus that would seem to incentivize customers to maintain their (dividend-paying) holdings at Plynk. The S&P 500 dividend yield is only around 1% now, but if you moved over around $100,000 and normally would get $1,000 in annual dividends, now you could get an extra $250 in dividends.

iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) is a daily accrual ETF that holds short-term Treasury bills and can be a useful approximation of cash. Right now, SGOV has a 30-day SEC yield of 3.54%. If you got a 25% bonus on that yield, you would be getting 4.43%.

You could also do this with Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL) which has a slightly lower expense ratio and thus slightly higher SEC yields, but a tiny bit higher bid/ask spread at times (although it is pretty much one cent like SGOV).

You’d have to hold a little over $28,000 in SGOV/VBIL in order to reach the $1,000 in annual dividends to max out this promo.

I’m guessing the money would be reported as 1099-MISC, so the tax rate would also be higher than normal interest.

This would be nice if it was a permanent or guaranteed feature. I’m considering it especially as I already have an open account, but I’m afraid Plynk will end the promo quickly even though it is meant as an ongoing offer with no set expiration date.

Open for Summer 2026. If you were a kid in the 80s and 90s, you may remember the Pizza Hut “Book It!” program that rewarded reading books with free pizza. Well, Camp Book It! is again open to free enrollment for the summer (now in iOS/Android app form only):

During the summer months of June, July, and August, any child that meets their parent-set reading goals can earn a free Pizza Hut® single topping Personal Pan Pizza®* from participating locations. Use the BOOK IT!® Mobile App to set goals, track progress, and redeem rewards.

* Limit of 5 Personal Pan Pizza® certificates per family, per month. One certificate may be earned per eligible child, per month, for meeting their reading goal.

This program is usually either run directly through schools or restricted to homeschooling parents during the academic school year, but is open to all age-eligible children from Pre-K to 6th grade during the summer. Once you reach 15 days of reading in one calendar month (our goal is 20 minutes per day per child), you complete the goal and a prize code will be emailed to you. The code works online, so it’s easy to order and simply pick it up or add it to an existing order.

The little Personal Pan Pizza rewards are a novelty to our kids, making it feel like a special treat that they earned. We also stack this with the Summer Reading program at our local library and the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program.

Updated for Summer 2026. Parent of a teen? It can be tricky to find a place for your young teens in the summer time. Check your local YMCA chapter as many are offering free summer YMCA membership for teens. Some are for specific grades, like entering 7th or 8th graders. Here are some example locations:

• YMCA Dayton (Ohio)
• YMCA Delaware
• YMCA of Honolulu (Hawaii)
• YMCA High Point (North Carolina)
• YMCA Northwest North Carolina
• YMCA Metro Los Angeles
• YMCA North (Minnesota and Wisconsin)

The YMCA can be a safe space for your teen to socialize as well as have access to gyms, pickleball/basketball courts, heated pools, fitness centers, and in-person and virtual live-stream and on-demand exercise classes.

If this really interests you but nothing is shown online, I would still call your local YMCA, as some locations may not list their participation on their websites. They may also offering discounted teen memberships, along with affordable leadership programs and/or lifeguard training. The YMCA can be a great source of first-time jobs for older teens.

In 2019, I wrote the post Buying The Haystack: Sleeping Well Because I’ll Own The Winners (Needles). Recently, Hendrik Bessembinder updated his previous research with the paper One Hundred Years in the U.S. Stock Markets (SSRN/PDF), which tracked the “investment outcomes for 29,754 common stocks listed on the public U.S. stock markets over the 100-year period from 1926 to 2025”. Some highlights:

• Total Net Wealth created over that period: ~$91 Trillion.
• The 0.2% Needles: Just 46 stocks (roughly 0.2% of the ~30,000 total stocks) were responsible for generating 50% of that $91 trillion.
• The 4% Needles: Only 4% of all stocks accounted for 100% of the net value creation. The other 96% collectively just matched risk-free US Treasury bills – many were complete or nearly complete losses, the rest had smaller gains that only just offset those losses. This means that the top 4% created all of the net wealth creation.

Here is a chart that summarizes this info from a Vanguard Australia article Equity market skewness: The few mega-winners and the case for diversification:

I will simply quote Bogle and myself now, because I am lazy and honestly that’s how investment writing works. You just end up repeating and/or repackaging the same 10-25 rules over and over again.

As the late Jack Bogle told us: “Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack.”

I don’t know which will be the most successful US companies in the future, but I know that I will own them via the total US index fund in my portfolio. I will own the next Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, or Visa. I’ll also own whoever disrupts them after that. Since I own a big chunk of global stocks inside the Vanguard Total International Stock Index fund, I’ll be covered if they come from the other side of the world.

In 2026, this means I own NVIDIA/Alphabet/Google/Microsoft, but in 10 years, I know that the picture will be at least somewhat different.

Bank of America’s “Preferred Rewards” program officially switched over to the “BofA Rewards” program as of May 27, 2026, although most existing members will be grandfathered into their current tier for up to 11 more months or so. One of the list of program changes was the promised addition of “Subscription credits – Get up to $180 annually in credits for streaming services you use most”. Here’s what the fine print said:

BofA Rewards Subscription Credits. In order to be eligible for the subscription credit benefit, you must:
(1) Be enrolled in the BofA Rewards program’s Preferred Honors or Premier tiers.

(2) Agree to the full terms of the subscription credit benefit from the subscription credit benefit page within BofA Rewards.

(3) Make payments directly to eligible merchants using your Bank of America debit card linked to a checking account that you designate via the subscription credit benefit page.

Preferred Honors tier members may receive statement credits up to $8 per month, and Premier tier members may receive up to $15 per month. Eligible merchants are subject to change without notice. Currently eligible merchants can be found on the subscription credit benefit page.

I could not find a public “subscription credit benefit page”, and it looks like it’s only visible for actual members. I am still on the new “Premier” tier, which is their highest current tier. I logged into my BofA account and navigated to the “Rewards & Deals” tab and then “BofA Rewards”.

After that, I scrolled down to “Feature Benefits” to the subscription benefit details. I can only assume that they are same for everyone, but this is what I have:

Here are the current merchants along with their regular monthly prices, as the credits can only be earned in monthly increments:

• Paramount+: $8.99/month for the ad-supported Essential tier and $13.99/month for the ad-free Premium tier (which includes Showtime).
• SiriusXM: $11.99/month for the App-Only All Access plan, while an Car+App All Access plan normally lists for $25.99/month.
• Wall Street Journal: Digital access is $11.25/week, but the first year is $8 every 4 weeks right now.
• The Economist: Digital access is $29 every 4 weeks.

I’m rather disappointed with the limited selection. Personally, I don’t pay for Paramount+ right now so I might get it for “free” with this offer, but I doubt I’ll use it very much. WSJ is probably the service I use the most but I already have access via alternative means, and it doesn’t even cover the entire cost anyway. I hope BofA changes up the options regularly. Netflix would have been nice.

Graduation season is here, and here is the 2026 Commencement Speech for George Mason Law School by Luke Nichols, who is a practicing attorney but probably best known as the owner of the popular YouTube Channel Outdoor Boys which includes a lot wilderness hunting, fishing, and bushcraft (“survivalist”) content.

I’m a follower of his channel and I appreciate that he makes content based on his own personal interests and adventures, as opposed to creating trendy content specifically to chase clicks or followers or viral popularity. In fact, he recently stopped making any new videos entirely because he became “too famous” and it started to affect his day-to-day life.

This 9-minute speech has a personal finance tilt and I think it’s worth sending out to any other new grads who might appreciate his perspective. Nichols includes a good personal story about how having some money in the bank can change your life in many ways. Having money isn’t just about living in a nicer place or a nicer car. It’s about having the optionality to take asymmetrical risks and really pursue the life that you want. For example, you might be able to take the lower-paying opportunity with a great mentor.

Updated with new limited-time offers. Hilton Hotels and American Express have co-branded credit cards with special perks for Hilton customers. Each person can typically 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. Hat tip to DoC, which has found some personal links without the once-per-lifetime language (“NLL” or “no-lifetime-language”). The business links below still include the NLL. Here’s what the “lifetime-language” looks like, and there should be a pop-up indicating that you are indeed not eligible for the bonus based on their records.

You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or previous versions of this Card. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.

Hilton Honors American Express Card (No Annual Fee)

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Points and a $100 Statement Credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/29/26.
• 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar on purchases at US restaurants, US supermarkets, and US gas stations.
• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus 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.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card ($150 Annual Fee, waived first year)

• Limited Time Offer: Limited Time Offer. Earn 130,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/29/26.
• 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points per dollar on purchases at US restaurants, US supermarkets, and US gas stations.
• 4X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar on U.S Online Retail Purchases.
• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases.
• Hilton Honors(TM) Gold Status comes with this card. Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on this card within a calendar year and upgrade this benefit to Hilton Honors(TM) Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• Up to $200 in Hilton Credits annually. Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. That’s up to $200 in statement credits annually.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card ($550 Annual Fee)

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 175,000 Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/29/26.
• 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• 7X Bonus Points for eligible purchases: on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com; on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies; & at U.S. restaurants.
• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases.
• Hilton Honors(TM) Diamond Status comes with this card.
• $400 Hilton Resort Credit. Get up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually for eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton Resorts on your Hilton Honors Aspire Card. That’s up to $400 back annually.
• $200 Flight Credit. Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year, on flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com using your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
• $209 CLEAR+ Credit. CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $209 per calendar year in statement credits, when you pay for a CLEAR+ Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Multiple Free Night Reward Opportunities. Enjoy an Annual Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors in your first year of Card Membership and every year upon Card renewal. Earn another Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you can earn an additional Free Night Reward from Hilton after you spend a total of $60,000 in purchases on the Card within the same calendar year.
• $550 annual fee.

Hilton Honors American Express Business Card ($195 Annual Fee, waived first year)

• Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. $0 Intro Annual Fee for the first year, then $195. Offer ends July 29, 2026.
• 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on eligible purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases made using the Hilton Honors Business Card 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(TM) Diamond Status through the end of the calendar year if the total eligible purchases that you spend on your Card Account during a calendar year reach $40,000 or more.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $195.

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 are able to 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 standard 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.

Back for 2026. Barnes & Noble has brought back their Summer Reading Free Book Giveaway for kids in Grades 1-6. You child will need to read any eight books this summer and record them in this Summer Reading Journal [printable PDF]. This year has a “playoff” format.

My family has participated the last two summers, although for 2026 they have added a requirement to visit a Barnes & Noble store four separate times, each time you finish two books:

1. Each time you complete two books (one matchup on your journal), bring your journal to your local Barnes & Noble store. You’ll receive an exclusive Summer Reading sticker and create a recommendation slip for your favorite of the two books — your recommendation slip will be displayed in the store!

2. Return after each completed matchup to collect your sticker and share another recommendation.
Be sure to check out other kids’ recommendation slips for ideas on what to read next.

3. After completing all four matchups on your journal, you’ll complete your full sticker collection and earn a special Barnes & Noble Champion sticker. Keep your journal so you can look back on all the great books you read this summer.

4. Finally, select a book from the list below to receive for free! Thank you for reading with Barnes & Noble this summer.

• Vanguard Total US Stock Market ETF (VTI), which tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index representing ~100% of the investable U.S. stock market and includes large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks.
• Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS), which tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index representing equity market performance in developed and emerging markets, including 48 countries and excluding the United States.

However, a lesser-known option is to own a single Vanguard ETFs that attempts to track all the investable stocks in the entire world:

• Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT), which tracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index, a free-float-adjusted, market-capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the market performance of large-, mid-, and small-capitalization stocks of companies located around the world.

You may already have noticed that VTI/VXUS together have a lower blended expense ratio than VT, at least partially due to how big they are and their economies of scale. This Elm Wealth article goes into detail about one of the major benefits of owning them separately in a taxable brokerage account: the ability to obtain the Foreign Tax Credit. VT is ~60% US stocks and thus does not qualify for the Foreign Tax Credit.

The net result of this is that VXUS effectively earns you an extra 0.23%, which when added to the expense ratio difference in a blended 60% VTI/40% VXUS portfolio ends up being worth 0.13% annually. The effect of an extra ~0.13% in essentially guaranteed extra performance every year (in a taxable account) is pretty significant and can really compound over time. I’m happy to see a number placed on this benefit.

The article includes other good points, with the overall takeaway being that owning both VTI and VXUS has a lot of notable advantages and only minor disadvantages. VTI and VXUS are my largest holdings by far, and I agree that it’s hardly any extra work to add the tiny bit of complexity of owning two ETFs (that mostly already rebalance automatically with price changes).

(Update: The end date for this offer has been extended to 6/30/26.)

CIT Bank has a new limited-time Platinum Savings APY Boost Promotion, offering a boosted interest rate of 4.10% APY for 6 months on their Platinum Saving account that is 0.35% APY above the standard APY (currently 3.75% APY) for balances of $5,000 and above. Thankfully, this offer is available to both new and existing customers that activate the promotion.

New customers will need to sign up for a new CIT Bank Platinum Savings account using the promo code CITBoost to qualify. There is a $100 minimum balance required to open, and you will need a $5,000 minimum balance to get the higher interest rate on this tiered account. There are no monthly service fees.

Existing customers with a Platinum Savings account opened prior to the promotion must enroll via the enrollment web page using promo code CITBoost. You will not get the 6-month boost automatically. Note that the terms also add the following:

Customers are ineligible to participate in the Platinum Savings APY Boost promotion if:

– They are earning an APY over the standard rate.
– They participated in a cash bonus promotion in the past 6 months.

Still, I am appreciative that existing customers are again eligible for this promotion, as most other banks will only allow new customers to participate.

Note that if the base rate on the Platinum Savings account changes, during the promo you will maintain a 0.35% APY interest rate boost above the standard interest rate.

¹APY disclosure for Platinum Savings:

Platinum Savings is a tiered interest rate account. Interest is paid on the entire account balance based on the interest rate and APY in effect that day for the balance tier associated with the end-of day account balance. *APYs — Annual Percentage Yields are accurate as of February 17, 2026: 0.25% APY on balances of $0.01 to $4,999.99; 3.75% APY on balances of $5,000.00 or more. Interest Rates for the Platinum Savings account are variable and may change at any time without notice. The minimum to open a Platinum Savings account is $100.

² Discloser on multipliers:

Based on comparison to the national average Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on savings accounts as published in the FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps, accurate as of February 17, 2026.

* Platinum Savings APY Boost Promotion Terms and Conditions

This is a limited time offer available to New and Existing customers who meet the Platinum Savings APY Boost promotion criteria.

Accounts enrolled in the Platinum Savings Annual Percentage Yield (APY) Boost promotion will receive a 0.35% APY boost on the Platinum Savings current standard APY tiers for 6 months following the opening of a new account or when an existing Platinum Savings account is enrolled in the promotion. The Platinum Savings APY boost will be applied on account balances up to $9,999,999.00. Account balances above $9,999,999.00 will earn the standard APY. If the standard-published APY should change during the promotion period, the APY boost will move with it, offering an account APY above the standard rate.

The Promotion begins on February 13, 2026, and ends June 30, 2026. Customers enrolled in the promotion prior to the end date will receive the APY boost for the 6-month period outlined in the terms and conditions.

The promotion can end at any time without notice.

For complete list of account details and fees, see the CIT Bank Personal Account disclosures.

Here’s my monthly survey of the best interest rates on cash as of May 2026, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Banks and brokerages love taking advantage of idle cash, and you can often earn more interest 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 5/14/26.

TL;DR: Savings account interest rates dropped slightly overall. You can get 4.4% APY if you accept certain hoops/restrictions, but most are under 4% now. Short-term T-Bill rates ~3.7%. Top 5-year CD rates are ~4.1% APY, while the 5-year Treasury rate is also ~4.1%.

High-yield savings accounts*
Since the huge megabanks still pay essentially zero 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 4.40% APY (no min), but they have some weird restrictions; you can only use wire/Plaid to deposit and wire transfers to withdraw funds?! CineFi (no min) is at 4.34% APY, a division of Southern Bancorp Bank. OnPath FCU held at 4.25% APY with $25,000 minimum balance. CIT Platinum Savings held at 3.75% APY with $5,000+ balance, with a new 4.10% APY for 6 months Boost promotion; open your account by 5/31. There are many banks in between.
• SoFi Bank is at 3.30% APY (new customers can get up to 4.00% APY for 6 months + increased $425 bonus with qualifying direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount (even $1) each month for the higher ongoing 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. This month they start at 3.10% APY on up.

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 3.80% APY ($500 minimum deposit). Farmer’s Insurance FCU has a 9-month No Penalty CD at 4.00% APY ($1,000 minimum deposit). USALLIANCE Financial CU has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 3.90% APY ($500 minimum deposit). CIT Bank has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 3.75% APY ($1,000 minimum deposit).
• E-Trade Bank has a 12-month CD at 4.10% APY (no minimum deposit). Early withdrawal penalty is 90 days of interest.
• Farmer’s Insurance FCU has a 12-month CD at 4.00% APY with new money required. $1,000 minimum to open. 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 a 7-day SEC yield of 3.55% (changes daily, but also works out to a compound yield of 3.61%, 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 2025 tax year) exempt from state and local income taxes because it comes from qualifying US government obligations. Current 7-day SEC yield of 3.61% (compound yield of 3.67%).

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 5/13/26, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 3.66% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 3.80% annualized interest.
• The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 3.55% 30-day SEC yield (0.09% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.10 years. The Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL) has a 3.59% 30-day SEC yield (0.06% 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 2026 and October 2026 will earn a 4.26% 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 2026, 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.

• La Capitol Federal Credit Union pays 6.50% 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).
• OnPath Federal Credit Union (my review) pays 6.00% 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”.
• 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 5.25% APY (decreased) 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.
• Capitol Credit Union pays 6.00% APY on up to $15,000 if you make 12 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 ($5 to Wild Basin Wilderness).
• 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.

• NASA Federal Credit Union has a 5-year certificate at 4.18% APY ($1,000 minimum), 4-year at 4.10% APY, 3-year at 4.05% APY, 2-year at 4.00% APY, and 1-year at 3.95% APY. Early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is 365 days of interest. Anyone nationwide can join via a complimentary membership to the National Space Society (NSS).
• Advancial Federal Credit Union has has a 5-year certificates at 4.14%/4.24%/4.34% APY APY based on either a $1,000/$25,000/$50,000 opening balance. Early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is 365 days of interest. Anyone nationwide should be able to join via membership with partner organization US Dog Agility Association, but I would call to verify first.
• Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) has a 5-year certificate at 4.05% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.00% APY, 3-year at 4.00% APY, 2-year at 4.20% APY, and 1-year at 3.90% 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 (use promo code “consumer” when joining).
• 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 4.10% 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] APY (non-callable) vs. 4.44% 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 5/14/26.

* 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

(Updated: 2% ACAT transfer bonus is back, valid on both IRAs and taxable brokerage accounts. For example, $2,000 on a $100,000 account value. 5-year minimum hold. Only a 1% bonus on 401k rollovers. )

SoFi (“Social Finance”) is an all-in-one finance app that expanded from students loans into banking, stocks, crypto, credit cards, and more. They often run a bunch of different promotional offers; New users can receive a separate opening bonus for each separate part of SoFi (Money, Invest, Loans, etc).

• SoFi Checking Referral Offer: Up to $425 new account bonus. Open a new SoFi Checking account and add at least $50 to your account within 21 days, and get $25. Then get up to $400 additional bonus with qualifying direct deposit. Plus up to 4.00% APY for 6 months.
• SoFi Credit Score Monitoring Offer: $10 bonus. Earn $10 in rewards points when you activate free credit score monitoring. Also get a few free points when your score rises.
• SoFi Invest Referral Offer: $25 new account bonus. Taxable brokerage account. Open an Active Investing account with $25 or more, and you’ll get $25 in stock.
• SoFi Crypto Referral Offer: $25 new account bonus. Open a new SoFi Crypto account (you’ll need a SoFi Checking and Savings account), make a single qualifying purchase of at least $50 within 30 days, and get a $25 bonus.
• SoFi ACAT Transfer Offer: 2% Match Bonus. Get a 2% match on ACAT transfers to IRA or taxable brokerage accounts (max $100,000 on $5,000,000 transferred). Minimum hold period for five (5) years from the settlement date.
• SoFi 401(k) Rollover Offer: 1% Match Bonus. Get a 1% match when you roll over your 401(k) into a SoFi IRA. Minimum hold period for five (5) years from the settlement date.
• SoFi Student Loan Refi: $300 bonus. Warning: Do your research before refinancing your Federal student loans to a private lender. You may lose some protections.
• SoFi Doctors and Dentists Student Loan Refi: $1,000 bonus. Special low rates just for doctors and dentists.
• SoFi Private Student Loan: $300 bonus. For those looking for a new student loan (not a refinance).
• SoFi Personal Loans Referral Offer: Fixed $300 bonus. Fixed $300 bonus, 90 days after successful funding. The loan has no fees and you can pay it back in full after 90 days (you can pay it down to $50 before then to accrue minimal interest, thus making it an opportunity to make a net profit).

The Atmos Rewards Visa Signature Business Card is the business card version of the Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa. Right now, there is also a limited-time increased 85k + $99 Companion Fare offer for this card, which you may find promoted by flight attendants inflight with their code handwritten on the flyer. However, any 7 digit promo code works on the application, and I’ve historically always gotten the bonus with any code.

The highlights are very similar to the consumer card, although the spending requirement is a bit higher. Note that you can now also use your “$99 + fees” Alaska Airlines Companion Fare on Hawaiian Airlines flights within North America, including to/from Hawaii as long as the booking is made on alaskaair.com.

Get 85,000 bonus points and a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $5,500 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Earn another $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after spending $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year.

Save with a free checked bag on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights for any cardholder and up to six guests on the same reservation when you pay for your flight with your card.

Enjoy preferred boarding for any cardholder on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights, so you can get to your seat quicker, when paying for the flight with your AtmosTM Rewards Business Card.

Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, shipping and local transit (including rideshare) purchases, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all points earned from card purchases if your company has an eligible Bank of America® business banking account.

Limited-time offer. The Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature Card is the one of the new refreshed Alaska Airlines cards in the new combined Alaska–Hawaiian ecosystem. Formerly the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card, and still issued by Bank of America. Note that you can now also use your “$99 + fees” Alaska Airlines Companion Fare on Hawaiian Airlines flights within North America, including to/from Hawaii, as long as the booking is made on alaskaair.com.

Right now, there is a limited-time improved 85k offer, which is usually also the one promoted by flight attendants inflight with their code handwritten on the flyer. However, any 7 digit promo code works on the application, and I’ve historically always gotten the bonus with any code.

Highlights:

• 85,000 Atmos points + $99 Companion Fare (must pay taxes & fees from $23) after $4,500 in purchases within the first 120 days of opening your account.
• Annual $99 Companion Fare. Get a $99 Companion Fare (must pay taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights within North America booked on AlaskaAir.com.
• First checked bag free on Alaska & Hawaiian (primary + up to 6 guests on same reservation). Any cardholder who purchases Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines airfare with their card, and up to 6 additional guests traveling on the same reservation, may check their first bag free.
• Preferred boarding. Primary cardholder + up to 6 guests traveling on the same reservation paid via this card can enjoy preferred boarding in group C before general boarding. Preferred boarding is only available on flights operated by Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, or Skywest.
• 20% back on all Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines inflight purchases. Eligible in-flight purchases include food, drinks, and Wi-Fi.
• 3X points on eligible Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines purchases; 2X points on everyday categories like gas/EV charging, local transit & rideshare, cable and select streaming services; 1X everywhere else.
• 10% extra with Bank of America relationship. 10% bonus on points from purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® or Merrill® account.
• Earn 1 status point for every $3 spent on purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• $95 annual fee.

Bottom line. The Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® offers a unique set of perks for Alaska Airlines customers (along with Hawaiian Airlines in many cases), including free checked bags for more than just the primary cardholder and the “famous” $99 Companion Fare is still here as well.

I don’t receive any commission for this offer. I will be adding this offer to my ongoing list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.