Experts recommend keeping one to two months' worth of expenses in checking

Savings accounts earn more interest and limit monthly transactions

While the checking account is many people's primary daily account, savings accounts can earn customers more in interest, though access to these funds is generally more limited. Customers can earn several percent interest in savings accounts compared to near-zero checking account rates.

Some banks derive half of their income from overdraft fees on checking accounts

The fees are incurred when a customer withdraws more money than is left in the account, typically around $35 per overdraft. One in 11 Americans pays more than $350 a year in such fees, generating tens of billions of dollars each year for banks..

Read about the situations where a high-yield savings account doesn't make sense

While financial experts often recommend high-yield savings accounts, one expert argues that prioritizing adding more money to one doesn't make sense for someone who has a lot of high-interest debt or isn't taking advantage of their company's 401(k) match.

The average household checking account balance is $16K, while the median is $2.8K

Average household checking account balances have doubled since 1989. Older, white, educated, and male customers tend to have larger balances on average, according to the data. See further data visuals here.

Everything you need to know about emergency funds

The general rule of thumb for emergency funds is that you should have three to six months of living expenses saved—but what does that mean exactly? This article answers all your specific emergency fund questions, such as where you should put those emergency reserves, whether you should save three to six months of your full salary or just enough to cover three to six months of bills, and more. Read it here.

Banks make money by loaning customer deposits and earning interest

This means the interest you earn on your deposits is lower than what the bank earns on the same amount. Banks often keep cash reserves (though a minimum requirement was rescinded in 2020) but generally invest in government bonds, corporate securities, and loans to other banks. During bank runs, depositors withdraw more than the bank has on hand.

Customers wrote just one check a year in 2024, on average

Major retailers like Target have stopped accepting checks in recent years as real-time payment systems are increasingly being implemented across the US. This shift is considered an improvement in safety—as checks are vulnerable to fraud—but can lead to some exclusion for those without access to digital devices.

Certificates of deposit are low-risk savings tools that offer a stable way to grow your money over time

Unlike standard savings accounts, CDs require you to lock in a fixed deposit for a set term, earning higher interest rates in exchange for limited access to your funds.

Congress banned banks from paying checking account interest for 80 years

Known as "Regulation Q," the act sought to stop bank competition for customers involving increasing interest rates in the 1930s. This competition led banks to make reckless investment decisions to pay higher interest rates. During the ban, banks competed by focusing on convenience (ATMs, branches), relying on fees, and building relationships.

How the checking account has evolved into a platform of features rather than a product

The accounts act as an anchor for customer relationships that banks need to retain said customers. As fintech companies unbundle the checking account without technically being chartered banks, traditional banks face pressure to innovate the checking account experience.

Use a CD rate calculator

This CD Rate Calculator allows you to determine your interest earnings and total savings balance at CD maturity. Enter your initial deposit, your interest rate, and your term length in months or years. Click here to use it.

How to write a check

Physical checks are not necessarily in vogue anymore, but there are several situations in which one should know how to write them. This article breaks down the basics of checks for beginners, from acquiring a checkbook to filling them out. Consult with their example template to make sure you got it right.

Average three-month CD rates reached a historical high of 18.65% in December 1980

Comparatively, average three-month CD rates reached a low of 0.09% in June 2021 amid the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic. When inflation began to rise in 2022, the Fed began initiating rate hikes to incentivize saving.

Six bills experts say you shouldn't put on autopay

Autopay has plenty of benefits, such as helping to avoid late fees and streamlining your bill paying process. But some experts say there are a few types of bills that you shouldn't autopay, especially if you're not confident you can pay these bills in full each term. The list includes utility bills and annual subscriptions. Read the full list here.

Experts say those receiving year-end bonuses may want to pay down high-interest debt

Experts say other sound options for spending bonuses include topping off an emergency fund or putting more money away for retirement.

Americans ages 30 to 34 have $44,800 in their 401(k) accounts on average

Americans ages 28 to 44 save about 13.5% of their pretax income on average, which is close to the recommended retirement savings rate of 15%.

Financial institutions check for lots of things before authorizing a purchase

Before authorizing a purchase, card issuers consider whether or not the cardholder has a high enough available credit limit to make the purchase, where the purchase is being made in order to reduce fraud, and more.

There are monthly dividend ETFs that pay you to hold them

Traditional dividend stocks and funds pay out quarterly, or four times a year. A select group of stocks and funds pay out monthly, putting cash in investors’ hands 12 times a year. These monthly dividend funds are popular because their regular payouts can help keep budgets on track.

How to check your credit score

Contrary to popular belief, checking your credit score doesn’t hurt your credit. Many credit card companies show your score when you log into their app online, but there are other ways to check it.

How much your blood really costs

In the US, donating plasma twice a week can earn you $400 a month. But this system only works by targeting people who need the money most. Plasma clinics are placed in low-income zip codes, and frequent donation may increase health risks.

Dive into the fascinating journey of a Federal Reserve note

Ever wondered how long an individual dollar bill lasts? After cash is designed and produced, money circulates in the economy, with $100 bills staying in use for the longest on average—roughly 15 years—and the $10 lasting just less than five.

The typical US household could lower its household costs by 6.4% by using coupons

The study looked at coupons for food, household items, entertainment, and clothing, as well as other expected expenses. The grocery store category offered the largest amount of savings at around $316 annually.

Learn how to withdraw $1K from your IRA

Normally, you face a large penalty if you take money out of your IRA before age 59½. Now the IRS is letting individuals withdraw up to $1K without facing the 10% fee (with the exception of Roth IRAs) for emergencies.

Permanent life insurance policies can sometimes help you cover expenses, access cash, and more

If you’re planning on purchasing permanent life insurance, your policy will come with a cash value (which acts like a savings account). To make the most of this account, you could pay your life insurance premium, apply it towards a loan, or put it towards long-term or terminal care.

A credit card’s grace period is a minimum of 21 days

Under federal law in the United States, an individual’s credit card payment due date must fall on the same day of each month, at least 21 days after the cardholder’s statement closing date.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

About 12.5% of US adults experience a phobia in their lifetime, a diagnosis that hinges on the intense fear interfering with daily life and persisting for at least six months.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

See a ranking of the best (and worst) Federal Reserve Chairs since 1914 out of the 16 men and women who have held the office since.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

Explore chaos in this simulation of two double pendulums, where small differences in the release angles produce wildly different outcomes.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Planarian flatworms are small, aquatic worms with exceptional regenerative capabilities. When cut, the worms can regenerate multiple bodies in a matter of weeks.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

Urushiol, the oily toxin in poison ivy, can remain allergenic on clothing for years.

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.