7. Ditch Your Low-Interest Savings Account
If you’re still using your first savings account, chances are you’re getting a low interest rate. The national average savings account interest rate is 0.09% APY, as of Feb. 18, 2019 according to the FDIC. With a rate like that you’d only earn about $22 on a $25,000 balance … which isn’t much. Compare that with the CIT Bank Savings Builder Account, for example, which offers a 2.45% APY if you make at least one monthly deposit of $100 or more or maintain a minimum balance of $25,000. In two years, you’ll have earned more than $1,000 in interest on your $25,000 balance just by depositing it in one of the best bank accounts. Failing to open a high-interest savings account means you’re saying “no thanks” to free money — and why would you do that?