Chasing the Best Interest Rates? This Platform Will Find Them and Shift Your Money for You
KEY POINTS
- Max, also known as Max My Interest, is a cash-management platform that finds the highest bank account rates for you.
- It also simplifies the process of opening new bank accounts and shows you how to stay under FDIC insurance limits.
- While Max has some useful features, most people are better off sticking with one high-yield savings account to save time.
It helps you get the highest rates while keeping your money fully insured.
Interest rates increased quite a bit last year. While that has made it much costlier to borrow money, it has also led to banks offering higher interest rates. Savings account rates are at their highest point in years, with some currently offering APYs of 4% or more.
Most people want to earn as much back on their savings as possible, but chasing the best interest rates can be a hassle. Banks often adjust their rates, so the bank with the best rate today might not be on top tomorrow.
Enter Max My Interest, normally referred to as just Max. It does the work for you, finding the highest rates and showing you where to put your money.
How Max My Interest works
Max is a cash-management platform that recommends the highest-yielding bank accounts to you. Now, it's easy enough to get this information online. You can just look at the highest savings account interest rates for that. But there are a few advantages to using Max:
- It monitors bank account rates. When rates change, it will keep you up to date on which savings accounts offer the most interest.
- It makes opening new bank accounts easier. Using its MAX Common Application feature, you can open a bank account in as little as 60 seconds.
- It also helps you keep your cash fully insured. Most U.S. banks offer FDIC insurance, which covers up to $250,000 per eligible account. Max will show you how to spread your money around to multiple high-yield accounts so all your money is covered.
That last benefit could come in handy for those with a significant amount of savings. If you have over $250,000 in a single savings account, then your money most likely isn't fully insured, because that exceeds FDIC insurance coverage. With Max, you'll get recommendations that keep you below the insurance limits with all your accounts.
There is a membership fee of 0.04% per quarter (0.16% per year) for Max. However, there's also a minimum fee amount of $20 every three months. Although anyone can use Max, it really only makes sense for consumers with large savings. To avoid paying more than 0.04% per quarter, you need at least $50,000 in balances.
Is Max right for you?
If you have lots of money in savings, and you're always trying to get the best interest rates, then Max could help with that. It will let you know where you can earn the greatest return and simplify the process of opening new accounts.
However, you'd probably be better off just picking a high-yield savings account and sticking with it. The amount you make by chasing the best interest rates is rarely worth the time and effort.
Let's say Max helps you earn 0.40% more in a year thanks to its bank account recommendations. After the 0.16% in fees, you'd come out ahead by 0.24%. On a $100,000 balance, that would amount to $240.
It's always nice to make another $240. But if you have $100,000 in savings, is it really worth micromanaging your bank accounts just to squeeze out a little extra interest? That's for you to decide. Some people might not mind, while others prefer keeping it simple to save time.
One last thing to think about is that if you have a large amount in savings, and you want to earn a better return, you could also invest more. Over long time periods, investing in stocks can pay off far more than any bank account. You wouldn't want to invest your emergency fund, or any money you'll need in the near future. But for long-term goals, like retirement, investing beats saving.
These savings accounts are FDIC insured and could earn you 11x your bank
Many people are missing out on guaranteed returns as their money languishes in a big bank savings account earning next to no interest. Our picks of the best online savings accounts could earn you 11x the national average savings account rate. Click here to uncover the best-in-class accounts that landed a spot on our short list of the best savings accounts for 2024.
Our Research Expert
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Related Articles
View All Articles