Where To Put $10K, $25K, or $50K in Cash Before the Fed Cuts Rates

This Week’s Highest-Paying Options for Savings, CDs, and Treasuries

For a low-risk return that’s still rewarding, today’s top cash investment options fall into three main categories:

1. Bank and credit union products: Savings accounts, money market accounts (MMAs), and certificates of deposit (CDs)
2. Brokerage and robo-advisor products: Money market funds and cash management accounts
3. U.S. Treasury products: T-bills, notes, and bonds, plus inflation-protected I bonds

You can choose a single option or mix and match based on your goals and timeline. Either way, knowing what each one is currently paying is essential. Below, we break down the top rates in each category as of Friday’s market close and how they’ve changed since last week.

Bank and Credit Union Rates

The rates below represent the top nationally available annual percentage yields (APYs) from federally insured banks and credit unions, based on our daily analysis of more than 200 institutions offering products nationwide.

Brokerage and Robo-Advisor Cash Rates

The yield on money market funds fluctuates daily, while rates on cash management accounts are more fixed but can be adjusted at any time.

U.S. Treasury Rates

Treasury securities pay interest through maturity and can be purchased from TreasuryDirect or traded on the secondary market through a bank or brokerage. I bonds must be bought from TreasuryDirect and can be held for up to 30 years, with rates adjusted every six months.

This Week’s Best Cash Rates, All in One Place

Here’s a summary look at all of the cash vehicles above, sorted by today’s highest rates. Note that the rates shown are the top qualifying rate for each product type.

How To Choose the Best Place for Your Cash

Bank and Credit Union Products

Savings Accounts

The most basic place to stash cash is a bank or credit union savings account that lets you add and withdraw money as you please. But don’t assume your primary bank pays a competitive rate. Some banks pay virtually zero interest.

You’ll want to look for a high-yield savings account, and it pays to choose from those offering the best rates in the country.

Fortunately, our daily ranking of the best high-yield savings accounts gives you 12 options that pay 4.40% or more—and as much as 5.00% APY. Note, however, that savings account rates can change at any time.

Money Market Accounts

A money market account is a savings account that lets you write paper checks. If this is useful to you, compare the best money market accounts.

If you don’t need paper check-writing, choose whichever account type—money market or savings—pays the better rate. Today’s top money market account rate is 4.80%, matching the best high-yield savings rate. But again, money market rates are variable, just like savings account rates. That means they can be lowered at any time.

Certificates of Deposit

A certificate of deposit (CD) doesn’t carry that risk. A CD is a bank or credit union product with a fixed interest rate, promising a guaranteed return for a set period, generally three months to five years. Our daily ranking of the best nationwide CDs currently includes 14 options paying at least 4.40%—with a top rate of 4.60% APY.

But be aware that CDs are a commitment with teeth: If you cash in before maturity, your earnings will be dinged with an early withdrawal penalty.

Brokerage and Robo-Advisor Products

Money Market Funds

Unlike a money market account at a bank, money market funds are mutual funds invested in cash and offered by brokerage and robo-advisor firms. Their yields can fluctuate daily, but they currently range from 3.97% to 4.20% at the three biggest brokerages.

Cash Management Accounts

For uninvested cash held at a brokerage or robo-advisor, you can have the funds swept into a cash management account where they will earn a return. Unlike money market funds, cash management accounts offer a specific interest rate that the brokerage or robo-advisor can adjust whenever it likes. Currently, several popular brokers are paying 3.83% to 4.00% APY on their cash accounts.

U.S. Treasury Products

Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds

The U.S. Treasury offers a wide array of short- and long-term bond instruments. Treasury bills have the shortest duration, ranging from four to 52 weeks, while Treasury notes have a maturity of two to five years. The longest-term option is a Treasury bond, which has a 20- or 30-year maturity. Today’s rates on the various Treasury products range from 3.52% to 4.68%.

You can buy T-bills, notes, and bonds straight from TreasuryDirect or buy and sell them on the secondary market at brokerages and banks. Selling a Treasury product allows you to exit before the bond matures. However, you may pay a fee or commission for secondary market purchases and sales, while buying and redeeming at TreasuryDirect—the U.S. Treasury’s online platform for buying federal government securities—has no fees.

You can also buy Treasury ETFs, which trade on the market like a stock. Treasury ETFs have advantages and limitations, which you can read about here.

I Bonds

U.S. Treasury I bonds have a rate that’s adjusted every six months to align with inflation trends. You can redeem an I bond anytime after one year or hold it for as long as 30 years. While you own the bond, your rate will change every six months.

I bond rates increased on May 1, from 3.11% for bonds issued during the previous six months to 3.98% for new bonds purchased from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2025. For holders of existing I bonds, your next six-month rate will also increase—by almost a full percentage point. See our story about the recent rate change, including the rate tables for different bond dates.

How We Find the Best Savings and CD Rates

Every business day, Investopedia tracks the rate data of more than 200 banks and credit unions that offer CDs and savings accounts to customers nationwide and determines daily rankings of the top-paying accounts. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), and the account’s minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000. It also cannot specify a maximum deposit amount that’s below $5,000.

Banks must be available in at least 40 states to qualify as nationally available. And while some credit unions require you to donate to a specific charity or association to become a member if you don’t meet other eligibility criteria (e.g., you don’t live in a certain area or work in a certain kind of job), we leave out credit unions whose donation requirement is $40 or more. For more about how we choose the best rates, read our full methodology.