Money kept in a savings account is best left alone unless you absolutely need it. To maximize the return on your savings, stash most of your liquid cash flow in a savings account, and only keep the funds you need for day-to-day spending in your checking account. That allows your money to grow more efficiently — more money in a savings account means more interest earned and compounded.

How easy it is to move money in and out of your savings account depends on your financial institution. Typically, a transfer between deposit accounts goes through Automated Clearing House (ACH). ACH transfers should only take one to two business days to clear, often clearing immediately or within one business day. Some institutions, however, may take the full two days, depending on their own rules and regulations.

Keep in mind that savings accounts have a limit of up to six certain transfers or withdrawals per month, thanks to the Federal Reserve’s Regulation D, or Reg D. This limit only applies to “convenient” transfers and withdrawals made by “preauthorized, automatic, telephonic agreement, order or instruction, or by check, debit card or similar order made by the depositor and payable to third parties.” Less convenient transactions are exempt from this regulation, including withdrawals or transfers made in person at the bank or ATM, by mail or over the phone.

Making more than six transactions per cycle will often result in an excessive transaction fee depending on the financial institution. Exceeding the limit several times can lead to the bank closing your account for good.

It’s safe to say that everyone should have a savings account. If your money’s going to sit in a bank account, it might as well earn interest while it’s there. And if you’re going to earn interest, it’s surely best to find an account that earns the most interest possible — namely a high-yield savings account.

Even if you’re not interested in chasing the highest possible interest rate, you should still have a savings account to keep your money safe. Some people don’t trust banks and stash cash under their mattresses. But what happens if your house burns down or there’s a break-in? Stolen or lost funds are gone for good. Meanwhile, money in a savings account is kept safe by the FDIC, which even offers bank skeptics peace of mind as it ensures you’ll get your money back no matter what.

If you’re not sure which account to choose, consider your savings priorities first. If you’re trying to reach a savings goal, a high-yield savings account will help you reach your goal faster than a lower-rate account.

Perhaps you want an account where you don’t have to worry about fees. There are several fee-free savings accounts and accounts that don’t charge for excessive withdrawals that would be perfect for your needs.

Generally, though, these two features should be your top priorities when applying for a savings account. A high-yield savings account grows your money more efficiently, and minimizing fees helps you keep it.

If you’re looking at interest rates, there’s not much difference between the average savings accounts offered by banks and credit unions. In December 2020, the average savings account rate from brick-and-mortar banks earned just 0.06% APY, while credit unions had an average APY of 0.25%. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find competitive rates at banks or credit unions — it simply means you’ll need to shop around

The same goes with fees. A 2018 MagnifyMoney survey of 57 rewards checking accounts from banks and credit unions indicated that credit unions tend to charge slightly higher fees than their traditional bank counterparts. However, credit unions are nonprofits, and tend to charge fairer fees than big banks do.

For many people, the choice of bank or credit union is a matter of personal preference. When you join a credit union, it means that you own a piece of the institution along with its other members. With a credit union, there’s more transparency about how your deposits are being used — many people prefer to know that they are funding loans and helping other members, as opposed to paying big executive paychecks.

When it comes to physical access, banks usually have credit unions beat. Big banks have the money to spread their branches throughout the country, while credit unions tend to serve specific communities and locations. Still, credit unions very often partner with other credit unions and ATM networks to provide their members with widespread ATM access. Note that the CO-OP Financial Services credit union service organization has the second largest branch network in the United States.

A high-yield savings account is an easy way to boost your savings without any extra effort on your part. Let’s say you have $5,000 in a 0.01% APY savings account, which is a typical rate from traditional, big banks. Assuming you don’t make any additional contributions, in a year, you’d earn a whopping 50 cents in interest. That’s a pretty poor rate.

Switching that $5,000 deposit over to a high-yield savings account that earns 0.65% APY would yield $32 and change in interest annually — that’s definitely a sight better than 50 cents. Additional recurring deposits, perhaps monthly, would increase your savings even more. Setting up automatic recurring deposits is an easy way to turbocharge your savings.

Many deposit accounts charge a monthly maintenance fee, with the exception of online accounts, which seldom charge a monthly fee. The exact fee amount of a monthly fee depends on the bank and the specific account, but they can range anywhere from $5 to $15 a month. The good news is that there’s almost always a way to waive the fee. Typically, this means maintaining a minimum monthly balance or making a certain number of transactions per month.

Banks also often charge for returned deposits, overdrafts, excessive transactions, expedited delivery or transfers, incoming and outgoing wire transfers and paper statements. But if you avoid these items, you’ll skip the fees.

Many of the best savings accounts are available online. By operating only over the internet, banks are able to save on the cost of owning and maintaining physical branches. Banks pass those savings onto their customers in the form of the high rates you see above.

But just because they’re online doesn’t mean they’re any less secure than a well-known bricks-and-mortar bank. Reputable online banks offer FDIC insurance on your balances up to the legal limit. If you’re unsure, you can use the FDIC’s BankFind tool to check a bank’s insurance status.

As for online security, most banks employ the same security features as the big banks, if not more. This includes network and browser encryption, firewalls, anti-virus scanning and anti-malware protection. Banks may also offer additional safety features like two-step authentication, automatic logout, fingerprint identification and proactive account monitoring. You can always check a bank’s exact safety features on its website, which applies to both online-only and brick-and-mortar banks.

You sure can. If you have a lot of cash on hand, opening multiple savings accounts can allow you to maximize your FDIC insurance. Think of the scenario mentioned above: Keep $250,000 in an ABC Bank savings account and $250,000 in an XYZ savings account. Dropping the total $500,000 in a single ABC Bank savings account would leave $250,000 uninsured.

Opening more than one savings account may also help you keep track of separate savings goals. For example, you can use one savings account to house your emergency fund, which you never touch except for in dire circumstances. Keeping your emergency fund separate from your other accounts may make it easier for you to avoid dipping into it.

If you do have more than one savings account, just make sure they all earn at competitive rates.

Unlike certificates of deposit, savings accounts have variable rates. This means that the bank can decrease or increase their rate at any point, often without notice. However, you can typically expect rate changes to happen on or right after the start of a month.

Deposit account rates often track the federal funds rate, which is set by the Federal Reserve. The federal funds rate establishes the rate banks and other financial institutions charge each other for lending. So when the federal funds rate is cut, banks tend to cut their own rates in response. This includes not only deposit rates, but loan rates as well. Conversely, banks boost their interest rates when the Fed raises the federal funds rate.

Keep an eye on the Federal Reserve’s regular meetings to get a better sense of where the federal funds rate — and therefore your deposit rates — are headed.

If you earn $10 or more in interest in a year, then yes, your savings interest is taxable. Your bank or financial institution will send you a 1099-INT form documenting the interest you’ve earned. Using that form, you include your interest earnings with your annual tax filing. The bank will also send a copy of your 1099-INT form to the IRS.

Even if you don’t receive a 1099 from your bank, you’ll still need to report interest earned on your tax return. Plus, if you earned more than $1,500 in interest in a year, you’ll need to list out the sources of all that interest income on Schedule B of the 1040 Form.

Your earned interest is taxed according to your marginal tax bracket. If you earned $50 in interest and you’re in the 22% tax bracket, you’ll pay $12 in taxes on that interest earned.

Having a savings account is a crucial part of your financial life, but there are other types of deposit accounts that you can (and perhaps should) fit in, such as:

• Certificates of deposit: A certificate of deposit (CD) is a time deposit. Unlike savings accounts, which have no expiration date, CDs operate according to defined terms. Typically, CD terms range between three and 60 months, although some institutions offer terms beyond these parameters. Once you make your initial deposit, you have to wait for the term to expire — or mature — to access your funds and interest earnings.CDs are a solid savings alternative for those who have already maxed out their other savings accounts. They’re also good for longer-term savings goals. Opening a longer CD lets you lock in a high rate for the length of the term and not have to deal with the rate fluctuations that come with regular savings accounts.CDs often require a minimum deposit to open, often ranging between $500 and $10,000 — any deposits larger than that are often considered jumbo CDs. However, there typically aren’t monthly fees to worry about with a CD. That being said, withdrawing money from a CD before maturity will result in an early withdrawal penalty. Some banks may offer no-penalty CDs, which tend to have shorter terms, that allow you to avoid the penalty.
• Money market accounts: A money market account more closely resembles a savings account. It earns interest without an expiration date and limits your outgoing transactions to six per cycle. However, money market accounts can also include some checking account features like a debit card and the ability to write checks. This makes them a good alternative if you plan to dip into the account a bit more regularly, rather than using it only for emergencies.Money market accounts tend to earn at higher interest rates than regular savings accounts. However, they also tend to require higher balances to open and then earn interest. Money markets often charge monthly fees, as well, even when they’re online.
• Checking accounts: Checking and savings accounts are the bread and butter of your financial life. While savings accounts are meant for stashing your money away, checking accounts are designed to help you move through the world, making payments, sending transfers, getting cash and more.That doesn’t mean that your checking account can’t earn interest, too, however. Maximize your savings by opening a high-yield checking account to match your high-yield savings account. Checking accounts don’t earn at rates as high as savings accounts, but that way, all your money in all your accounts can grow at the same time. For more efficiency, consider keeping the majority of your funds in your savings account for better growth — then you can transfer funds over to your checking account as needed.