Got $10K, $25K, or $50K Sitting Idle? Here’s Where It’ll Actually Grow

Savings accounts hit record lows while digital assets surge—where smart money's moving now.

Breaking Traditional Banking's Grip

Forget sub-1% APY offers that barely beat inflation. The real yield action has shifted to decentralized finance protocols offering returns that make traditional banks blush.

$10K Entry: DeFi Starter Position

With ten grand, you're not just dipping toes—you're building a diversified crypto portfolio. Staking Ethereum post-merge nets 4-6% annually while liquidity pools can generate double-digit yields.

$25K Tier: Institutional-Grade Strategies

This bracket unlocks algorithmic stablecoin farming and blue-chip NFT collateralization. Compound your gains through layered yield strategies that traditional wealth managers still don't understand.

$50K Power Play: Whale Territory

At fifty thousand, you're executing private round token acquisitions and early-stage project funding. The same amount that might buy a financial advisor's golf club membership now accesses venture-level crypto returns.

Wall Street's still trying to patent blockchain while retail investors are already earning retirement-level yields—the ultimate irony in modern finance.

Key Takeaways

• Savers are still earning strong returns on cash, despite this week's cut by the Fed.
• The top high-yield savings and money market accounts offer up to 5.00%, while the best CD rate is 4.60% (a 5.50% special CD expired today).
• The best brokerage and robo-advisor cash accounts pay up to 4.08%, while U.S. Treasuries yield as much as 4.77% today.
• Our tables below compare today's top rates from banks, credit unions, brokers, robo-advisors, and Treasuries.

The full article continues below these offers from our partners.

Cash Yields Reach Up to 5.00%—For Now

Is your cash earning all it could? Putting it in the right account can mean hundreds more in your pocket over time.

The good news for savers is that today’s options remain strong. The top high-yield savings accounts still pay up to 5.00% if you meet some requirements, or mid-4% returns for no-strings-attached accounts. Among CDs, the best nationwide rate is 4.60% now, after a limited offer paying 5.50% expired today.

That's despite the Federal Reserve cutting rates by a quarter point last week, a MOVE that was widely expected. With the central bank projecting another half-point in reductions before year’s end, deposit rates at banks, credit unions, and brokerages could adjust quickly. That means today’s top yields may not last, making now an opportune time to put your cash to work at the best available returns.

How Much Can You Earn on $10K, $25K, or $50K?

With a lump-sum savings deposit of $10,000, $25,000, or even $50,000, you can earn hundreds of dollars in interest if you choose one of today’s top rates. Whether you opt for a 4.00% cash management account, a top high-yield savings or money market account paying 5.00%, or something in between, here’s what different balances could earn over the next six months.

Six Months of Earnings at Various APYs

APY	Earnings on $10K for 6 months	Earnings on $25K for 6 months	Earnings on $50K for 6 months
4.00%	$198	$495	$990
4.25%	$210	$526	$1,051
4.50%	$223	$556	$1,113
4.75%	$235	$587	$1,174
5.00%	$247	$617	$1,235

These examples assume you can earn the stated annual percentage yield (APY) for the full six months, which may not be possible with variable-rate options.

Important

The rate you earn from a savings account, money market account, cash account, or money market fund can fluctuate and will almost certainly drop now that the Fed has begun cutting rates—if it hasn't already. In contrast, CDs and Treasuries allow you to lock in your return for a set term.

Related Eduction

What Is a Certificate of Deposit (CD)? Pros and Cons

Inflation: What It Is and How to Control Inflation 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:

Bank and credit union products: Savings accounts, money market accounts (MMAs), and certificates of deposit (CDs)

Brokerage and robo-advisor products: Money market funds and cash management accounts

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.

6 Best Investment Accounts for Handling Uninvested Cash

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

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 16 options that pay 4.30% or more—and as much as 5.00% APY. Note, however, that savings account rates can change at any time.

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.

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 13 options paying at least 4.35%—with a top rate of 4.60% APY. (One credit union is still advertising its 5.50% CD, but the credit union indicates the offer expires Sept. 26, 2025.)

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

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 3.79% to 4.08% at the three biggest brokerages.

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 3.58% to 3.75% APY on their cash accounts.

U.S. Treasury Products

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 3.63% to 4.77%.

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.

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.