DoctorOfCredit - bank signup bonuses
Check out the best bank and credit card signup bonuses at DoctorOfCredit.
Example: You can get a $100 bonus at DCU signup and you can earn 6% APY, limited to $1,000. (only 0.25% APY on balances over $1,000). More details at DoctorOfCredit DCU info.
If you're not confident with your credit score, read more at should you apply? to see if "churning" is right for you. You may wish to avoid the credit card bonuses and only stick to the bank account bonuses. Bonus/interest over $10 is reported to the IRS. The banks will usually both mail the relevant tax form to your address and provide it in your account settings online.
Most banks such as Chase have no early cancellation fee and will let you get the signup bonus again after 2 years. There may be annual or monthly fees, so cancel your account after the bonus posts. Then, move your money to the next bonus (and check DoctorOfCredit for info on fees). Alternatively, just park your savings in a 5% APY bank such as Poppy (online only) or Flagstar.
Empower (Personal Capital) - free budgeting tool
After setup, it automatically pulls from your credit card and bank accounts to show all your savings and transactions up-to-date in one spot. You can also add Android widgets on your phone.
Runner-up: Mint Intuit
To be replaced by Credit Karma in March 2024, which may cause loss of features and a buggy experience.
Available on ios and android, with useful widgets such as displaying all transactions.
| Free, convenient consolidation of accounts | Heavy advertisements on site |
| Helpful notifications of fees and credit score changes | Certain banks like PNC require a workaround or monthly sign-ins |
| Decent default grouping and allows further customization | No privacy for your data |
Some rare accounts are unable to sync via Plaid directly to Intuit or frequently fail to update after the syncing. However, there is a workaround to add the troublesome account to an existing account that does its own linking (ironically through a different version of Plaid) such as DCU signup, which can then be tracked by Intuit.
Research how to "back door roth ira"
Also, if you have an HSA from your employer that is charging you monthly fees, you may want to move it to Fidelity or another provider that does not charge fees.