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Tag Archives: Money Market Account

Home / Posts Tagged "Money Market Account"

Compound Interest Calculator

February 10, 2021 by Gerald Hawkins Posted in Financial Planning, Food Budgets Tagged Blog, bonds, budget, building, Financial Planning, Financial Wize, FinancialWize, Grow, How To, index funds, Invest, Investing, Make, Make Money, money, Money Market, Money Market Account, money market accounts, mutual funds, News, Personal, rate, Retirement, Saving, savings, savings accounts, Stocks

Compound interest is one of the most important concepts to understand in investing. It’s something about investing that many people aren’t familiar with, but it plays an essential role in making investments profitable. 

If you’re curious about compound interest and how it works, good for you — you’re on the right track. In this post, you’ll find a compound interest calculator that can quickly and clearly show you how much money you might make by investing in an account that delivers compound interest. 

Use the calculator below to get a sense of your potential earnings, then read the sections below to gain more insight into how you can make money through compound interest. 

Compound Interest Calculator
First, tell us about your investment plan by filling in the fields below.
Investment Plan:
Starting Amount:
Amount of initial investment: Total amount you will initially invest or currently have invested toward your investment goal.
Years to Accumulate:
Years to accumulate: The number of years you have to save.
Contribution Amount:
Periodic contribution: The amount you will contribute each period and the frequency at which you will make regular contributions to this investment.
Rate of Return:
Rate of return on investment: This is the rate of return an individual would expect from their investment. It is important to remember that these scenarios are hypothetical and that future rates of return can’t be predicted with certainty and actual rate of return can very widely over time.
Compound Frequency:
Compound frequency: Interest on an investment’s interest, plus previous interest. The more frequently this occurs, the sooner your accumulated interest will generate additional interest. You should check with your financial institution to find out how often interest is being compounded on your particular investment.
Years to Accumulate:
Years to Accumulate: This is the amount of time until you withdraw or use your investments.
Your Investment Results:
Ending Amount: $0
$0
Total Investment
$0
Compound Interest Earned
$0
Simple Interest Earned
Investment Growth Over Time
Investment Breakdown
Total Investment
Compound Interest Earned
Simple Interest Earned

  • How to use a compound interest calculator
    • Investment definitions
  • How does compound interest work
    • Compound interest formula
  • Compound interest accounts
  • Compound interest FAQs

How to use a compound interest calculator

Using the compound interest calculator is simple. Follow these steps to see what you might earn through compound interest investing. 

  1. Enter your initial investment. It can be any value that you like, but it’s helpful to make it a realistic amount. For instance, if you’re saving up to invest right now, you can put the amount that you plan on investing once you’ve saved up enough. 
  2. Next, enter the amount you plan on adding to your investment portfolio each month. This can also be any value you like, but it’s most useful if you enter an amount that you can budget for. Even if that’s just an extra $10 a month, it makes a difference. 
  3. Choose whether you want your interest compounded annually, compounded monthly, or compounded daily. (If you don’t know what that means, stay tuned for the definitions below.) 
  4. Input the estimated rate of return. This can vary considerably, but index funds and similar investment vehicles can yield between 2% and 10% returns. 
  5. Input your time horizon — the amount of time until you withdraw or use your investments. 

Once you’ve filled out the calculator, you should see an estimate of the amount you’re likely to have when the period of compound investing is up. If you’re a little confused about how we got this number, or what you need to do to grow your money in this way, check out the definitions, guide, and FAQs below. 

Investment definitions

  • Compounding: This occurs when the money that is made from an investment is reinvested, increasing the total amount of interest yielded the next time your interest is compounded. 
  • Index fund: Index funds are bundled investments that roughly track the growth of a market index, which is a collection of publicly-traded companies. They are often considered lower-risk investments.
  • Interest: The money you make on your investments; essentially, the money you earn for investing in the success of a company, a government bond, or a fund.
  • Principal: The amount of money that you start out with when you begin investing.
  • Rate of returns: The rate at which you accrue interest — for example, 3% returns would mean that, for every $100 invested, you would earn $3. 
  • Returns: The money that you earn on your investments. 
  • Time horizon: The amount of time that you plan on investing.

Now that you have a few key compound interest definitions in mind, we can explain how it works. 

How does compound interest work

Having more money can help make you more money — that’s the principle behind compound interest. Here’s how that breaks down. Let’s say that you have $1000 to invest. You put it in an account (let’s say a money market account) that yields 2% interest, compounded monthly. At the end of the first month, you’d have $1020. So far, so good.

But here’s where it gets really interesting. That 2% rate of return now applies to the $1020 total, not just the principal investment of $1000. So, after the end of month 2, you’ll have $1040.40 — an added $0.40 compared to the previous month. 

That might not sound like a lot, but it starts to add up. Have you ever rolled a snowball down a hill? The same idea applies. As your money grows and adds to itself, the amount that it can add to itself the next time your interest compounds is more. It may not be a get-rich-quick scheme, but it’s a reasonably secure way to start building your net worth in the long term. 

Plus, you’re not limited to money market accounts with rates as low as 2%. If you’re willing to put a little more risk on the line, you can get returns as high as 10% in some cases. We’ll cover that more in a later section. But first, time for a little math homework (just for those who are curious!). 

  • Looking for a longer explanation? Check out our full-length guide to how to earn compound interest. 

Compound interest formula

Compound interest is really mathematically interesting. Here’s the formula: A = P(1 + r/n)(nt)

If you want to try to see what’s going on behind the scenes in our calculator, here’s how to do the math yourself using the compound interest formula. 

  • The A in the formula is the amount you’ll end up with; this comes last. 
  • The P in the formula above stands for your principal, that’s the amount that you start with. 
  • Multiply P by 1 + your interest rate r (given in a decimal; so 4% would be 0.04) divided by n, the number of times your interest is compounded in a given period. 
  • Raise all of that to the power of n times t, where t is the number of time periods elapsed. 
  • For example, if you’re investing for 12 months, and your account interest is compounded daily, n would be roughly 30, and t would be 12 if you want to know how much you’ll have in a year. 

Try the formula out yourself, and see what result you get compared to the result in our calculator to check your work!

Compound interest accounts

Now that you understand the basics of compound interest, you’re probably wondering how you harness it to increase your net worth. The key is to use accounts that offer compound interest. Here are a few examples:

  • High yield savings and money markets. These are essentially savings accounts. They aren’t investment accounts (which we’ll discuss in a minute), but they do use a similar principle to grow your money. Rates on these can be fairly low compared to other options, but your money remains accessible, so you won’t have to worry if you need access to your cash fast in an emergency.
  • Retirement accounts. If you have a 401k or IRA opened right now, good news: you’re already accessing the power of compound interest. Most retirement accounts use a diversified and stable portfolio to grow your money over time, investing in index funds, government bonds, and dividend stocks to help you build your nest egg. 
  • Investments. Of course, one of the most aggressive and effective ways to utilize the power of compound interest is to start investing. There are a number of different ways you can invest — be sure to read our guide to investing for beginners for a more thorough explanation — but all can involve compound interest. For example:
    • Dividend stocks sometimes allow you to reinvest the payout from your dividends, increasing the amount of your dividend the next time there is a payout. 
    • Index funds, like mutual funds and ETFs, also often allow investors to reinvest their earnings, harnessing compound interest in their favor. 
    • If you invest directly in stocks, you can always use the money that you earn to reinvest or invest in another stock — be aware that this is a riskier option, however. 
    • Whether you choose an in-person brokerage or a trendy new robo-advisor, you’ll likely be able to use the power of compound interest to grow your capital. 

Compound interest is a mathematical force that can help you build your net worth over time. You can get started today by finding the right investing or saving vehicle for your personal finances. And don’t forget to download the Mint app, where you can conveniently track your investments all in one place. 

Compound interest FAQs

How do I calculate compound interest?

You can calculate compound interest in one of two ways: you can use the formula listed above to calculate it by hand, or you can use the compound interest calculator to figure out your total more quickly. Just be sure you know the necessary variables:

  • The principal amount
  • Your interest rate
  • How often it’s compounded
  • The number of compounding period that will occur

What will $10,000 be worth in 20 years?

That totally depends on how much interest your account produces and whether you invest more as time goes on. 

Let’s assume an average return rate of around 7%, and assume that you don’t add in any more money. In that case, your $10,000 could turn into $40,547 — still an impressive amount. That’s the power of compound interest. 

How do you calculate compound interest monthly?

To calculate compound interest monthly, simply set the “compounding frequency” setting on the calculator above to “monthly.” Alternatively, you can use the formula above and set n equal to 1 and t equal to 12 to find out how much money you’ll have if interest is compounded monthly for a year. 

Sources

Wealthsimple | Investor.gov

The post Compound Interest Calculator appeared first on MintLife Blog.

Source: mint.intuit.com

Money Market Account vs. Savings Account: Which Is Best for You?

February 10, 2021 by Gerald Hawkins Posted in Apartment Communities Tagged ATM, Banking, Banking 101, Blog, building, Checking Account, College, Convenience, Debit Card, education, Emergency Fund, Fees, Finance, Financial Education, Financial Goals, Financial Plan, Financial Wize, FinancialWize, Frugality, Funds Transfer, Grow, High-yield Accounts, Holidays, Insurance, interest rates, Long-term Saving, Make, Managing Your Account, Managing Your Money, money, Money Market, Money Market Account, money market accounts, Money-saving Tips, Online Banking, Online Savings Account, Opening an Account, Personal, Personal Finance, rate, Retirement, Save Money, Saving, Saving for College, Saving for Retirement, savings, savings accounts, Savings Strategies, Security, Shopping, Vs.

Reasons to save money seem to be never-ending—college, emergencies, retirement, vacation. However, about 20 percent of Americans don’t save any of their annual income at all, according to a Bankrate survey. So if you’ve buckled down, cut your expenses and finally saved up a nice chunk of change, great! Now, the next step is finding a good place to put it.

While researching where to store your hard-earned cash, you’ll probably come across two potential account types: money market accounts and savings accounts. Many banks offer both types of accounts, but deciding between a money market account and a savings account may depend on your particular savings goals and needs, says Jeff Rose, CFP®, founder of the financial education blog Good Financial Cents.

“Both types of accounts have different rules about maintaining minimum balances,” Rose says. He adds that these factors can vary depending on the particular bank.

Deciding between a money market account and a savings account? Follow our guide to determine which fits your financial situation and goals.

You may even find that making a decision between a money market account vs. a savings account is too hard and you want both types of accounts. (Don’t worry, we’ll get to that later). For now, asking the question, “How is a money market account different from a regular savings account?” is a good place start.

Here’s what you need to know to decide between a money market account and a savings account:

Money market account: Maintain growth and easy access

Not to be confused with money market funds, which are a type of investment, money market accounts are a type of deposit account.

“A money market account, traditionally, has been a high-yield savings account with higher-than-usual opening deposit requirements and/or monthly minimum balance requirements,” says Brynne Conroy, blogger for the women-focused personal finance website Femme Frugality.

You can think of the benefit of a money market account as a savings-checking hybrid. This is an important piece of the money market account vs. savings account story. On the savings side, with a money market account, you can typically earn interest on the balance you have stashed away. If the bank offering the account is FDIC insured, then your deposits are insured up to $250,000 or the maximum allowed by law.

“A money market account makes more sense when you want to maintain liquidity and to grow your savings over time.”

– Jeff Rose, CFP®, Good Finance Cents

When you’re thinking money market account vs. savings account, note that one of the unique features of a money market account is that you can access funds with a debit card as well as through an ATM and checks—just like you would with your checking account. It’s important to note that federal law does limit certain types of withdrawals and transfers from money market accounts to a combined total of six per month per account. There are no limits on ATM withdrawals or official checks mailed to you. You can also make an unlimited number of deposits.

Money market accounts may require that you open the account with a minimum amount, as well as maintain a minimum balance. If your balance falls below the required minimum, you could be charged a fee, and your account could actually be closed if you regularly dip below the minimum.

Not all banks have these requirements, though. When considering the difference between money market accounts and savings accounts and shopping for a money market account, you may be able to find one with no minimum balance requirements and with tiered interest rates, Conroy says.

A Discover Money Market Account, for instance, doesn’t charge account fees, including minimum balance fees.1 Plus, a larger deposit can put you in a higher interest rate tier, allowing you to earn even more on your savings. These are all things that can guide you when deciding between a money market account and a savings account.

A key difference between money market account and savings account is knowing how often you’ll want access to your funds.

Still need some help weighing money market account vs. savings account? See if any of the following scenarios jump out as describing your financial needs.

Go with a money market account if…

  • You want to easily access your funds.2 As you consider the difference between a money market account and a savings account, note that the debit and check-writing capabilities of money market accounts make them great for accessing your money conveniently. “A money market account makes more sense when you want to maintain liquidity and to grow your savings over time,” Rose says. Need to pay the handyman for a new water heater or access cash from your emergency fund? You don’t have to worry about keeping a ton of cash in your checking account—simply write a check directly from your money market account, or stop by the nearest ATM.
  • You have a large balance. Since money market accounts can require a higher minimum balance than regular savings accounts, it might be a good fit for you if you plan to keep enough money in your account to meet the requirement and avoid fees. Plus, if you plan to make large withdrawals from your account, it’s important that you keep enough funds in it so that you don’t dip below the minimum balance. “Know that if you’re not meeting minimum balance requirements, you’re more likely to have to pay a monthly maintenance fee,” Conroy says.
  • You want one account with the flexibility of two. If you’re liking the ability to swipe a debit card and write checks—but are also looking to earn interest on the cash you’re parking in the account—then a money market account could be for you. “A money market account may offer you the higher interest rates you would get in a savings account, plus the debit card and check-writing abilities of a traditional checking account,” Conroy explains.

Savings account: Get your nest egg started

Savings accounts are a basic deposit account where you can keep extra cash. Like money market accounts, you can earn interest on the money you have parked in the account. If you have a savings account with a bank that is FDIC insured, you’ll have that same insurance on your deposits as was described above.

Savings accounts are also subject to the same limit on withdrawals and transfers, Conroy notes. Similar to money market accounts, there are no limits on ATM withdrawals or official checks mailed to you.

Now on to the differences between money market accounts and savings accounts. For one, you can’t write checks or pay for things with a debit card when using your savings account. To access your funds, you’ll need to transfer them to another account, visit the bank or ATM to make a withdrawal or withdraw via official bank check.

Another key difference between a money market account and a savings account: The minimum deposit to open a savings account and ongoing minimum balance required for savings accounts may be lower than money market accounts. You may even be able to find savings accounts with no minimum balance requirement.

You earned it.
Now earn more with it.

Online savings with no minimum balance.

Start Saving

DiscoverOnline
Savings

Discover Bank, Member FDIC

Still deciding between a money market account and a savings account?

Go with a savings account if…

  • Earning interest is a goal. When debating money market account vs. savings account, know that some savings accounts could offer higher interest rates than you’d find with money market accounts. “Historically, money market accounts have offered higher interest rates in exchange for higher minimum balance requirements,” Conroy says. That’s not necessarily the case anymore, she notes. “The lines are blurring as high-yield savings accounts, typically those offered by online-only banks, get ever more competitive with money market accounts.” The Discover Online Savings Account, for example, offers a competitive interest rate and no minimum balance requirement. Plus, there are no account fees.1
  • You don’t plan to touch the money often. Though it’s easy to transfer money in and out of a savings account, there are more limitations to accessing your money if you’re considering the difference between a money market account and a savings account. So if you’re working on building up your emergency savings or simply don’t want to be tempted to dip into your funds regularly, a traditional savings account might be the better option. “If you know having access to your funds is not a good thing because [you tend to spend more than you should], then leaving them in a savings account makes more sense,” Rose says.
  • You are concerned about balance requirements. Since savings accounts can have small or no minimum balance requirements, this account type could be right for you if you’re just getting started building a nest egg and don’t have a ton to deposit yet. If you plan to make a big withdrawal, such as for a down payment on a car or security deposit on your new apartment, you don’t have to worry about dipping below a minimum balance.

How to use both accounts to your advantage

Because savings accounts and money market accounts have some similar features, deciding between a money market account and a savings account can be difficult. You’ll need to look at your banking habits and financial goals when choosing where to put your money, Rose says.

It doesn’t have to be money market account vs. savings account—you can use both to achieve your financial goals.

But remember, you don’t necessarily have to choose one account over the other. Having both a savings account and a money market account can help you reach various savings goals simultaneously.

If you decide to use both types of accounts, Rose suggests assigning each a specific goal. For example, you could keep a portion of your savings in a money market account so the money is easily accessible for shorter-term goals (saving for the holidays, anyone?) and more frequent expenditures for which you might use your money market debit card, ATM access or checks.

Rose says you could then consider using a savings account for a longer-term goal (the kids will grow up and go to college some day), where the money can sit and generate interest until you need it further down the road.

“Match the financial goals to the account that will serve you best,” Rose says.

Money market account vs. savings account: The best decision for you

When deciding between a money market account and a savings account, be sure to carefully examine each account’s offerings and requirements closely, “comparing things like APY, monthly maintenance fees, minimum balance requirements and any other fees that may be associated with the account,” Conroy says.

If you're deciding between a money market account and a savings account, choose the account that will most help you successfully manage your money.

At the end of the day, whichever account you choose (or both!) should help you reach your financial goals and money management success.

1Outgoing wire transfers are subject to a service charge. You may be charged a fee by a non-Discover ATM if it is not part of the 60,000+ ATMs in our no-fee network.

2Federal law limits certain types of withdrawals and transfers from savings and money market accounts to a combined total of 6 per calendar month per account. There are no limits on ATM withdrawals or official checks mailed to you. To get an account with an unlimited number of transactions, consider opening a Discover Cashback Debit account. If you go over these limitations on more than an occasional basis, your account may be closed. See Section 11 of the Deposit Account Agreement for more details.

The post Money Market Account vs. Savings Account: Which Is Best for You? appeared first on Discover Bank – Banking Topics Blog.

Source: discover.com

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