(StatePoint) If you recently received your 2023 W2, you may have realized how much money you should have been putting to work to accomplish your savings goals. Ouch, right? No need to stress though — now’s the perfect time to make your hard-earned money hustle for you. Check out these power moves:
Ditch the fees. In 2022, U.S. banks collected $7.7 billion in overdraft or non-sufficient funds fees from their customers. But, good news: many financial institutions are now offering low or no-fee account options. The federal government’s FDIC BankFind tool can help you choose the best bank for you. Be sure to verify a bank’s network of ATMs to avoid withdrawal fees. Find yourself tapping into credit cards frequently? Know that people who utilize revolving debts pay significant burdens. According to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, Americans paid more than $130 billion in credit card interest and fees in 2022.
Keep tabs on your tabs. Knowing where your money is and where it’s going is important to understanding ways you can increase your savings in 2024. Using your bank’s mobile app and creating alerts on key account activity are great ways to see what your money is doing.
Jump-start your money management. One of the quickest ways to boost savings is to open a high-yield checking or savings account. Research the options for industry-leading interest rates and the accounts that give you access to your money when you need it. These accounts are as accessible as the checking and savings accounts you’re used to, but offer significantly larger interest rates. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the average customer can earn more than 12 times the interest in a high-yield account compared to many standard checking or savings accounts.
Check out flexible options from resources like T-Mobile MONEY, which offers high-yield checking accounts that come with all the same benefits as a standard checking account, plus:
• No account fees
• No overdraft fees
• Instant, fee-free payments to other MONEY customers
• An early tax refund (Subject to description and timing of government tax refund payments sent via direct deposit. T-Mobile MONEY typically makes funds available the business day received, which may be up to 3 days earlier than scheduled.)
• Access to your paycheck up to two days in advance with direct deposit, which puts your money in your hands faster (Subject to description and timing of the employer payroll-based direct deposit, T-Mobile MONEY typically makes funds available the business day received, which may be up to two days earlier than scheduled.)
And, if you’re a T-Mobile wireless customer, the perks don’t end there. Set up AutoPay connected to your T-Mobile MONEY Checking account and save $5 per eligible line per month.
Many people never look at their wireless bill as a place to save money, but switching to T-Mobile from other premium unlimited plans can save a family of four hundreds of dollars per year on service. And besides great savings, T-Mobile’s Go5G Next and Go5G Plus plans are packed with benefits, including streaming services like Netflix, Hulu (on Next only), and Apple TV+ on Us, free in-flight Wi-Fi on some of the biggest U.S. airlines, and free stuff every week plus great perks every week with T-Mobile Tuesdays. Visit t-mobilemoney.com to get started.
Ready to hit your 2024 savings goals? Savvy banking can help you grow your savings this year.
T-Mobile MONEY is powered by BMTX, a wholly owned subsidiary of BM Technologies, Inc.
Accounts provided by Customers Bank, Member FDIC
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Photo Credit: (c) Djordje Krstic / iStock via Getty Images Plus
