Buy a long-duration CD when rates are high, break early when rates fall — pay small EWP for large gain vs current rates.
Fixed CD rates are locked; if rates fall after purchase, break the CD (paying an Early Withdrawal Penalty typically 3–12 months' interest) and redeploy at whatever is now available. Math: if you bought a 5-yr CD at 5.5% and rates fall to 3.5% after 12 months, breaking with 6-month EWP costs $2,750 on $100K but saves $8K over the remaining 4 years. Look for CDs with LOW EWPs (Ally 60 days on <2yr, 150 days on longer; Marcus 90 days). Especially powerful in an inverted yield curve.
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Systematically open bank accounts with $200–$500 sign-up bonuses; typical churner earns $2K–$10K/yr.
4/8/13/17/26-week Treasury Bills yield 4.5–5.3%, exempt from state/local tax — beats HYSA in high-tax states by 30–70 bp.
Brokered CDs via Fidelity/Schwab/Vanguard aggregate FDIC-insured yields nationwide — often 30–100 bp above local banks.
Rotate cash across the top 3–5 HYSAs/MMFs every 3–6 months as promo rates change — pickup 30–150 bp/yr.
Interactive Brokers margin (5.83%) or Schwab PAL beats HELOC (9%+) for short-term liquidity — no appraisal, funded same-day.
Structure ownership + banks correctly for $1.5M+ FDIC per person — single, joint, POD, revocable trust each get $250K.
Fintech cash accounts pay 4.5–5% via bank sweep networks — some offer $250 signup bonuses stacked on top.
Bring $250K–$1M assets to a big-bank private client tier — get 0.125–0.375% mortgage rate discount + closing credits.