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Bank & Fintech Arbitrage

T-Bill Ladder — State-Tax-Free 5%+ Yield vs HYSA

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.

Overview

US Treasury Bills (4/8/13/17/26/52-week) are direct Treasury obligations exempt from STATE and LOCAL income tax (not federal). Yields track Fed target — recent 4.5–5.3%. In CA (13.3%), NY (10.9%), NJ, OR, HI, MN, DC, the state exemption adds 40–70 bp effective yield vs a taxable HYSA. Buy at TreasuryDirect (no fee) or via brokerage ($1K minimum, priced daily). Ladder maturities (4/13/26 week rungs) for rolling liquidity. Auto-reinvest at Treasury.

Best fit
Emergency fund holders in high-tax statesCorporate treasury / practice cash reservesInvestors bridging real-estate deals
Estimated impact
40–70 bp/yr in state-tax-adjusted yield

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