Feeling “Cash Is King” Right Now? Here are the safest places to invest your money.

Key Takeaways

• The stock market has been roiled by President Trump’s on and off tariffs. Many have increased their cash reserves.
• Luckily, cash safe havens are offering great returns these days—including high-yield savings accounts paying up to 5.00%.
• Though CDs pay slightly less—topping out at 4.60% right now—they have a superpower: They guarantee their APY for months or years.
• Money market funds and cash-management accounts at brokerages are often paying 4% or higher.
• Treasurys in the U.S. pay up to 4.82% at today’s close of the market.
• You can find the current returns for all these options in our table below.

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A Cash Reserve Is Appealing Right Now—So Be Sure to Earn a Solid Return

Fortifying your cash reserves is a wise move, given the stock market volatility caused by President Trump’s announcement of tariffs across the globe two weeks ago. Whether you are putting your savings in the bank, or moving funds from stocks to cash vehicles, you should consider how much money you can earn.

Safe cash investments offer three main options to secure a high interest rate with virtually no risk.

1. Products of the Bank and Credit UnionSavings Accounts, Money Market Accounts, and Certificates of Deposit (CDs).
2. Brokerage and roboadvisory productsMoney market funds, cash management accounts
3. Treasury ProductsT-bills (T-notes), notes and bonds are available in addition to the I bonds

You can choose one product, or mix them up to suit different budgets and time frames. In any case, you'll want to understand what each product pays. Below, we lay out today's top rates in every category, indicating the change from a week ago.

Today's Best Rates on Cash – Apr. 18, 2025

Two options pay 5.00%. But those two leaders have some special requirements that might not suit your needs, with 4.60% being the top high-yield savings rate with "no strings attached".

Rates on savings and money market accounts can change at any time. To ensure you earn today's rates for months or even years into the future, consider a CD instead. The top rate for terms of 6 to 10 months is also 4.60%. You can lock in an APY slightly lower that will be guaranteed longer.

The rates for brokerage money market funds, cash management accounts and Treasurys were mostly unchanged this week. However, the rates on longer bonds declined slightly.

Bank and Credit Union rates

These rates are the highest APYs available from federally insured credit unions and banks, based on daily rate research conducted by our team of analysts.

Brokerage and Robo-Advisor rates

Rates on cash management accounts can fluctuate at any time.

U.S. Treasury rates

Treasury securities are available directly from TreasuryDirect or through a secondary market, such as a bank or brokerage. I bonds are only available through TreasuryDirect. Rates are adjusted every six-months.

Summary Table: Cash Options sorted by Rate

Here's a different look at all of the cash vehicles above, sorted by rate. Note that these rates are the highest possible qualifying rate for each type of product.

Understanding Your Cash Options

Bank and Credit Union Products

Savings Accounts

The most basic place to stash cash is a bank or credit union savings account—sometimes called a high-yield savings account—that lets you add and withdraw money as you please. Do not assume that your main bank offers competitive rates. Some banks offer interest rates that are almost zero.

We make it simple to shop for a high interest rate. Our daily ranking of high-yielding savings accounts offers 15 options that pay 4.40% APY to 5.00%. Please note that rates for savings accounts can change at any moment.

Money Market Accounts

A money market account allows you to write checks on paper. If this is an important feature for you, check out our list of money market accounts.

If you don’t need paper check-writing, choose whichever account type—money market or savings—pays the better rate. Money market account rates are currently at 4.40% APY. Be aware that money-market rates are not fixed and can change without warning.

Certificates of Deposit

Certificates of Deposit (CDs) are a product of a credit union or bank that has a fixed rate of interest and guarantees a return for a specified period of time. CDs, which are usually between 3 months and 5 years long, offer a predictable rate of return that is not subject to change for the duration.

You should be aware, however, that this is an investment with teeth. If your earnings are withdrawn before maturity you will be penalized with a penalty for early withdrawal. Our daily ranking of the top nationwide CDs includes options that pay up to 4.60% annual percentage yield.

It is important to note that

Note that the "top rates" quoted for savings accounts, money market accounts, and CDs are the highest nationally available rates Investopedia has identified in its daily rate research of hundreds of banks and credit unions. These are very different from the national averages, comprising all institutions offering accounts of those types—including many large banks that pay a pittance in interest. National averages are therefore always low while the highest rates we offer are often 5, 10 or even 15-times higher.

Brokerage and Robo Advisor Products

Money Market Funds

Money market funds, unlike a money-market account at a traditional bank, are mutual funds that invest in cash. They are offered by brokerage firms and roboadvisors. Their yields fluctuate daily, but range from 3.97% – 4.22% for the three largest brokerages.

Cash Management Accounts

You can “sweep” uninvested funds from a brokerage account or robo advisor into a Cash Management Account where they will earn a profit. Cash management accounts are different from money market funds because they offer a set interest rate which the brokerage can change at any time. Currently, a number of popular brokers offer a cash account APY between 3.83% and 4.00%.

U.S. Treasury Products

Treasury Bills, Notes and Bonds

The U.S. Treasury provides a wide range of short and long term bond instruments. Treasury bills are the shortest-term instruments, with a duration ranging from four to 52 weeks. Treasury notes, on the other hand, have a maturity ranging between two and five years. The Treasury bond is the longest-term option, with a 20-to-30-year maturity. Rates on Treasury products today range between 3.81% and 4.82%.

TreasuryDirect offers T-bills as well as notes and bonds that you can purchase directly or sell on the secondary markets at banks and brokerages. You can sell a Treasury product to get out of the bond before it matures. However, you may pay a fee or commission for secondary market purchases and sales, while buying and redeeming at TreasuryDirect—the U.S. Treasury’s online platform for buying federal government securities—has no fees.

You can also purchase Treasury ETFs that trade on the stock market just like stocks. You can read here about the advantages and limitations of Treasury ETFs.

I Bonds

The rate of U.S. Treasury Bonds I is adjusted every six-months to match inflation trends. You can redeem the I bond after a year or keep it for up to 30 years. The rate of the bond will change every six-months.

Tip

The rates for I bonds will increase on May 1. While we don’t have the exact rate Treasury will announce for new bonds on that day, we do know for existing I bondholders that your next six month rate will increase almost a whole percentage point. See our article about the upcoming change in rates, including rate tables based on different bond dates.

How we find the best CD rates and savings

Investopedia tracks daily the rates of more than 200 banks, credit unions, and savings accounts that are offered to customers across the country. This data is used to determine the best-paying accounts. For an institution to qualify for our lists it must be federally-insured (FDIC or NCUA for credit Unions) and the account must have a minimum initial deposit of no more than $25,000. It cannot also specify a maximum amount of deposit that is below $5,000.

Nationally available banks must be present in at least 40 different states. Some credit unions may require you to donate $40 or more to a charity or association in order to join if you do not meet other eligibility requirements (e.g. you don’t work in a particular area or have a specific job). Read our methodology to learn more about how we select the best rates.

Article Sources Investopedia asks writers to use primary resources to support their writing. White papers, government data and original reporting are some of the sources. Where appropriate, we also reference original research by other reputable publishers. Learn more about our standards for producing accurate and unbiased content by visiting our Editorial Policy

1. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation "National Rates and Rate Caps."

2. TreasuryDirect. "About Treasury Marketable Securities."

3. U.S. Treasury. "I Bonds."