HYSA

InvestingNerd2020

The order of operations for investing are: - Emergency saving up to 3 months of your routine expenses. Use a HYSA with 3% interest or higher currently. Alternative option in states with high taxes (California and NY state) are treasury Money market funds or Treasury ETFs (SGOV or VBIL). - Try to max out a Roth IRA if you are working and earn less than $153k in 2026. The max contribution is $7,500 for 2026 according to the IRS. Within in the Roth IRA, invest into ETFs. For ETFs only use SoFI, Fidelity, or Vanguard. With those brokers, you can invest into VTI and VGT. VTI is your core fund that covers the Total USA stock market. Make this 70% of your allocation. VGT is a sector fund covering information technology area. VGT has great returns over the past 10 years, but is limited to a sector. 30% allocation is fine. - Anything extra, put it into a taxable brokerage account. Buy the same ETFs. This is also the type of account to buy Treasury ETFs like SGOV or VBIL.

Autobahn97

HYSA has all the bennies of a typical bank account so its familiar to most people already. It's insured up to $250K by FDIC and pays the highest rates of any savings account (currently about 3.25%-3.5%) and being a bank account you can just ACH transfer your money in and out of it (typically next day) and even have your paychecks (or portions of them if your employer will do that) directly deposited for easy future savings. Money is available typically next day with ACH transfer just as it would be with any other account. In short: it's easy, safe, and familiar. If USAA pays over 3% then keep it there but if you have $100K+ sitting around for a year you may as well put it to work for you instead of the bank its sitting in. I am not a Robinhood user (never used it) but understand it offers a $5/month gold program that provides you a HYSA. The gold program apparently will match up to 3% of any of your contributions to a personal IRA you hold with them, up to about $250. You may want to look into that since you have the money its probably wise to establish an IRA for yourself, even if you only contribute $2K a year into it to get the 3% match that will cover the cost of the gold membership - but do your own research on that. Many new to investing can be overwhelmed with new language and concepts but I recommend you keep it simple, easy and most importantly consistent. Automated investing is a great way to move your $200 into the market into a low cost index fund with you being 100% hands off. Remember that time IN the market is key (decades) and never try to time the market (as tempting as it may be). My last advice is educate yourself. Unfortunately investing is not really taught in school enough (if at all) but there are plenty of good Youtube channels to learn fundamental from as well as free/cheap finance courses on platforms like Coursera. What I find most helpful and more personalized is to have a conversation with your favorite AI. Tell it you are new to investing and ask it to teach you fundamentals then ask lots of questions about investing (but don't share any personal financial info).

Historical-Pride-698

Max Roth IRA. Put 100k in VTI. Keep 60k in HYSA for emergencies.

Jibblet8478

Pay off all your debt and pledge to yourself you will never take a loan out on anything besides a house for the rest of your life. Put $7500 in a Roth IRA for you and another one for your wife, put 3 months of expenses saved into a HYSA, take the rest and invest it into a brokerage account.

Hogweenies

Greetings, I'm a 23 yo truck driver based out of California (Over the Road so I won't be paying rent) saving for a house in a LCOL state such as Nebraska or North Dakota and want some advice on what would be the better route for my timetable. I currently bank with Fidelity and have SPAXX as my core position. Have been debating whether to keep it there or let things like VOO work their magic? Or maybe put it in a HYSA? What would be the smarter move for my timetable? Basically anything I make will be going towards either this or any necessary bills/ food. Thanks for any and all replies.

RagingWillyz

Definitely listen to this guy who wears fake watches. This dude is broke. Put it into the market and let it grow. HYSA you lose to inflation. Don’t listen to broke redditors.

Marine_Layered

Read this about managing a windfall: [Managing a windfall - Bogleheads](https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Managing_a_windfall) Are you currently contributing to a 401(k) and a Roth IRA? If not, put your $100k into a HYSA, and start maxing out your 401(k) and Roth IRA.

IntrepidToday0

What’s not to like? Literally free money everyday. Daily returns are higher than yearly HYSA

Camtrox9

Just hoping to get quick advice. I had a little over $6k in an Acorns taxable brokerage that I withdrew so I can stop paying for Acorns. This was pretty much all of the money I have in the stock market. If I put it all into my HYSA, I’ll break the 3-month emergency savings threshold after my next paycheck. Otherwise I’ll break it by the end of the year. My job’s pretty safe (but shit happens). However with how the stock market has been, I really just want to deposit all of it into my Robinhood and buy some shares of MU, CRDO, WPM, NBIS, etc. and let it sit there for 10+ years I feel like the “mature” play would be to put it all into my HYSA, but I don’t want to miss out on all the upward movement. What do you guys think?

oldschoolczar

Hookers and blow it is then! HYSA = high yield savings account. Not sure where they’re at now but can maybe get 4% interest so you’re keeping up with inflation. Index funds are just like investing in stocks but you buy one fund and it can have hundreds of different stocks. The thought is that it’s less risky and the market in general goes up over time so you basically just invest in the entire market rather than trying to pick winners and losers. A typical approach might be 70% VTI (US total market) and 30% VXUS (Intl market). A lot of people suggest increasing international contributions beyond 30% because the cycle is shifting and greater returns are anticipated in international stocks than US stocks in the coming years.

moremarshmellows

I think these massive IPOs going public will be the tipping point. I'm not changing my retirement account investments because they'll have time to recover in the next decades, but I'm starting to be more selective with my additional income, 50% going into HYSA and the rest into "safer" stocks like Cost/apple. Last year I've been putting most of my extra money on AMAT, amd, googl, went well so far but it's unlikely to trend up indefinitely at these rates.

Old_Party3623

I hate the idea of being forced to buy Space X, given that it used to be a prereq that companies were actually profitable. I don't think many would disagree that this sucks and is an obvious way to cover rich butt buddies at our expense. That being said I'm keeping my positions. I'm pausing my reoccurring investments and keeping that cash in my HYSA until these market highs calm down and we can see what ramifications this poses. I plan on keeping my positions in VOO for another 20 years so my current value doesn't really matter to me.

_churnd

I wouldn't be too risky with it. Look at it for what it is: home equity. If/when you buy a house in the future, that equity should go back into the house, otherwise you're going to start from 0 and have to pay down another 30 year loan, which you don't want to be in the situation of having to do if you're thinking about retirement. You're 37 now, so 30 years from \*now\* is 67. A big part of retirement planning, if you own a home, is trying to get the home paid off before you retire so your living costs aren't as high & you can enjoy your retirement income more. So what do you do with it in the meantime? HYSA or a mutual fund would be my advice. You want to keep it relatively liquid (easy to get to). If you put it in a retirement fund & need access to it before you retire, you'll likely have to pay penalties. There is good advice here but if you're not sure what you're doing, it can go sideways on you if you're not sure what happens if you need the money later on. Get a financial advisor if that's the case.

braxtel

*"the problem it's solving isn't a big enough problem to warrant the trouble."* This is the big reason that it was never widely adopted. I live in the U.S. so my view is admittedly American-centric, but the U.S. banking system already works well enough for the things most people need to do. Renting a physical safety deposit box to store a metal plate? Nah, I'll just skip that James Bond shit and tuck it into a HYSA, which takes minutes to set up and is secured by the FDIC/NCUA to boot.

shantired

BND is a bond fund from vanguard, its a total market ETF. It’s not the best, but has a decent return. If you’re going to invest in VOO and BND, then it’s best to do it by opening an account with Vanguard. They have a clunky website but that also helps them keep their expense ratios low. For HYSA, my favorite is Amex just because I have other credit card products with them. There’s a bunch of others that you can research.

Mshepard24

This is the hand holding talk to me like a idiot reply I needed. Thank you good sir or ma'am. Whats the deal with the BND? Also what is the best HYSA?

AntiqueProfessor5134

If you know that you will need the money after 1 year or slightly longer and won't need it before the 1 year mark, you could look into a 1 year CD. Rates at roughly 4% so far, so would net you a bit more profit compared to HYSA. Your money is basically locked up for the duration of the CD however, that's why the APY is a little higher. You can look at the CD offerings in most brokerage apps.

shantired

The limit for zero tax is 250K if you’re unmarried and living in the same house for 5 years, which is your case. No taxes on 160K and 9 years. Here’s one way to invest: 35K in HYSA 85K in VOO or SPY or FXAIX (all are very similar). This is basically investing in pure American capitalism. 40K in BND or equivalent. This is a bond fund that you can use to buy more stocks or funds when the market is down (remember the adage: you make money when there’s blood on the streets). I would suggest that you put all your money into a HYSA right now and then invest about 10-20% every month into the 2 funds to dollar cost average (DCA).

Blazerboy420

I just did this same thing. Got the biggest cash pile I’ve ever had end of last year after selling my house. I put it in a capital one HYSA. It’s not the best return, but it’s something and I am deathly afraid to dump it all into the market rn. I do still buy into the market daily tho, just with my normal income.

judsonm123

Why HYSA or CDs over Tbills ?

Vivid-Shelter-146

Congrats man! I was in a similar situation 5 years ago. Check out these links - https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Managing_a_windfall https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Prioritizing_investments That links covers much larger windfalls. But the reason I think it applies to you right now is that I’m guessing you are between jobs. That makes it a good idea to put one year living expenses aside in a HYSA until you figure out your next move. After you’re stable in your new job and city, you can use the prioritizing investments link to choose the size of an emergency fund and then invest the rest in safe ETF’s. Or use the rest for down payment on a home, etc. whatever makes the most sense.

Autobahn97

Park the money somewhere safe that makes some interest for you - a high yield savings account (HYSA) linked to your brokerage account. You can also part it in several T-Bill funds that will provide interest but that are still relatively liquid like SWVXX but there are others. Invest it slowly over a year or 2 every week or month into a low cost fund like VOO/SPY (for SP500) or if you can tolerate more risk QQQ or QQQM for NASDAQ100 (though it could be volatile with several huge tech IPO hitting). Or some split between the 2. You can be fancy and buy VOO/SPY that tends to be more stable as a default but if its a down day in the market buy QQQ since NASDAQ tents to fluctuate more and some feel that QQQ gives them a little more swing upward when the markets are inevitably up when you retire in several decades. Best to setup an automated investment system. In general the key is automation with several smaller contributions over time to spread the risk and low cost funds to get the historical long term annual return of 10% the market provides over decades. Have faith in the long term market returns and don't sell on any short term fears or market concerns. Often the most difficult part is to remove emotion from your investing (easier said than done).

oldschoolczar

I would tell you to invest in index funds but I’m rally concerned we’re in a bubble right now and I’m no longer putting money in the market other than some swing trades. Are you gonna stay in Mass? Why don’t you buy a place. Put the rest in a HYSA or brokerage settlement fund where you’ll earn interest and wait for the crash to put the money into index funds.

MountainOpposite3199

Congrats on the sale. Whatever you do, don't dump it all in one stock or meme coin. Put at least 6 months expenses in a HYSA, max out your Roth IRA for the year, and maybe throw the rest in a low-cost index fund like VOO or VT. Also talk to a tax pro - you might owe capital gains on that. Good luck man.

Strong_Bit_6636

Honestly this is the realest take here. Everyone's out here naming mega caps but nobody knows what the next 2-5 years will look like. If you can't stomach a 40% haircut, you're better off in bonds or a HYSA.

harolds49

HYSA would beat that?

robot_ankles

You're smart to be researching, asking and looking around. HYSA is the best fit for your goal and timeline. A CD would lock up the money so that's no good since you said you might need to dip in unexpectedly. CDs and HYSAs are so close right now it would hardly make any difference -especially with something as small as $10K.

cdude

There are no safe investments to just dip in for a short while for easy money, that's not how it works. Growth comes with risks that you *lose* money. Stick with HYSA and other cash-equivalent assets for money that you can't afford to lose.

Shadowrunner138

Your HYSA is the best option, if you need a slightly better yield and can stand to wait a couple of business days for cash, use the bond fund. Also a WF customer.

InevitableAd2436

16% in 5 years Just put it in a HYSA

Restil

Just stick it in a HYSA for now.  Not the greatest investment but at least it's not being wasted.  

deezycalifornia

Exactly. I definitely have too much cash, and have known this for a couple years now but this is the year I finally want to do something about it. For reference, I had all cash in an HYSA until I realized it could be in SGOV instead and skip out on the state taxes. That was my “big” move this year lol. Now I am starting to realize I truly don’t need this amount of cash and might shave it down some into VT. I already have a separate trading account on Robinhood but only a few thousand in it so will probably just keep that. I will most likely reset my retirement accounts and put it into VT or a mix of VOO / VXUS. Thanks for the reply.

thisisaredditforart

This pushes me up against 200k incom for the year (with work), I set aside 12k in a HYSA for 68k in realized gains.

GoTakeCoffee

More like 80% HYSA, 10% indices, 5% learn how to invest, 5% learn how to trade.

Fair-Guitar2117

The standard framework: invest as much as you can while still covering: 1. Emergency fund (3-6 months expenses, in HYSA) 2. Employer 401k match (free money — always capture this first) 3. High-interest debt paid off 4. Then Roth IRA ($7k/year limit), then back to 401k "As much as possible" is the right goal, not a specific percentage. A common target is 15-20% of gross income including employer contributions, but if you can do more without sacrificing necessities, more is always better when you're young. The math is unforgiving in the best way: $10k invested at 22 is worth roughly $160k at 65 at 7% average returns. The same $10k invested at 42 is worth \~$40k. Time is your biggest asset — more than the amount. Index funds (total market or S&P 500) in a Roth IRA or 401k, set to auto-invest, and then largely ignore it. That's the whole strategy for most people.

lnntnb

I'm 19 in college paying for it by myself I have no family and I'm tired of being broke and worried about money. I'm also premed so shit will get more expensive. I have no HYSA only a Roth IRA I haven't even put money in I'm working this summer and actually have a decent paying job. I need help on what to do to build wealth for myself should I have a regular brokerage instead of Roth IRA

MrBudissy

This guy has all his money in a HYSA.

pk_12345

You have your investments that are there for long term and then you have a liquid emergency fund which is in HYSA that is where you dip into for your additional expenses that aren’t covered by your monthly paycheck. Don’t invest until you have this fund saved up. 

nanobot_1000

My portfolio was nearly all NVDA the past decade, since last fall I have been diversifying it into VT/VOO and a little SPMO/SMH. I put a small amount in MU and DRAM for FOMO but it triggered -15% stop loss and sold, then continued taking off 🤷‍♂️ I also have a HYSA at 4.40% APY with 3 years of expenses in it but am otherwise suspicious of the openly acknowledged market manipulation occuring by our current administration, the oil situation, tech CEOs cutting AI spend from "tokenmaxxing", public outrage against datacenters, ect. What's clear is those in power will do anything to prop up the market economy under the auspices of national security, but I already had a good run and left the corporate world and have less appetite for risk now.

goober2341

I don't care how much the market has gone up, I'm not making my regular VOO purchases when the Shiller PE is at 43. Instead I'm mostly in cash (HYSA) but also on the lookout for individual stocks that I think are undervalued. Whenever I find one, I deploy that cash.

NoCall7245

Im a 25 yr old man from tx. I have No kids, and I am single. I have no debt other than a typical car note, insurance, and phone bill. I am very frugal with my money. I don’t go out at all. I would rather live a life of luxury in my 30s,40s,50s… etc. I would like to save and invest mostly everything now. I was fortunate enough to save around $50,000. I made a fidelity account 3 days ago. I invested about $22,000 of it between maxing out my roth ira for the very first time, and putting $ into my brokerage account on fidelity. I currently don’t have a 401k since I work for myself. Coming up I was never taught the power of investing, so I had to learn everything on my own, which im still learning. I just want to make sure that I am not making costly mistakes or losing $ along the way. If anybody had some wisdom or advice it is more than welcome honestly. I plan on buying and holding forever, so Any ETF or stocks I should buy, let go, keep a eye out for let me know. Also if im I overlapping investments I don’t need? Please tell me. What are some good HYSA i plan on opening one. How much should I keep in my HYSA account. Sorry if I am asking so much. Thank you for your time, patience, and insight! Roth ira Schd Shares-46.061 -0.40% Schg Shares-106.883 +0.37% Spaxx Shares-7500 Voo Shares-3.239 +0.22% Individual brokerage account Schd Shares-44.516 -0.24% Spaxx Shares-100 Vti Shares-27.277 +0.11% Vxus Shares-33.695 -0.01%

Safe-Ebb1710

I love how I’m readying this in May of 2026 and it’s at $231 :( (Note: 24F tired of having all my money in my HYSA and just this month learning to buy stocks) Anywayssss, should I take my L, buy now and watch it or wait to see if it drops any more?

sentientshadeofgreen

I don’t sell unless I *need* the money. I want the maximum amount in the market making me more money and only enough cash on hand in a HYSA to meet my living needs. I divide my investments between different accounts with different risk levels and horizons.  Retirement savings are consitute maybe 2/3 of my NW.  * 401k, set and forget diversified total market, I’ll draw on it at retirement age.  * Roth IRA, slightly more liquid, slightly more risked with a *couple* long term stock picks, though the rest is all in total stock market mutual fund. This is also long-term set and forget but I may start pulling from it before my 401k to glide path to retirement. I then have three taxable accounts.  * One mirrors my Roth IRA holdings with money I haven’t had the opportunity to contribute yet. It’s what I typically draw on if I need money.  * The second is where the bulk of my stock picking takes place. I have about 125 stocks in about a dozen buckets of industries I’ve done a lot of research in and picked a short list of winners. This is about 1/5 of my total investments currently, also the most profitable tranche (23% year average over a decade after adjusting for inflation).  * The third is a Robinhood account where I have some more speculative stocks and run some wheel plays on. Typically this is under 5% of total investments. My tendency to want to tinker gets directed here, I more aggressively tax loss harvest here as well whenever I have to liquidate money. For any clear long term winners, I transfer them to my previously mentioned accounts.  I rebalance in new tax years when certain positions have blown up and exceeded target allocations by a large margin. I dump stocks I no longer believe in a bit more liberally when I see opportunity elsewhere. *Most* of my wealth is allocated towards diversified total stock market mutual funds (like, again, over 2/3) so my stock picking ends up much lower risk in aggregate.  So to answer your questions, I recommend dialing back stock picking in retirement accounts to only your highest conviction stocks, only selling when you need the money, better defining your risk per purpose each account plays, and again, only selling to either meet immediate cash needs or to rotate into better opportunities. If you have a winner, do you think it will keep winning? That’s going to depend, what is your thesis? 

Aggressive_Deer_7072

I think you're solving the wrong problem. The issue isn't that CDs or HYSA accounts require a person, it's that some banks make it easier than others for organizations. Plenty of nonprofits, HOAs, clubs, and associations hold CDs, money market accounts, and brokerage accounts under the organization's EIN. I'd start by talking to a few local banks or credit unions and specifically asking about business/nonprofit accounts rather than looking at consumer products. $50k sitting at 0% would drive me crazy too.

Spunkbigboy

We own our home and cars. The only bills we have are our electric, gas and phone. We never wanted to be slaves to big debt. My house may not be the biggest but it is ours and that’s what matters. We have two Ira’s totaling about 500k after many years of working. I am a terrible stock picker but and never had the means to buy a stock costing over $300 so our gains are small. We lucked out with amd, avgo, google and meta but only could afford very few shares. I am now in schd, vymi, main, NBIS and spmo. Have a little in Spym and Vti. We are retired and get along fine with our SS even able to save a thousand a month which I put into our HYSA. Sure I wish I could have afforded mu but too expensive for my budget. I recently bought dram and spce and hope to make a few dollars on those. I learned about NBIS from a guy at a Verizon store. I bought 25 shares at $24. Wish I had the confidence to buy more. Oh well. Thanks for reading my rant but don’t believe everyone has made millions. You have to have money to make money. Hoping sls pays off. Good luck to all of you.

Own_Association_2265

18 y/o incoming Austin nursing student. Tuition is fully covered by Pell + Texas grants, so I should graduate debt-free. Current situation: * $1,000 emergency fund * $1,400 checking buffer * Plan to increase emergency fund to $2,500 during freshman year Expected refunds: * Year 1: \~$8,250 per semester ($16,500 total) * Years 2–4: \~$6,750 per semester ($40,500 total) * Total refunds over 4 years: \~$54,000 Expected living expenses: * Rent: \~$450/month * Utilities: \~$50/month * Food: \~$200/month ( prolly gonna be larger but thats what the cushion is for ) * Total annual living costs: \~$8,400 * Total 4-year living costs: \~$33,600 Investment plan: * Keep a $2,500 emergency fund in HYSA * Invest $750 each semester during Year 1 * Invest $500 each semester during Years 2–4 * Auto-invest $50/month throughout college * Total invested over 4 years: \~$6,900 * Allocation: 70% VOO / 30% QQQ ( idk split can shift more voo? currently have a paper trading set to c how itll be ) * No individual stocks, options, crypto, or margin Based on my estimates: $54,000 total refunds * $33,600 living expenses * $6,900 invested = \~$13,500 remaining cushion/savings over 4 years (plus any summer savings if I move back home) My goal is to graduate debt-free, keep a solid emergency fund, and build a small investment portfolio while in school. Anything you'd do differently? Would you change the VOO/QQQ allocation, invest more aggressively, hold more cash, or keep the plan as-is?

GMVexst

I don't think everyone is getting rich, but everyone invested in anything is making money. Every green day that passes I say a prayer for my HYSA comrades

Mouse0022

If youre not comfortable seeing red, maybe it would be better for your mental health to put your money in HYSA instead. Or just investing in the total market index fund if you have a little more resilience than that but you will still see red on occasion. Red days are inevitable in investing. But you have to ask what your risk tolerance is and how strong is your thesis and conviction in the stocks you chose.

RefuelingGFuels

I'm also putting in 2€ every day in to a couple of stocks (from HYSA interest)! Doing my part

WallStreetThreats_

RH Gold currently nets me a better yield than my actual HYSA does. Sad!

Bochyat_Jaa

I have 2.5K in a HYSA so watch your tone when you talk to me

CorrectYogurtcloset2

I’m 23 in a very similar situation. Lucked into a good paying job right out of college and live at home with very little expenses. Currently have like 95% of my savings in stocks or HYSA but find myself looking at real estate in my city constantly. At the end of the day, I think it’a about what you need. For me, getting my own place would be more of a lifestyle improvement move with potential to turn into a solid longterm investment. So I would not be looking to make a pure investment move. Either way we have time on our side; worst case scenario you can say you own a house.

ceazah

With 100k, youre talking about 2% drop before you sell. 2k loss. That’s nothing. The market could drop 2% then increase by 10% overnight. Theyre trying to tell you the market is volatile. That’s why it’s a risk compared to CD or HYSA. If you need safe money soon, dont come here. If you want higher returns and have a longer time horizon to wait out lows then invest and dont worry about what it drops into. You never sell until youre absolutely ready: retirement, house purchase, life emergency, hopefully over five years down the road.

fungoodtrade

port was over +3% today... fucking HYSA... lol

Smart-Scratch-4594

I’ve got $25,000 that I’m taking from my HYSA to invest into stocks/etf’s. I already have around $19,000 invested in Nvidia, Microsoft, VOO, SOFI, TTWO (I don’t think GTA 6 is completely priced in yet and it will blow up) and other companies with a couple hundred invested in them. I’m not sure how I want to invest this $25000. Should I invest $5000 a week? Every two weeks? Or throw it in the market all at once? What would be the best strategy? As for what to actually invest in, what are some of your guy’s stocks that I should pick? How much of the $25000 should go in those stocks? Or should I buy just ETF’s instead? Should I do a mix of both? I’m 20 years old with a lot of time for my money to grow. I don’t need income from these anytime soon, but I also don’t mind throwing a couple hundred dollars at a stock for its dividends so it can start compounding now. Open to any and all suggestions, regardless of if it’s a safe investment or a risk. Whatever you would do in my situation, that’s what you should recommend.

t_suaze_u

If 1 single company is included into an index that you dont like, sell everything. HYSA for you bro

Vast_Newt_1799

At this point why not just put in a HYSA/bonds/Tbills. That's what people with low risk tolerance invest in... which is what sounds like you have

youskippedLegDay

Am I okay or should I diversify?? I started investing in 2019 and I didn’t really know what I was doing (still don’t lol). I’m a 35 year old, living in North Carolina. Here’s what I currently have, any advice is greatly appreciated!! Vanguard money market (HYSA)- $51,427 Vanguard Brokerage - VTI $90,882 vanguard Roth IRA - VFIAX $74,882 Employer 401k - NC Large Cap index fund - $18,488 Roth TSP - C fund $7647 Here’s more info about me if that helps. I’m married and we have a 3yr old. I’m a state employee, making just under $69k, 13 years of time in service. I no longer contribute to the employer 401k because there is no match, I am required to contribute to the pension plan though. I’m no longer in the military, so I do not contribute to the TSP either. Wife works part time and has $55k in her Roth IRA and $32k in her old employer’s 401k. I can safely begin contributing around $1500 per month towards investments, I’m just not sure what I should begin to invest in.

zangor

CLX is the superior form of an HYSA. Or other good dividend stocks.

MountainOpposite3199

At 21 with $10k, I'd keep 3-6 months expenses in a HYSA (like 4-5% right now) and dump the rest into a low-cost S&P 500 index fund. Don't try to pick individual stocks yet - your biggest asset is time in the market. Also, make sure you're not carrying any credit card debt first.

Valuable-Analyst-464

I was basically 95% equities my whole investing career. I read up on bonds and made the mistake of diversifying with them at too young an age. I am not sure what’s in your brokerage and what’s in the HYSA…maybe locking too much away. Before reallocating in the taxable account, maybe reset your retirement accounts. I would say VT or 75/25 (VOO or VTI)/VXUS.

AnxietyMysterious712

Honestly I respect Tellus more when people are transparent about the risk instead of pretending it’s “basically a bank account” and it's good to see there are others who've used it for multiple years like me. But I personally would never mentally categorize it the same as an FDIC HYSA. Not saying it’s a scam, just that higher yield usually means higher risk somewhere in the chain. I keep a good chunk of my cash there but that's also money I’m comfortable taking additional risk on.

AdFancy6764

At 67 the priority probably shouldn’t be maximizing growth, it should be preserving capital and staying liquid. A mix of a HYSA, short-term treasuries, and maybe broad index funds depending on his risk tolerance sounds way safer than chasing returns this late.

lolyeahsure

Never sold, whatever I got in I got in I just haven’t added any. All going to a nice HYSA. I’m not greedy and I’m not giving these fuckers my hard earned money so they can fuck me and the world in the ass. You want to fund AI job losses and oil wars for a buck you won’t be able to use until you’re 60 if it doesn’t get rugpulled in the meantime (which it will) go ahead be my guest 

EneLazu

$1m is FIRE territory Put that shit in a HYSA acc with 3%+ interest rate and let it make you 30k+ a year Fuck off to Vietnam, and enjoy the rest of your life coasting

mjk_49

$2k is honestly a decent amount to start learning with as long as you don’t go all-in on risky option plays right away. For mobile apps, most people usually mention Robinhood, Webull, ThinkorSwim, etc. but I’ve actually been testing DiroxTrade recently because it gives access to more than just stocks/options. You can trade crypto, forex, commodities, indices, and options-style setups from one app which is nice if you eventually want to branch out. A few things I’d recommend as someone starting: * Don’t try turning $2k into $20k fast — that’s usually how beginners blow accounts * Learn basic calls/puts first before touching leveraged trades * Use demo/paper trading for a while * Focus on risk management more than profit One thing I liked with DiroxTrade is they have demo accounts + copy trading, so you can literally watch how experienced traders manage positions before risking too much yourself. And yes — if you make profits, you can absolutely move money into a Roth IRA or HYSA later. That’s honestly smarter than constantly gambling profits back into trades. If you want to explore platforms before committing: Dirox Trade

xxwww

If risk is a deal breaker then HYSA, Or Fidelity/Vanguard money market funds to at least match inflation for the least amount of effort if he already has an account

CD274

How did you manage that, HYSA are more

xxwww

Is it just like sitting around collecting dust. Is it part of his retirement savings? HYSA are terrible unless it's critical to avoid short term volatility. Index funds might drop 30% on a very bad downturn but realistically it would probably recover within a year or two if recent history continues

FullDerpHD

That's basically what I am, I use the fidelity version though. I'm up about 10% atm. I've read a lot of research that basically say time in market > any other strategy. Trying to time the market? Bad Short term / day trading? Most people lose their ass. It is hard to not gamble though, so what I do is keep a pretty beefy emergency fund in a HYSA, and if I feel like the market is dipping I just drop in a extra big investment to capitalize on the recovery when it comes around.

KentDDS

pretty risky; stocks sometimes go down 20, 30, even 50% and sometimes stay at those new levels for decades. Some stocks to to ZERO, then the game is completely over. So long as you are accepting of this risk for your "savings account," then you're fine. If you don't think you can tolerate those kind of losses, I'd reconsider my strategy for savings and perhaps would consider a HYSA or a short term US Treasury bond fund instead.

smarmy1625

If you can make 4% or more just consider it a HYSA

Paul_Robert_

Underperforming Buffet - 🤷 Underperforming SPY - 😓 Underperforming a HYSA - 🫩 Underperforming leaving it in cash, under your mattress - 🫪 Underperforming fartcoin - 💀

tkhan456

A savings account is pointless. Emergency fund in a HYSA like Vanguard Cash plus. Everything else in stock. Diversified etf/index fund. Maybe a small amount for day trading if that’s your thing for fun, but the reason just in indexes. If the shit hits the fan and the economy collapses, your money in your savings account won’t be worth anything anyway

Various_Couple_764

You could put the money in aa taxable account and invest in a dividend fund Like QQQI 13% yield. Turn off dividend reinvestment That way the money goes into money markets account (similar to HYSA The dividend would go into the money market account and then when possible deposited ton the TFSA or FHSA and FHSA account. The 13% yield for QQQI is 13% so 100K will generate 13K a year. you can feed in those accounts. This means you are using your inheritance to to reduce the ammount of work income your are currently devoting to savings Now I don't live in canada and I don't know how QQQI with be taxed for you but in the use it generates ROC dividend which makes it a tax effacent fund. in the US. if similar tax laws exist in Canada it won't genterate much tax. Fut that said a portion for eh dividend from QQQI can also be set asside to pay any tax the fund generates.

OovionOfficial

At 21, the biggest advantage isn’t finding the perfect allocation, it’s time and tax shelter compounding. Keeping most of it in VEQT and slowly moving future inheritance money into TFSA/FHSA room over time is probably the cleanest approach, because a taxable account at your age can quietly create a much bigger tax drag than people realize once compounding kicks in. Sitting entirely in a HYSA while waiting for contribution room sounds safer psychologically, but inflation and missed market years are real costs too. Honestly, the fact you’re thinking about account structure instead of chasing random stocks already puts you ahead of most people inheriting money that young.

OovionOfficial

At 21, the biggest advantage isn’t finding the perfect allocation, it’s time and tax shelter compounding. Keeping most of it in VEQT and slowly moving future inheritance money into TFSA/FHSA room over time is probably the cleanest approach, because a taxable account at your age can quietly create a much bigger tax drag than people realize once compounding kicks in. Sitting entirely in a HYSA while waiting for contribution room sounds safer psychologically, but inflation and missed market years are real costs too. Honestly, the fact you’re thinking about account structure instead of chasing random stocks already puts you ahead of most people inheriting money that young.

OryxDaMadGod

18% over 4 years in the biggest bull market in the history of markets, congratulations on your 5% CAGR and barely outperforming a HYSA.

FriskyHamTitz

Provided there are no early repayment penalties, and no other fees associated with the loan. just putting it on a HYSA at 3.5% would be free money, and if the interest rates changed for the worse you could just pay it back. Wheres the loan from?

Muted-Jackrabbit

Access to my money after tax on my paycheck, not removing money from investment accounts. I generally don’t touch the accounts. Investing on my own helps me build discipline financially. Kinda why I haven’t been maxing my Roth the past few years. I had no discipline, I felt since my 401k was covering my retirement why care for a Roth? Now, I want to keep 401k contributions, max Roth yearly, fund my brokerage account while still having a fully funded emergency fund (33k) in a HYSA. Lowering my 401k contributions right now allows me to build discipline & learn the game. (Your Second response) The way you broke it down helps me understand it & makes sense in that aspect. I’ll max the 401k contribution (almost my entire check) the remaining 3 months of this year. In the meantime I’ll up it to 12% from 8%. I’m definitely going to max out at $24.5k before the end of the year. Note: fishing offshore is my main hobby during the summer which takes a lot of funds. yes, this is about retirement but I still want to actually live. so holding something off a few months isn’t a big deal to me especially since I’ll contribute the max 24.5k. Thanks again for the way you worded everything, it made sense to a beginner.

PeaceOut957

Wouldn't I have to pay taxes on my $110,000 salary anyway tho?  I'm bearish as fuck btw sitting with like 80% of my cash in HYSA waiting for a fucking chance to get in lol. I'm actually pretty pissed and was making my comment out of sarcasm. Surprised no one got it but I guess that's how bullish it is in here. To your point hopefully that means the top is in. 

mis-Hap

If you're young, you probably want to have more money in stocks for higher long term returns. If you're retired, probably better to have more in HYSA to protect you from the inevitable stock crash, especially while stocks are at ATHs. Based on having less than $150k, I'd say you're young, so I'd personally recommend a greater concentration in stocks. Personally I keep an "emergency fund" in HYSA & checking. That's generally recommended at 3-6 months living expenses. My 401k is diversified in various stocks and bonds. The rest of my spare money goes into my stock picks.

AffectionateAd5397

At 23 I lost $50k. Stock options. Trust me, it will come back. Step away from options- invest into ETFs/Roth IRA. Keep a majority if your money in a HYSA. Dont try to recoup quickly- this is just a lesson, dont repeat it.

LowLokiKey

Bro notes =/= CDs or HYSA I mentioned this in another comment. T Notes would be the move as the core investment

zwizzardz

It doesn’t matter. My HYSA, Retirement, and taxable brokerages are all different platforms. Choose what’s best for you. If you want single login convenience the stick with Fidelity.

szakee

3 years? HYSA or your pillow

nicegreekgoy

Considering a HYSA will give you >3%, 5% is pretty simple. Hell, you could sell a 12 month covered call on Nvidia shares at a $150 strike and you’d net 7%. Plus you’d get the whole gain up front instead of month to month. The downside is that you’ll have no liquidity on that cash unless you buy out but you’ll be giving back a significant portion of that 7% to do so. If something catastrophic happens and Nvidia tanks below $150 a year from now, then technically your gain is wiped out. But, if that happens, good chance your money would have gotten wrecked anywhere you invested it outside of a HYSA.

TheoryInttro

Been holding them for a while. Opportunity cost of staying in the trade and all, but still in the green and if the correlation between oil dumping and metals mooning holds through next week it'll be - well, still not worth it but at least barely better than a HYSA.

winterrules91

The only 'safe' investment in a situation like this is a HYSA, and even that can screw you over if rates are cut like the president wants. Be careful.

Detr0yt

And if I was you.... The money you put aside.... Start up a HYSA (HIGH YIELD SAVINGS ACCOUNT) WHICH YOU WILL GET ABOUT 4%. LET THAT TAX OWED MONEY MAKE MONEY FOR YOU FOR THE NEXT YEAR... SO LET'S SAY YOU PUT 4k aside for taxes..... And your getting 4%, a year from now you could have maybe $200 in interest free money...

Deep_Pattern7103

Yeah I’ve thought this through and ran the numbers. I’ll be putting the expected tax amount into a HYSA!

Shiz_in_my_pants

Even selling at zero and breaking even is still losing money. You still lost to: * Inflation during the time it took to get back to zero * Any interest it could have gained during that time just sitting in a boring money market account or HYSA * Any gains it could have made just sitting in a SP500 fund during that same time

you-dont-have-eyes

Diversification/index funds, long term thinking, keeping enough cash on hand in guaranteed low yields like MM or HYSA

wet_Tap_5578

Emergency fund needs to be accessible in a moments notice. HYSA will allow the money to grow with no risk of the principle shrinking. Off you invest in stocks out could depreciate rapidly.

Weekly-Tax-3137

Oh absolutely! QQQI is paying about 14% APY and I have about $260K invested. Stock price has gone up about $20K in the past couple months as well. Or you could go the 0 risk route and put it all into PiBank which is a HYSA paying 4.4% APY!

Sufficient-Wolf1596

$2k is enough to learn with if you keep position sizes small. Robi͏nhood is easiest for beginners, Web͏ull is decent too. I’ve been using Liq͏uid more lately since I got tired of juggling stocks, crypto, and hedges across different apps. Having everything in one place honestly makes managing risk way easier.Just don’t jump into options before understanding theta decay and risk management because that’s where most people get cooked. And yeah, you can move profits into your Roth IRA or HYSA anytime, just remember gains are still taxable.

ZeroSumGame007

Got a nice $17,000 bonus for. Loving investments there. The $10 per month fee is covered just by having their HYSA. I’m Loving it so far

NobodyGotTimeFuhDat

Not all HYSA allow you to instantly withdraw funds or to immediately use them to engage in a monetary transaction. You do not fully understand them as well as you think you do. “No, **not** all High-Yield Savings Accounts (HYSAs) allow you to make purchases instantly. While many HYSAs offer high liquidity for emergency funds, they are designed primarily for saving and generally lack direct payment features like debit cards or check-writing capabilities.” https://www.pnc.com/insights/personal-finance/save/pros-and-cons-of-a-high-yield-savings.html

NobodyGotTimeFuhDat

Not all HYSA allow you to instantly withdraw funds or to immediately use them to engage in a monetary transaction. You do not fully understand them as well as you think you do. “No, **not all** High-Yield Savings Accounts (HYSAs) allow you to make purchases instantly. While many HYSAs offer high liquidity for emergency funds, they are designed primarily for saving and generally lack direct payment features like debit cards or check-writing capabilities.” https://www.pnc.com/insights/personal-finance/save/pros-and-cons-of-a-high-yield-savings.html

BrianLefevre5

It doesn’t matter? Just popping it in a HYSA at 3.5% is an extra 30k a year in interest. Keep 800k in a non-interest bearing checking account isn’t saying fuck you, it’s saying I’m fucking regarded.