High-Yield Savings Accounts
A high-yield savings account (HYSA) holds money you don't need immediately but want accessible within a few days. The main job: park your emergency fund and short-term savings where they earn something instead of sitting at a big bank earning nearly zero. HYSAs are not investments — the rate fluctuates with the federal funds rate, and your principal is stable.
A note on these picks
- Not a licensed advisor. These are not personalized financial recommendations.
- No affiliate links, ever. We receive no money, referral credit, or other compensation for any pick on this site.
- How picks are chosen: low or no fees, minimal barriers to entry, established institutions, and no obvious conflict of interest. Rates and prices are reviewed quarterly — check the last-updated date on each card.
How we chose these
No monthly maintenance fees, no minimum balance to earn the advertised rate, FDIC insured, and a history of not quietly cutting rates without notice. We receive no referral fees, rate comparisons, or any other compensation for including any of these.
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Marcus by Goldman Sachs
No fees, no minimum, from an established bank
No monthly fees, no minimum balance to open, FDIC insured. Goldman Sachs is a regulated U.S. bank — not a fintech startup. Online-only structure means the money is slightly inconvenient to access, which is the right amount of friction for an emergency fund.
- Terms:
- No monthly fees · No minimum balance · FDIC insured to $250,000 per depositor
- APY at last review:
- VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISHING — check marcus.com for current APY (rates change weekly with the federal funds rate)
Worth knowing: Transfers to external accounts take 1–3 business days. No debit card or ATM access.
Last reviewed: June 2026
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Ally Bank
Consistently competitive rate, strong mobile app
No fees, no minimum balance. Ally is one of the longest-running online banks and has been consistently near the top of HYSA rates for years without major cuts during rate drops. The mobile app is functional and the savings bucket feature (splitting one account into named goals) is useful.
- Terms:
- No monthly fees · No minimum balance · FDIC insured to $250,000 per depositor
- APY at last review:
- VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISHING — check ally.com for current APY
Worth knowing: No cash deposits. No physical branches. Transfers take 1–3 business days.
Last reviewed: June 2026