KEY TAKEAWAYS

Why Now May Be the Best Time to Capture Today’s High Rates

The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates last week for the first time this year and signaled it might lower them by another half point by December. That means banks and credit unions will likely reduce the rates they pay on savings, money market, and CD accounts in the coming months.

To protect your earnings, you may want to capture today’s higher returns while they last. Connexus Credit Union is giving savers that chance with three high-earning offers.

Three Big-Money Perks at Connexus

Connexus Credit Union is open to anyone nationwide, making it easy to join. Right now, it’s offering three standout deals: a top-tier checking account yield, a $300 cash bonus, and the second-highest CD rate in the U.S.—and the best for CDs with deposits over $5,000, according to Investopedia’s review.

Earn 5% on Your Checking

Checking accounts usually don’t pay you anything on your balance—that’s what savings accounts are for. But a special category known as high-yield or rewards checking offers rates on par with top savings accounts in exchange for meeting certain activity requirements.

The most common requirements for these accounts are making a set number of debit card purchases each month and/or receiving regular direct deposits.

Connexus Credit Union’s Xtraordinary Checking is one of these accounts, paying 5.00% APY on balances up to $25,000 if you meet both requirements in a statement cycle:

• Debit activity: Either 15 debit card purchases per cycle or at least $500 in monthly debit spending
• Deposits: At least $500 in electronic deposits, such as direct deposit of a paycheck or Social Security payment, or even an external transfer from another bank

Meet both requirements and you’ll earn 5.00% APY on up to $25,000—one of the more generous caps among top rewards checking accounts. Miss a month and your APY will be near zero, but you can qualify again in the next cycle.

Score a $300 Cash Bonus

Bank account bonuses aren’t new, but they’re usually tied to accounts that pay little or no interest. Connexus’ $300 cash bonus stands out because it’s offered on the same account that can earn a 5% yield.

Here's what it takes to qualify:

• Meet the 5% APY requirements for two statement cycles within your first four months.
• Bonus amount depends on your average balance during those two months:
• $300 if you average $10,000 or more
• $200 if you average $5,000–$9,999
• $100 if you average $1,000–$4,999
• Other requirements: Enroll in e-statements, open the account by Nov. 9, and use the required promo code listed on Connexus’ website.

Lock in a 4.60% CD Rate Until April

With the Fed having just lowered its benchmark rate—and more cuts likely this fall and beyond—savings yields are expected to drift lower in the months ahead.

That makes now an ideal time to open a certificate of deposit (CD), which locks in today’s rate for the full term. Whether for 3 months or 5 years, a CD’s APY is guaranteed no matter what happens to broader interest rates.

Again, Connexus is offering one of the nation's most attractive deals. It's paying 4.60% APY on 7-month certificate, locking in your return until late April. Only one nationwide CD is paying more—a 5.50% offer capped at $5,000 in deposits. For savers who want to put more than $5,000 in a CD, Connexus delivers the top nationwide rate.

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How Connexus’ Deals Stack Up Against Other Offers

Each of Connexus’s three offers stands out for a different reason—and all compare well against similar options on the market:

• High-yield checking: While some accounts pay up to 6%, Connexus’ Xtraordinary Checking makes the requirements easier. You can qualify with $500 in monthly debit spending instead of a strict number of transactions, and the deposit requirement can be met with a simple external transfer. Its $25,000 cap for earning 5% is also more generous than many competitors allow.
• Cash bonus: Earning $300 for maintaining a $10,000 balance over two months is equivalent to an 18% APY for that period—one of the strongest bonus offers available.
• CDs: Connexus’ 7-month CD pays 4.60% APY, ranking second nationwide in Investopedia's daily rate research. The only higher-yielding CD is capped at $5,000 in deposits, making Connexus the best choice for larger balances.

Taken together, Connexus’ lineup of high-earning options gives savers multiple ways to capture strong returns at a time when interest rates are poised to drift lower.

How We Find the Best Savings and CD Rates

Every business day, Investopedia tracks the rate data of more than 200 banks and credit unions that offer CDs and savings accounts to customers nationwide and determines daily rankings of the top-paying accounts. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), and the account's minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000. It also cannot specify a maximum deposit amount that's below $5,000.

Banks must be available in at least 40 states to qualify as nationally available. And while some credit unions require you to donate to a specific charity or association to become a member if you don't meet other eligibility criteria (e.g., you don't live in a certain area or work in a certain kind of job), we exclude credit unions whose donation requirement is $40 or more. For more about how we choose the best rates, read our full methodology.

 Key Takeaways

What You Can Do

Despite years of declining confidence, financial advisors say there are meaningful ways to regain your footing, no matter your age or income. It starts with a mindset shift, but it doesn’t stop there.

Have a Plan

Create a written plan—even a simple one. “The most powerful step is creating a written financial plan,” says Shetye. “When people see their goals mapped out with real numbers and scenarios, fear turns into focus and confusion turns into clarity.” Nearly half of Americans (47%) don’t have one, according to the Allianz study—but a few lines on a piece of paper can be the start.1

“Start simple,” says Maldonado. “Write down one financial objective, and give it a ballpark dollar figure and a time frame.”

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Own Your Investments

Invest in what you can control. You can’t predict markets or policy shifts, but you can take charge of your own plan. “Learning to focus on what they can control—saving, spending, investing, asset allocation and location, and tax planning—instead of factors beyond their control, like politics, markets, and the incessant noise,” says Shetye. “That makes the biggest difference.”

Even if your confidence is down, Maldonado stresses that you should continue to invest in growth-focused vehicles like low-cost, diversified equity index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). That includes maintaining a long-term strategy that keeps pace with rising costs—and avoids the trap of being too conservative in volatile times.

Keep Building Income

Don’t just save—find ways to expand your financial capacity. “Invest in your earning potential,” Maldonado says. That might mean investing in your education, launching a side hustle, taking a part-time gig, or simply pursuing a new job that offers better pay and benefits.

And while the headlines may feel discouraging, Shetye emphasizes that mindset matters: “Moving from a scarcity mindset (‘Will I have enough?’) to a values-based mindset (‘What really matters to me, and how can my money support that?’) changes everything.”

Revisit and Update Your Plan

Your plan shouldn’t live in a drawer, and that means taking time to adjust it as necessary. “The clients who revisit their plan regularly, understand their numbers better, and have a thinking partner to guide them feel more grounded and optimistic—especially in times of uncertainty,” says Shetye.

Don’t Go at It Alone

Finally, having a trusted guide helps. If you’re feeling uncertain about how to approach your finances, meeting with a financial advisor can help you clarify goals, especially if you have more complex finances, says Maldonado.

The Bottom Line

Financial confidence in the United States has slipped steadily for half a decade—but that doesn’t mean you have to feel powerless. Mapping out a plan, investing in your earning potential, and focusing on what really matters can help you reclaim control. A little clarity—and a long-term view—go a long way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Housing has never been more expensive in the United States. As of September 2025, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is about $1,640 per month, up nearly 1% from last year. Home prices are also near historic highs, with the median existing-home sale price in the U.S. reaching $429,400 in the second quarter of 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors.12

Those high prices put many young Americans in a financial bind. Many are choosing to forgo the cost of housing and live at home with their parents. In fact, according to Pew Research, 57% of Americans aged 18 to 24 are living in a parent’s home, even higher than the 53% who lived at home in 1993.3

Living at home can save on rent, but there are other tradeoffs to consider.

The Numbers Behind Moving Back Home

Most people argue that the best reason to move back home is to save massive amounts of money. For most people, this is true—especially if your parents don’t expect you to contribute to the rent, mortgage, or bills.

“Where I'm in Massachusetts, a crummy apartment will go for over $2,000 per month, which means I'm saving at least $24,000 a year,” says Joe Luciano, a 23-year-old broker associate at RE/MAX Bentley’s, a real estate agency in Newburyport, Massachusetts. “ I view it as a short-term trade-off to longer-term financial stability."

Those savings can help you establish financial independence in the future. "[Living at home] allows me to set money aside for eventually buying my first home,” Luciano explains.

Even if you are expected to contribute to the bills, there’s a good chance that your parents bought their house when prices were lower. That means that your share of the mortgage would be much lower than the cost of renting an equivalent space today.

That doesn't mean you won't face financial pressure—especially if your parents are renters in high-priced markets, or if they expect you to shoulder the entire burden. For example, according to Pew Research, 10% of young Americans report experiencing negative financial consequences from living at home.3

But while it may be financially smart, there are other things to worry about before you move back home.

When Living With Parents Can Hurt Your Career

For Luciano, living at home allows him to enhance his business — it doesn’t detract from his professional life.

“For me, it allows me to invest in my business instead of covering rent or splitting with roommates," he explains. "I currently spend around $1,200 a month on business expenses being in real estate, so living at home for free is huge."

However, living with your parents can also inhibit your professional life—especially if your parents live outside of a major metropolitan area where your professional field tends to congregate. For example, it's hard to work in tech if you live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Alyson Austin, a 56-year-old founder of the media and public relations firm Gaffney Austin, says that she purchased her mother’s home so they could live together. She currently cares for her mother full-time while running her business remotely. 

"It is far less expensive to live in Maine than it was in California. It is better for me to be with her here in this house than to send [my mother] to live in a facility,” says Austin.

But that arrangement might not be possible without the flexibility of being her own boss, Austin acknowledges. “My whole team knows I live with my elderly mother, and they pick up the slack if I tell them I need more time with her from week to week.”

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Setting Boundaries That Protect Your Wallet and Your Sanity

The decision to move back home depends heavily on your relationship with your family. Even if you have a good relationship with your parents, it's common to feel that living at home is somehow “stunting” your development as an adult.

Pew reports that 32% of young adults living at home experience a negative impact on their sense of independence, while 24% feel a negative impact on their social lives. Core life experiences like dating and finding a life partner become a lot more complicated with mom and dad in the next bedroom.3

“Being single makes it easier to live at home, but living at home makes it harder to date,” explains Luciano. 

In these situations, setting boundaries is always important. But those boundaries will depend on your situation. If you’re young, exerting your independence might mean being carefree. But if you’re a caretaker, make sure you do exercise that freedom responsibly.

“My mother does have a life-alert device that she can use if I am out of the house for any reason," Austin explains. "This is important for our sanity. I need to get out occasionally, and she has a system in place to seek help, if necessary.”