If You Have More Than $1,000 in Your Checking Account, Make These 8 Moves
You’ve done it. You’ve built up a little cushion in your bank account — $1,000! It feels good, right? Those days of checking your account balance in a panic are behind you.
Congrats! You’re on the right path. Now it’s time to think about some longer-term goals. What do you want to accomplish next with your money? Do you need to save more? Do you want to buy a home someday? Invest?
What’s the next step you should take? What are some specific things you can do to take your finances to the next level?
We’ve got some ideas for you:
1. Invest in Real Estate Without the Volatility — You Only Need $500
You’re not the only one who daydreams about making money in your sleep. Investing in real estate is one of the best ways to earn passive income. The only problem? You need to have lots of money.
Well, you used to…
With a company called Connect Invest, you can get your foot in the door for just $500, investing in what are called short notes. And, if you make your first investment before December 31st, you can earn a $20 bonus.
Basically, you’re buying the debt that wealthy developers take on to fund their real estate projects — and they have to pay you back, with up to 9% (annualized rate) in interest… while you sleep.
With Connect Invest, you’ll invest for terms of 6, 12, or 24 months, during which you’ll receive monthly fixed-interest payments between 7.5% and 9% (annualized rate). You could earn a legit passive income with those rates — and it’s way higher than what you’d earn with your savings account!
Connect Invest carefully vets each real estate project and borrower. And don’t worry, all loans are backed by real estate collateral. In the rare event of a default, Connect Invest’s sister company will foreclose on the property with the investors’ approval and sell it to recover your investment.
It’s super easy to set up your free account and start investing. To earn your $20 bonus, select “Penny Hoarder” as a referral source and apply promo code “PH20.”
2. Drop Your Overpriced Car Insurance
Does your car insurance company love you back? If you’re like most of us, your loyalty to your car insurance company is costing you money.
They’ll toss you a few discounts occasionally, but that’s just to keep you distracted from an open secret: you can save hundreds of dollars by regularly comparing insurance providers.
A company called QuoteWizard makes it easy to click or tap your way to competitive car insurance quotes just for you.
You don’t have to know your exact mileage, trim, or even your VIN to get a good idea of how much your loyalty has been costing you every month.
QuoteWizard says its average user saves about $65 a month on auto insurance premiums, which adds up to $780 a year!
See how much you can save with QuoteWizard. It’ll only take a minute to enter details about your vehicle and see how much your current insurer has been getting away with charging.
3. This App Can Help you Build Wealth – Even if You’re Broke
You already have a job, so investing your money shouldn’t feel like working overtime. And why’s there so much jargon? And hidden fees? And minimum deposits?
It’s almost like they don’t want non-rich people to invest with them.
A company called Moby can help you build wealth through the stock market without requiring a $10k investment or using industry jargon to discourage people who work for a living.
You can even see the trades politicians are making and do the same.
Here’s the rundown: You can potentially earn 12% on whatever you invest with Moby. And a subscription to their plain-language insights and recommendations only costs about $8 a month.
Whether you want to learn the market or just grow your money, a Moby subscription arms you with as much or as little information as you want:
- Morning newsletter and end-of-day report
- The Flagship podcast and audio/video reports
- Market reports
- Online courses to learn more about trading
- Hedge fund tracker
- Political trade tracker
- And much more
This could be the money-making opportunity you’ve been looking for. So, jumpstart your investing journey with a Moby account and start growing your money for $8 and change per month.
4. Get Paid up to $360/Year With This Free Debit Card
Wouldn’t it be nice if you got special treatment wherever you went? You can actually get rewards wherever you shop, using this free debit card from Discover.
You’ll earn 1% cash back on every single purchase you make using your Discover® Cashback Debit account, on up to $3,000 monthly.* There’s no impact on your credit score for signing up and no minimum balance requirements ever.
Need groceries? Tap your card for cash back. You can also get paid sooner with Early Pay direct deposit, protect against overdrafts and access to over 60,000 ATMs without fees. You can handle all of your banking needs through the app and connect a virtual wallet like Apple Pay to amplify your rewards. And on top of all that, checking-account deposits are FDIC-insured up to the maximum amount allowed by law.
Does your bank do all that? If not, open a free Discover checking account to get special treatment from a bank that will actually put money back into your account.
*See website for details.
5. Let Your Family Inherit $250k or Much More
We never seem to have enough savings or investments. But there’s one particular way to make up for that shortfall: life insurance.
None of us like to think about what happens to your family if you pass, but this is a smart way to free them from a burden – and give you peace of mind.
With NerdWallet, you can get multiple life insurance quotes all in one place and find a plan that’s probably far more affordable than you think.
You can choose whole life plans if you want to do it once, forget about it and have coverage for the rest of your life. Or you can pick from term life plans to get even lower rates with coverage that can last a few decades.*
Is it finally time to get covered? It’s easy to get life insurance quotes from NerdWallet to see just how affordable a good policy could be for you.
6. Get 4.50% APY and a $30 Bonus With This High-Yield Cash Account
It’s hard not to cringe when you see a bank statement full of fees. And let’s be real: When every dollar matters, why are we paying to keep money in our accounts in the first place?
It’s time for something better.
With Wealthfront, you can forget those annoying bank fees and earn a whopping 4.50% APY through partner banks on your cash — about 10x the national average savings rate. Enjoy unlimited transfers, same-day withdrawals, zero account fees, and no minimum balance requirements to earn 4.50% APY¹. You can use Wealthfront with your favorite payment apps like Apple Pay, Venmo, and Google Pay.
They’ll also give you access to a customizable investment portal so you can start building wealth while focusing on your short- and long-term goals.
Wealthfront isn’t quite a bank, but it works with several FDIC-insured partner banks to give you the convenience and flexibility you expect, minus the sneaky fees and account requirements. The best part? You can get started with Wealthfront with only a $1 opening deposit or snag a $30 bonus² when you deposit $500 or more (terms and conditions apply).³
Join Wealthfront today and make your money work for you— not your bank.
7. Get Paid Up to $140/Month Just for Sharing Your Honest Opinion
If you’re turning blue in the face waiting for a raise at work, it might be time to quit holding your breath and start speaking your mind to someone who wants to listen.
Brands want to hear your opinion to help inform their business decisions on everything from products and services to logos and ads — and they’re willing to pay you up to $140 a month for it.
A free site called Branded Surveys will pay you up to $5 per survey for sharing your thoughts with their brand partners. Taking three quick surveys a day could earn up to $140 each month.
It takes just a minute to create a free account and start getting paid to speak your mind. Most surveys take five to 15 minutes, and you can check how long they’ll take ahead of time.
And you don’t need to build up tons of money to cash out, either — once you earn $5, you can cash out via PayPal, your bank account, a gift card or Amazon. You’ll get paid within 48 hours of your payout being processed, just for sharing your opinions.
They’ve already paid users more than $20 million since 2012, and the most active users can earn a few hundred dollars a month. Plus, they’ve got an “excellent” rating on Trustpilot.
It takes just a minute to set up your account and start getting paid to take surveys. Plus, right now, you’ll get a free 100-point welcome bonus just for becoming part of the community.
8. Slash Your Credit Card Debt — Unlock Up to 21 Months of No Interest Payments
Struggling with credit card debt? You’re likely also dealing with high-interest charges that can significantly impact your financial situation — it’s a tough problem to sort out.
But where to even start?
If you have good to excellent credit, switching to one of these top-tier 0% intro APR cards from The Ascent’s carefully curated list could help you consolidate payments and cut your interest for up to 18 months. You could not only fast-track your debt repayment but also save thousands in interest.
The Ascent is picky, meaning they’ll only highlight cards that really stretch your dollar and cut down on costs. Plus, they break down everything you need to know: from intro-rate deals and welcome bonuses to rewards and fees — no surprises, just clear info.
So if you’re looking for a financial lifeline without the drag of accumulating interest, check out The Ascent’s list of best cards with 0% Intro APR offers, and wave goodbye to interest for up to 21 months.
*Users must meet certain suitability standards pursuant to the Connect Invest II Offering Circular and make an investment on or before December 31, 2024. Investors will receive their $20 bonus with their first interest earnings.
Past performance does not guarantee future results or success. The material contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to purchase these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
*NerdWallet believes everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And, while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward – and free.
1. Based on the national average interest rate for savings accounts as posted on FDIC.gov, as of July 15, 2024.
2. Client must maintain $500 by the 30 day mark. See website for details.
3. Checking features for the Cash Account are subject to identity verification by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC. Cash account is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“Wealthfront Brokerage”;), a Member of FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. We convey funds to partner banks who accept and maintain deposits, provide the interest rate, and provide FDIC insurance. The APY rate listed is as of 09/19/2024 and is subject to change at any time. Fees and Eligibility requirements may apply to certain checking features, please see the Deposit Account Agreement for details. Limits, fees, and exclusions apply. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of money you invest.
Apple, the Apple logo, and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Google, Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Please note, Real-Time Payments (RTP) transfers may be limited by destination institutions,daily transaction caps, and by participating entities such as Wells Fargo and the RTP® Network. New Cash Account deposits are subject to a 2-4 day holding period before becoming available for transfer. Wealthfront doesn’t charge for transfers, but receiving institutions may impose an RTP fee.
The Penny Hoarder receives compensation when a reader clicks on the referral link that redirects them to Wealthfront, which creates a conflict of interest. Penny Hoarder’s opinions in this article are their own and are not tied directly to such compensation. The Penny Hoarder and Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC are not associated with one another and have no formal relationship outside of this arrangement.
