Welcome to DollarMaximizer!
Hello friend,
Welcome to the first-ever DollarMaximizer from Dollar180, a deposit intelligence firm that’s not in the pocket of any financial institution.
Did you know most people are missing out on more than 80% of their potential returns on their savings? How could that be?
It’s the money sitting in your savings account that you haven’t thought about since September, and that you haven’t shopped around for years. It’s not about fault. It’s very challenging to keep tabs on savings yields.
That’s why we are here: To help you become financially independent by growing your savings.
We do that in two ways:
We automate saving more for you. And, we bring you the information you need to easily see what a strong interest rate is each month – helping our members earn 5x more interest depending on their investment choices.
We report basic deposit information, including the current interest rate for each product, to help you earn more interest. This is a free service - Subscribe Now!
If you are looking for a strong rate now on a CD, savings account, or money market, join our Supporters group. The calculators there give you a more complete picture of how to maximize interest payments.
Want more savings to invest? We automate your budgeting so that your savings grow on their own. Join Budget Automation to earn 6x more than your first month’s savings within six months, and 3x more in 180 days!
Ok, so here it is:
What is a strong interest rate in January 2026?
What deposit products pose a risk to your yield?
DollarMaximizer
CDs / Certificates
Strong Rate: 3.64% or more
Recommendation: UTILIZE
*Choose maturities with care.
Savings / Money Markets
Strong Rate: 3.48% or more for 12-month maturities
Recommendation: AVOID
*Read fineprint on teaser rates.
Why these recommendations? CD rates are historically elevated. Rate futures show lower rates ahead, meaning adjustable rate products (savings accounts and money markets) will be lowered by banks and credit unions. Locked-in products will likely preserve returns better. Read our more detailed summary below. The * comments are notes for people opening a new account of that type.
1 We report strong rate indicators even when we are avoiding a particular deposit product. This allows our readers to gauge a strong rate when deciding whether to open, refinance, or renew that deposit product.
2 Source: Dollar180 Analysis of FDIC Data
Interest Rates and the Banking Industry
Most institutions want you to succeed at life, even at financial well-being, but when it comes to interest on deposits, they are like a car dealership, phone company, or the person selling that used desk on Facebook Marketplace: They are on the other side of the transaction, it’s a zero-sum game.
You must look after your best interest in two ways: Interest rate AND maturity. Don’t just focus on rate. That's how they attract you to products that are good for them, and not necessarily good for you.
For example, you can see that most online promotions offer banks’ and credit unions’ best rates on money markets and savings accounts. CDs are also promoted with the best rate for a 12-month (or less) term. Wondering why this is?
Here is why. ⬇️
In three months, any institution can lower your rate (April 2026) by as much as 25 basis points, according to Fed Funds Futures data. (100 basis points is 1% in interest.) In a year, they could lower rates by up to 50 basis points compared to today.
This is why an institution wants new funds from you in a savings or a money market account. Even if you opened a CD, if it’s 12 months or less, it will mature when rates are down by 0.5%. That means, in 12 months, the bank can pay you 14.3% less in interest, even if you ask for their highest rate.
If you let your CD autorenew, you’ll likely make at least 50% less. If you had your money in a savings/money market account, you’d likely miss upwards of 85% of the yield available to you.
So what should you do instead? We have information for you in our Supporter service.
Economics: Are rates likely to follow the Fed Future Graph?
We definitely think the political pressure on the Federal Reserve has led investors to anticipate rates trending lower over the next year. We also see economic data that does not appear to point to lower rates, given the Federal Reserve's focus on maximum employment and price stability in determining monetary policy.
Econ Data: Not Strongly Indicating Need for Lower Rates
Inflation: Over the last 12 months, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics index for all items also increased 2.70% before seasonal adjustment.
Potentially forecasts a no-change or rate increase in the future.
Unemployment: Claims for jobless benefits reached the second-lowest weekly total in the past 12 months, according to the Labor Department. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis reported a decline from November to December 2025, from 4.50% to 4.40%.
Potentially forecasts a no-change or rate increase in the future.
GDP Growth: The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow model now estimates real GDP growth for 2025 (seasonally adjusted annual rate) at 5.30% for the fourth quarter of 2025 as of Jan. 14.
Potentially forecasts a no-change or rate increase in the future.
Getting a strong rate today is important. But choosing a maturity that preserves a strong yield will likely prove material to returns during the next two years.
Bottom Line
Rates will go down in the near term. So locking in a CD can be wise. Rates will likely return to near-current levels in about 18 months. You may use that forecast to earn more interest.
Translation: If you have savings you won’t need for more than a year, CDs are a strong choice to preserve yield as rates decline. CDs of less than 18 months, though, will likely require you to reinvest at a lower rate once your CD matures.
Want more to help you make this decision?
That’s what our Supporter tier is for!
Want to automate savings growth from your budget?
We automate budgets so that you always spend what you want and always save what you want. The process is simple. We just set up your current checking and savings accounts using tools already available from all banks.
Let us show you how to set it up.
Once you have that foundation, we’ll show you how to get even more out of it!
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