Get the Most from Your Savings

By Deidre Davis, MSU Federal Credit Union’s Chief Marketing Officer

Looking for ways to save beyond a traditional savings account? Here are two strategies to consider.

Build Your Savings by Laddering

You can save more at higher rates and still give yourself some liquidity by “laddering” Certificates.

Certificates earn more dividends than traditional savings accounts because the money is placed in an account for a fixed term. Laddering certificates allows you to earn more on your savings while providing you easier access to the funds by saving your money in different terms. For example, assume you have $10,000 and you deposit $2,000 each into one-, two-, three-, four- and five-year Certificates. By spreading out the terms and maturity dates – the dates money in the Certificates can be withdrawn or reinvested – you can earn higher dividends while freeing up funds at different intervals should you need them without paying early withdrawal penalties.

MSUFCU offers Certificates with terms from three months to five years, making laddering easier. Additionally, members can establish sub-savers — separate accounts within their main savings accounts — and automate their savings. For more information, visit msufcu.org/certificates.

Grow Faster with a Blended Rate

If you need to shore up your savings quickly, a blended-rate account is your best bet.

MSUFCU’s Savings BuilderSM is one solution, designed to help members build emergency savings quickly by paying a different dividend rate on funds in each of its three tiers. Each dividend rate applies only to the portion of the account balance within each tier. What make Savings Builder unique is that it pays more dividends on the lowest tier of deposits, unlike many traditional savings accounts that pay higher dividends as the balance increases. For more information, visit msufcu.org/savingsbuilder.