Bank Savings are for Fools

I must be blunt.  If you have most of your saving deposited in a bank or a credit union you are a fool.  The interest you earn is most likely less than one percent (1%) a year.  Your response is that the FDIC insurance guarantees the money’s safety.  So while the S&P 500 has grown by well over 10% this year, you are sitting on the same amount of savings that you have had for the past two or three years.

OK, you aren’t comfortable with the stock market because it can easily go down in the next three months by 10% or more.  There are alternatives.

The US government issues treasury bonds (notes) that are currently paying substantially more.  Just yesterday this report, that appeared on Morningstar, from AllianceBernstein, lists their top holdings that include U.S. Treasury bonds paying as much as 8%.  If the U.S. Treasury is not a reliable guarantor than neither is the FDIC.

OK you are still not satisfied.  How about Vanguard GNMA fund?  Again U.S.guaranteed bonds that are currently earning over 3%.

You don’t believe me. Check it out for yourself.

2 thoughts on “Bank Savings are for Fools

  1. So true but clients think banks are safe havens yet they forget about lehman Brothers for one and inflation for two.

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