Good morning Reader!

It might not seem like it but the stock market is doing quite well. The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Russell 2000 closed at all time highs yesterday.

The Iran war's ceasefire is still holding on, despite fighting yesterday, and oil prices are falling (down 15% the last 5 days). Hopefully this signals the true end of this conflict.

Thankfully, I've done nothing with my investments. I learned from my biggest investing mistake during the pandemic and remembered to bury my time capsules. 😅

Don't panic!

💲 Best Bank Rates (as of 5/6):

• High Yield Savings - 4.21% APY from Axos​
• Short Term Treasury - VBIL 3.60%, SGOV 3.55%
• Certificates of Deposit (see 40k+ rates on CD Valet)
  • 🔍 We list nationwide rates, CD Valet has many local rates which may be higher so click through to double check your state.
  • Best: 9% from American Airlines FCU (9mo 90th Anniversary Special, click All CDs)
  • 6 months: 4.15% from TBO Bank​
  • 12 months: 4.15% from Credit One Bank​
  • 60 Months: 4.05% from Credit One Bank​
• Bank Bonuses - $450 US Bank, $500 Bank of America, $400 BMO, $1500 Raisin, $250 Capital One & more​

​(View this email as a webpage)​

📅 Negotiate one bill

Every month, I try to negotiate one bill.

Sometimes I comparison shop to see if there are better options and I find out there are none. Sometimes I just cancel a subscription we no longer need.

But I try to tackle just one line item to see if I can get it lower. I don't spend a lot of time but it's like a game and while I'm not always successful, I try to tighten things up just a little bit.

​👉 Negotiate One Bill Every Month​

💰 Do you use CIT Bank?

If so, they have a APY boost promotion on their Platinum Savings account that gets you 4.10% APY on balances of $5,000 or more for the next six months.

It's a 0.35% APY boost on the base 3.75% APY. If you have less than $5,000, then you only get 0.60% APY for six months and then it drops to a mere 0.25%. 😝

I don't think this is a good reason to open an account but if you already have one and have more than $5k in it, make sure you opt in for the higher interest rate for six months.

​👉 Opt into this CIT promotion​

🗞️ Money Stuff I Found Interesting

Here are some interesting articles you may have missed:

• ​A Longer Life Can Lead to Financial Concerns [New York Times]
• ​It Costs *What* to Raise a Child in 2026?! [Reader's Digest]
• ​Can I Beat the Most Expensive Buffet in America? [Sam Reid]
• ​Is It Too Expensive to Sell a House? [New York Times]
• ​One Calf Shows Why Record Beef Prices Still Aren’t Coming Down [Bloomberg]
• ​Survey Reveals Americans Reach Peak Life Satisfaction at 52 [Cherry Data Signals]

What did you think of today's email?​
✅ I Loved It! 🟨 It Was Okay ❌ Not My Favorite​

Talk to you soon!

Jim

PS. Here's a new travel scam I shared on Instagram where scammers pay for ads with fake customer service phone numbers. Pretty sneaky and unexpected.

​(see archive of previous emails)​