Good morning Reader!

As we all expected expected, the Fed raised rates by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.00% with officials expecting one more increase this year. When you combine that with persistently high inflation, especially energy because of the Iran war, we're looking at higher prices on everything.

I was in California last week (sunny and hot Palm Springs!) and the gas prices were eye-popping:

Diesel is over $8, which means heating oil is going to be expensive this winter, no matter where you live. And this is not even considering its impact on transportation and farming. It's brutal.

Now is the time to play financial defense.

💲 Best Bank Rates (as of 9/23):

💰 High Yield Savings - 3.30% APY + $400 Bonus from SoFi​

🏛️ Short Term Treasury - VBIL 3.64%, SGOV 3.65%

📀 Certificates of Deposit (see all 40k+ rates)

🔍 Below are nationwide rates, CD Valet has local rates which can be higher so click through to double check for your state.

• 9 months: 9% from Southland Credit Union (anniversary special)
• 12 months: 4.55% from Credit One Bank​
• 20 months: 4.45% from First Bank of the Lake​
• 60 Months: 4.40% from Sallie Mae​
• 120 Months: 4.60% from First National Bank of America​

💵 Bank Bonuses - $800 from E*Trade, $450 US Bank, $200 Barclays, $400 SoFi, $500 Bank of America & more​

​(View this email as a webpage)​
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💰 Does Your Checking Pay Interest?

It should.

Checking accounts pay interest now. It's not a lot, but it's more than zero and often a signal that the bank treats you better in other ways.

If yours isn't, it might be time for a change.

​👉 Your Checking Account Should Pay You Interest​

🍎 Apple AI Settlement is Live

If you bought an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16, you could get anywhere from $25 to $95 in the latest Apple settlement.

📺 WATCH: My 1-min Instagram explainer​

They agreed to a $250 million settlement regarding Siri AI features they promised but failed to deliver.

Here's the settlement website:

​👉 iPhone AI settlement website​

🗞️ Money Stuff I Found Interesting

Here are some interesting articles you may have missed:

• ⭐ Personal Renewal [John Gardner] - This was a talk has so many great ideas that no summary could do it justice. I promise if you spend ten minutes reading it, you'll agree. So many quotable parts. And there's an especially poignant story about Cervantes, author of Don Quixote. (listen to it read aloud by Jackson Dahl of Dialectic)
• ⭐ The Cracked Pot: A Story on the Power of Imperfections [Sahil Bloom] - Has a great story & many lessons worth remembering, especially during difficult times.
• ​Wendy's faces 300 closures across 15 states due to crippling beef prices [The Mirror] - This is not a good sign.
• ​Building Without Predicting [Derek Sivers] - He's building his dream (cabin in the woods) house based on his needs, rather than his guesses.

💵 Good Deals If You Need Them

• ​TradeUP offers up to 50 NVDA shares - It's a brokerage transfer bonus, with a bonus starting at $2k in deposits.
• ​E*Trade will give you up to $800 if you deposit $20,000, plus a 4.25% APY for six months
• ​50% off Quicken Simplifi - 7-day trial and then just $3.49 a month for Quicken Simplifi.
• ​Firstleaf Wine Promotion - 12 bottles of wine for $60 with free shipping.
• ​Fetch is a free app that gives you points for scanning receipts, get 2000 points after your first receipt. (here's our review)
• ​Check if you're overpaying for car insurance (it's free, you should do this annually)

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

Talk to you soon!

Jim

PS. What's your biggest money challenge right now?

​(see archive of previous emails)​