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Is ‘rate chasing’ worth it? How to decide if you should switch banks.

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Is ‘rate chasing’ worth it? How to decide if you should switch banks.

After years of raising interest rates to combat high inflation, the Federal Reserve recently began lowering the federal funds rate.

While this is good news for borrowers, eager savers may not be as appreciative. With savings account interest rates falling in response to a lower federal funds rate, those who’ve been enjoying high returns on their savings may be tempted to switch banks to secure the best rates they can find.

While “rate chasing” may seem like a good strategy to get the most bang for your buck, it has some disadvantages you should be aware of. Read more to find out when it’s worth switching banks.

Read more: Federal funds rate: What it is and how it affects you

Savings interest rates vary by bank and can change at any time, often in response to the federal funds rate. Rate chasing involves constantly searching for the best savings account rates, opening a new account when you find a better rate, and transferring your savings to your new account.

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Often, this pattern of opening and closing bank accounts to eke out a few more basis points isn’t worth it. While there’s a chance it’ll help you earn a few extra bucks, it takes a lot of time and effort that may be better spent elsewhere. However, there are certain situations where switching banks to chase a higher rate may be worth it.

Switching banks to earn a much higher interest rate — for example, switching from a large brick-and-mortar bank to an online bank offering a high-yield savings account — is often worth the effort.

Some major banks — like Chase, for example — tend to offer rock-bottom savings account interest rates, often around 0.01% APY. Meanwhile, it’s possible to find high-yield savings accounts offering rates of at least 4.00% APY.

If you aren’t currently using a high-yield bank account, making the switch from a national bank to a financial institution with more competitive rates can make a major difference in terms of your interest earnings.

The following table illustrates how much interest you’d earn with a $10,000 balance in a savings account earning 0.01% APY, 4.00% APY, and 4.20% APY (with interest compounding daily).

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In this case, switching banks to earn 4.00% APY would amount to a difference of more than $400 over the course of a year. But as you can see, jumping from a rate of 4.00% APY to 4.20% APY would only result in an extra $20.

In other words, if you’re already using a high-yield savings account that generally offers a competitive rate, it’s likely not worth switching banks to find a marginally better interest rate.

Plus, savings account interest rates change all the time. A bank that has historically offered a competitive rate will likely continue to do so in the future, even if it doesn’t currently offer the best rate on the market.

Finally, the administrative hassle of moving your money from bank to bank may have financial costs too. Some banks charge account closure fees of up to $50 for closing a bank account within a certain period of time, such as three or six months of account opening. Such a fee could easily eat up any gains in interest earnings.

Read more: Does closing a bank account hurt your credit score?

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Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether or not it’s worth switching bank accounts, but the following tips can help.

  • Do the math: Calculate how much money you’d earn with a new account compared to your current account. If it’s a minor difference, you may decide the administrative effort isn’t worth it.

  • Consider any sign-up bonuses: Sometimes, banks offer cash sign-up bonuses when you open a new account. While not necessarily a reason to open a new account, a sign-up bonus can sweeten the deal if you decide to switch for other reasons. (See a list of the best new bank account sign-up bonuses here.)

  • Consider fees: Some savings accounts have monthly maintenance fees and some charge early account closure fees. Consider whether an account switch would mean paying these fees, and if so, calculate how much they’d take away from earned interest. On the other hand, switching from an account with a monthly fee to a fee-free account can further boost your earnings.

  • Weigh account features: Sometimes, it’s worth switching accounts to get the benefits you want and need. For example, if the ability to split up savings between multiple goals is important to you, switching to an account with this perk may be worth it, even if the difference in interest rate is negligible.

Read more: How to switch banks: An easy step-by-step guide

Finance

Why This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Is Gaining Attention From Institutional Investors | The Motley Fool

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Why This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Is Gaining Attention From Institutional Investors | The Motley Fool

Alphabet is a favorite among a few hedge fund billionaires.

One artificial intelligence (AI) stock that has gained the interest of a lot of institutional investors lately is Alphabet (GOOGL 0.05%) (GOOG 0.02%). The stock was a top-three holding in the funds of several prominent hedge fund billionaires at the end of Q3, including Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital, Chase Coleman’s Tiger Global Management, and Philippe Laffont’s Coatue Management.

Alphabet has returned to its role as an AI leader

It’s easy to see why these billionaires have been drawn to Alphabet’s stock. The stock was very cheap at the start of 2025, as some investors fretted that AI would pressure the company’s core Google search business. Those fears, however, proved to be overblown, and Alphabet has flipped the script to be viewed as one of the best-positioned AI companies moving forward.

Image source: Getty Images.

Alphabet’s strength lies in the fact that it has the most complete AI stack. This starts with its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are custom AI chips it developed over a decade ago and have been tightly integrated into its ecosystem and improved upon over the years. While other companies are trying to catch up in the custom AI chip race, Alphabet’s TPUs are battle-tested and highly regarded, giving it a structural cost advantage when it comes to running AI workloads. It has even begun to let customers begin to deploy its chips through its Google Cloud cloud computing business, creating another revenue stream.

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At the same time, Alphabet has trained its world-class Gemini large language model (LLM) on its chips. Gemini is now considered one of the world’s best AI models, and Alphabet has infused its capabilities throughout its products. In addition to its stand-alone app, which has been gaining market share, it’s also helping drive growth in Google Search through newer AI-powered features, such as AI Overviews, Lens, and Circle to Search. Perhaps the biggest game changer, though, is AI Mode, which lets users easily toggle between traditional search and an AI chatbot without having to switch apps.

Alphabet Stock Quote

Today’s Change

(-0.05%) $-0.16

Current Price

$338.09

Meanwhile, Alphabet’s distribution and ad network advantages remain. Through its ownership of the Chrome browser and Android smartphone operating system, along with a search revenue-sharing deal with Apple, the company is the gateway to the internet for most people. Meanwhile, its massive ad network can help it easily monetize both search and AI chatbot users.

Is Alphabet stock still a buy?

While not the bargain it was a year ago, Alphabet’s stock is still reasonably valued, trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 25.5 times 2026 analyst estimates. Given that its AI tech stack advantages should just grow with time, the stock is still a buy at current levels.

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Letter: Educate leaders, too, on finance and humanities | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Letter: Educate leaders, too, on finance and humanities | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Finance

SB Financial Group Q4 Earnings Call Highlights

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SB Financial Group Q4 Earnings Call Highlights
SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG) management said fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results reflected continued execution across the franchise, with CEO Mark Klein calling it “one of the strongest earnings quarters and year in our history” despite ongoing pressure on mortgage activity across the indu
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