If You Have More Than $1,000 in Your Checking Account, Here Are 8 Money Moves
You’ve done it. You’ve built up a little cushion in your bank account — $1,000! It feels good, right? Those days of checking your account balance in a panic are behind you.
Congrats! You’re on the right path. Now it’s time to think about some longer-term goals. What do you want to accomplish next with your money? Do you need to save more? Do you want to buy a home someday? Invest?
What’s the next step to take? What are some specific things you can do to elevate your finances?
We’ve got some ideas for you:
1️⃣ Set Up Direct Deposit — Pocket $300
When you set up direct deposit with SoFi Checking and Savings (Member FDIC), they’ll put up to $300 straight into your account. No… really. Just a nice little bonus for making a smart switch.
Why switch? With SoFi, you can earn up to 3.80% APY on savings and 0.50% on checking, plus a 0.70% APY boost for your first 6 months when you set up direct deposit or keep $5K in your account. That’s up to 4.50% APY total. Way better than letting your balance chill at 0.40% APY.
There’s no fees. No gotchas. Make the move to SoFi and get paid to upgrade your finances.
2️⃣ Stop Overpaying at Amazon
Let’s face it: you already know you’re spending too much on Amazon. How many times have you clicked ‘pay now’ only to find that exact item elsewhere for way less?
Wouldn’t it be great if someone told you when you’re about to overpay?
That’s exactly what this free service does.
Just add it to your browser for free, and before you check out, it’ll check other websites to see if your item is available for cheaper. Let’s say you’re shopping for a new smart vacuum, and you assume you’ve found the best price. Here’s when you’ll get a pop-up telling you if that exact vacuum is available elsewhere for cheaper. If there are any available coupon codes, they’ll also automatically be applied to your order.
In the last year, this has saved people $800 million.
See if you’re overpaying online in just a few clicks.
3️⃣ Become a Real Estate Investor for as Little as $10
Take a look at some of the world’s wealthiest people. What do they have in common? Many invest in large private real estate deals. And here’s the thing: There’s no reason you can’t, too — for as little as $10.
An investment called the Fundrise Flagship Fund lets you get started in the world of real estate by giving you access to a low-cost, diversified portfolio of private real estate. The best part? You don’t have to be the landlord. The Flagship Fund does all the heavy lifting.
With an initial investment as low as $10, your money will be invested in the Fund, which already owns more than $1 billion worth of real estate around the country, from apartment complexes to the thriving housing rental market to larger last-mile e-commerce logistics centers.
Want to invest more? Many investors choose to invest $1,000 or more. This is a Fund that can fit any type of investor’s needs. Once invested, you can track your performance from your phone and watch as properties are acquired, improved, and operated. As properties generate cash flow, you could earn money through quarterly dividend payments. And over time, you could earn money off the potential appreciation of the properties.
So if you want to get started in the world of real-estate investing, it takes just a few minutes to sign up and create an account with the Fundrise Flagship Fund.
This is a paid advertisement. Carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fundrise Flagship Fund before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s prospectus. Read them carefully before investing.
4️⃣ Ask This Company to Get a Big Chunk of Your Debt Forgiven
A company called National Debt Relief could convince your lenders to simply get rid of a big chunk of what you owe. No bankruptcy, no loans — you don’t even need to have good credit.
If you owe at least $15,000 in unsecured debt (credit card debt, personal loans, medical bills, etc.), National Debt Relief’s experts will build you a monthly payment plan. As your payments add up, they negotiate with your creditors to reduce the amount you owe. You then pay off the rest in a lump sum.
On average, you could become debt-free within 24 to 48 months. It takes less than a minute to sign up and see how much debt you could get rid of.
5️⃣ Get Up to $3,000 in Stock with Active Invest
If you’ve been thinking about investing, now’s the time to jump in. With SoFi Active Invest, you can trade stocks and ETFs with no commissions1, no account minimums, and no confusing hoops to jump through.
Here’s the best part: Fund an active account and enroll in SoFi plus with as little as $50, and for a limited time, you could earn up to $3,000 in stock2. Whether it’s your first trade or your 50th, SoFi makes investing accessible.
You can also take advantage of a 1% IRA match on contributions and rollovers, helping you grow your retirement savings even faster (terms apply).
With SoFi, you can buy and sell stocks with no commissions, so you never have to pay to invest your own money. You’ll also have access to real-time investing news, personalized watchlists, and curated insights to help you make smarter decisions. You can even start with as little as $5 thanks to fractional shares, making it easier than ever to own a piece of the companies you believe in. Plus, as a SoFi member, you’ll be part of a community of investors with access to exclusive events and rate discounts on other SoFi products.
Ready to put your money to work for you? Fund your account, start trading, and see how far SoFi Active Invest can take you.
6️⃣ Earn Up to $50 this Month By Answering Survey Questions About the News — It’s Anonymous
The news is a heated subject these days. It’s hard not to have an opinion on it.
Good news: A website called YouGov will pay you up to $50 or more this month just to answer survey questions about politics, the economy, and other hot news topics.
Plus, it’s totally anonymous, so no one will judge you for that hot take.
When you take a quick survey (some are less than three minutes), you’ll earn points you can exchange for up to $50 in cash or gift cards to places like Walmart and Amazon. Plus, Penny Hoarder readers will get an extra 500 points for registering and another 1,000 points after completing their first survey.
It takes just a few minutes to sign up and take your first survey, and you’ll receive your points immediately.
7️⃣ You Could Leave Your Family $1M Richer
You know that one adult thing you’ve been putting off? Yeah… life insurance. It sounds complicated or expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.
Ethos makes it ridiculously easy to get covered online in just minutes. No medical exams, no blood draws, no waiting rooms. Just answer a few simple health questions and get a quote. Some people lock in up to $1 million in coverage starting at $37/month.
You don’t have to be rich to protect your family, just proactive.
Get your quote instantly with Ethos. No exams. No pressure.
