High-Yield Savings Calculator

The gap between a high street account and a good online one is enormous and almost invisible, because it compounds quietly and nothing ever tells you. This works out what staying put has cost you. It also checks whether the account keeps up with prices at all.

Staying put costs you

Where you are now: $0
Where you could be: $0
Cost per year of waiting: $0
Real return after prices: 0%
Buying power in 5 years: $0

Where you end up, either way

The taller bar is where you end up. The gap between them is what the better rate is worth, and it is money you get for filling in a form.

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Move it and watch

at {v} for what you have saved

What this assumes

And what you can change

Growth is steady every yearReal markets are not

You keep contributing as enteredLife interrupts most plans

Nothing is taken in tax along the wayDepends on the account

Not what you expected?

Why your own figure may differ

Markets do not move in a straight line. A steady rate is a model, not a forecast. Try a lower one too.

Fees eat more than people expect. A percentage point of fees over decades is a large sum.

Inflation shrinks the number. A pot in thirty years buys less than the same pot today.

What the gap costs over time

The longer money sits in the wrong place, the wider the gap gets. That is compounding working against you.

Cost of the rate gap over time
After	At your rate	At the better rate	Difference

High-yield savings: real examples

Three things worth knowing about where your savings sit. Click any card to load it.

The cost of not switching
$20,000 at 0.4% instead of 4.5%

A typical big-bank rate against a good online one.

Over five years the gap is $4,520. Same money. Same job. You would never think about the account again.
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Losing to prices
0.5% while prices rise 3%

The balance grows. The buying power does not.

The real return is negative. The statement number goes up. The money still buys less every year.
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Saving as well
$500 a month on top

A regular deposit alongside the balance.

The gap widens further. Every new deposit earns the better rate too. Switching once helps everything you save later.
Load this scenario in the calculator →

Common questions about high-yield savings

How much am I losing by not switching?

Usually more than you would guess. The gap compounds quietly and nothing ever tells you. A big bank pays almost nothing. A good online account pays several percent more. On a decent emergency fund that is hundreds a year, every year, for doing nothing.

What is APY?

It is the yearly return once compounding is counted. That makes it the honest figure to compare by. An interest rate and an APY are not the same number. For one account, the APY is the higher of the two. So compare APY against APY.

Is my money safe in an online bank?

A properly insured online bank has the same protection as a high street one. It has the same limits too. What matters is the insurance, not whether there are branches. Check the account is covered before you move anything. Then stay inside the limit.

Is a savings account actually keeping up with prices?

Often not. This is the thing to check. Say prices rise faster than your account pays. Your money then buys less each year, even as the balance grows. The tool works out your real return and says plainly when it is negative.

Should I keep everything in savings?

For money you might need soon, yes. Reachable and safe beats a better return you cannot get at. For money you will not touch for years, it is usually the wrong home. It barely keeps pace with prices. Different money, different jobs.

Do the advertised rates last?

Not always. Some accounts pay a high rate briefly, then quietly drop it. They rely on you not noticing. Others carry conditions, like a minimum balance or a monthly deposit. Check your rate every so often. Be wary of anything far above the rest.