When considering safe, no-risk places to deposit your money, a savings account and a checking account are probably top of mind—and perhaps certificates of deposit (CDs). But how about considering another one that also comes with plenty of benefits: a money market account? (If you’re already ready to open yours, you can apply for your
high-yield money market account here.)
Before we dive in with more specifics, this kind of account sometimes goes by other names, such as a money market deposit account (MMDA) and a money market savings account (MMSA). These are the exact same type of account—just with a slightly different name. One of the reasons we bring this up is because two other names for financial accounts—money market funds and money market mutual funds—are not the same as what we’ll be discussing here.
Benefits of Money Market Accounts
Here are the top benefits of money market accounts:
- Security: Despite the word “market” in the account’s name, this is not like investing in the stock market where you risk losing money if the value of your shares of stock plunges—and where you can earn high yields when the value of stock shares skyrockets. A money market account is a safe, predictable yield account that banks and credit unions offer, and it’s federally insured.
- High interest rates: This kind of account earns variable rates of interest, and at many financial institutions the interest rate on the account will go up as the balance does. This is the case at Space Coast Credit Union (SCCU) where we offer different tiers of interest, all competitive, depending upon the account balance.
- Flexibility: A money market account is also a versatile type of savings product because it combines the features of a savings account with the convenience of a checking account so you can make purchases, pay expenses, and so forth with the funds. To withdraw money, you’ll typically have the options of checks or a debit card. At SCCU, you’ll receive a free Visa® debit card.
Depositing Into Money Market Accounts
Money market accounts typically require a bigger opening deposit than a savings or checking account. Then, to keep increasing the interest rate, you can keep depositing money in increments that work for you. Keep in mind this is a variable rate account, but the best money market rates are always available when the balance is higher.
The minimum daily balance to keep the account open will also be more than on a savings or checking account. Money market accounts often come with restrictions, as well, in the number of times you can make withdrawals each month (but not at SCCU!).
One of the top benefits of this type of account: you can deposit extra cash into the account whenever you want. And, unlike a CD, you don’t have to wait for a maturity period to reap the rewards of your investment, because you will continue to earn higher rates of interest as your average daily balance grows.
Some of the financial wellness resources we provide to members are budgeting-related. Budgeting well can help you streamline expenses and save more money, which you can use to earn even more through your money market account. Resources include:
As you become even better at budgeting, you’ll be able to pay down debt or find wiggle room to save more money each month. And the more cash you have on hand, the more you can add to your high-yield money market account. If you’re wondering how much you should be saving to reach a goal, or for a rainy day, you can use one of our calculators to see the
benefits of saving more.
Why Money Market Accounts Exist
Savings and checking accounts have a long history, and they are account types that most people are familiar with. Money market accounts, though—and the benefits they provide to consumers—are relatively new. Here’s a quick look back at how they developed.
In the 1970s, many people in the United States struggled financially as inflation made it more difficult for them to keep up with their monthly expenses. Earnings had stagnated and most households weren’t able to keep up with the rising prices. To make the problem more challenging, banks weren’t allowed to raise their deposit interest rates—despite the fact that they weren’t keeping up with the market conditions. To entice customers to keep their money in a bank or credit union, financial institutions gave out toasters, waffle irons, and other small appliances as incentives to open and keep accounts.
Understandably, consumers who weren’t satisfied with a toaster looked for other ways to invest their money, ones that might come with risk and didn’t guarantee that their principal would be protected, but came with higher interest rates and, thus, the possibility of greater earnings.
Regulators slowly allowed financial institutions to pay higher interest rates on their savings accounts. But, in many instances, this meant that the financial institutions were paying out higher rates in interest than they were making on loans. So, although this worked out better for consumers, financial institutions in the United States were under significant pressure as they attempted to maintain stability and weather market fluctuations of this kind.
To address these problems, President Ronald Reagan signed the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982. As one of the features of this Act, financial institutions could now offer money market accounts. Once available, they became quite popular because of the higher interest rates and how they combined useful features from savings and checking accounts.
Money Market Account Versus Checking Accounts
It can be helpful to compare money market accounts with other types of accounts to see how they’re alike and how they’re different. Then you can make the right decision for your specific needs.
With a checking account, you typically don’t need to make a significant opening deposit. This account allows you to deposit checks and cash, and direct deposit your paycheck. Then, you can use your debit card when shopping, write checks for your monthly bills, or set up automatic bill payments online. So, a checking account often serves as your “home base” for day-to-day financial transactions.
You won’t often find restrictions on the number of withdrawals you can make with a typical checking account. You can spend up to the amount that’s available but maintain a minimum balance to keep the account open. Checking accounts may or may not earn any interest. When they do, it’s often at a much lower interest rate than a money market account.
A money market account, meanwhile, pays higher interest rates. You can use this type of account similarly to a savings account where you save for a rainy day or a specific goal: for a new car, a down payment on a house, and so forth. You can access your funds as long as you:
- Keep the minimum required average daily balance (which will be higher than with a checking account)
- Stay within the number of transactions that your financial institution allows each month
If you can make deposits and maintain the minimum balance requirement without needing to write checks against the amount, a money market makes allows you to earn more interest and serves as a high-yield savings vehicle.
Money Market Account Versus Savings Accounts
You can usually open a savings account with a relatively small balance, save money, and earn interest on the balance. You can use a savings account to set aside emergency funds or for other specific purposes. In most cases, you can take out money as needed with no limits on the number of withdrawals; plus, the amount you need to keep the account open is usually small.
Money market accounts take the best of savings accounts—the ability to save your money and earn interest—with a higher interest rate, which helps your money to grow more quickly. That said, the money market account will need a bigger opening deposit and have a bigger balance requirement than a savings account.
Keep in mind that some financial institutions have a limit on the number of monthly withdrawals. Before April 2020, financial institutions needed to limit withdrawals/transfers to six each month (or statement cycle). The Federal Reserve Board got rid of that rule, though, to give consumers easier access to the money they have in their money market accounts during the pandemic. So now, until further notice, it’s up to the bank or credit union if they have a transaction limit.
Money Market Account Versus Certificates of Deposit
This is a good comparison to delve into. That’s because people who want to earn more than they can in a savings account may want to weigh the pros and cons of
money markets versus certificates of deposit (CDs).
When opening a CD, you’ll need to meet the minimum deposit requirement like you would with a money market account. In return, with a CD, you’d earn a fixed interest rate for an agreed-upon time period. At the end of this term, the CD reaches maturation where the account owner can withdraw funds, “roll it over” into the same CD term or at the current rate, or put the money into another account, including into a CD with a different time frame.
CDs typically pay higher interest rates than checking, savings, or money market accounts. Because the interest rates are fixed, you know how much your CD will be worth at the end of its term; with variable rate products, it would be an estimate. Plus, you’ll find a wide range of CD terms available at financial institutions—could be anywhere from a month to 10 years.
The catch with a CD? You can’t withdraw the funds during the designated timeframe without facing an early withdrawal fee. So its limited liquidity means it’s a “hands-off” way to save whereas money markets accounts offer a little more flexibility in regards to withdrawing funds.
Although a money market account won’t typically have interest rates as high as a CD, you can withdraw funds without having to wait for a maturity date. So, each type of account comes with pros and cons, and it’s best to weigh them before choosing which type of account might be right for you.
One strategy that works well for some people: each time their CD matures, they take funds from their money market to deposit into their CD. That way, they increase the amount that will receive the higher interest rates associated with CDs.
SCCU Money Market Interest Rates and Terms
Our focus is to provide flexible products that allow you to build and maintain financial wellness. With our high-yield money market accounts, you can earn more as you move up the tier of interest rates. The current minimum opening deposit is $2,500 and that’s also the minimum required average daily balance. As long as you keep that amount in your money market, there’s no monthly service fee. If you go below the minimum, there’s a $15 fee for applicable months.
Now that we’ve explained the nuts and bolts, here are our
current money market interest rates. Take note of the tiers. Your interest rate goes up when you reach the following balances: $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $100,000 and $250,000. So, when you put in the maximum, you’ll earn the best money market rates for the time frame chosen.
When you need funds, you can easily access them with a transfer in Online or Mobile Banking, or by using the free Visa
® debit card that you receive with your SCCU Money Market account. Additional benefits of having a high-yield money market account at SCCU include:
- Free mobile deposits29
- Free online & mobile banking60
- Account alerts to monitor activity
- Auto transfers, easily scheduled
- Free CALL-24 telephone banking
- Free eStatements
Naturally enough, you’ll be looking for the best money market rates, and those offered at credit unions are often among the most favorable.