I’m a harsh taskmaster when it comes to my money.

If it’s in my portfolio, it’d better be working around the clock for me.

And that includes the cold, hard cash sitting in my savings account.

Cash may be a safe place to wait out the volatility of the market. But it doesn’t do me any good if it isn’t actively increasing my bottom line.

In my advisory, Intelligent Income Daily, I’m focused on finding the safest income investments on the market.

Though I don’t normally think of cash as an investment, in times of uncertainty, it provides us safety and the ability to scoop up great deals when I find them.

And in this rising-rate environment, there are many options to get a surprisingly high yield on cash.

Today, I want to show you a few little-known ways to get the best returns on your cash with minimal additional risk.

And I’ll tell you about a brand-new strategy I launched that can help you earn income – guaranteed by a contract – without having to touch the volatility of the stock market.

That way, you can protect your cash through stock market booms and busts.

How to 10x Your Cash Savings

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the national average interest rate for savings accounts is just 0.33%.

But you won’t even get that much if you leave your money in an account at one of the megabanks.

Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase offer a paltry 0.01% on their standard savings accounts. Wells Fargo isn’t much better with just 0.15%.

That’s a slap in the face when the Federal Reserve has raised short-term rates to over 4.5%.

But it’s not hard to find online banks that offer much more attractive rates. And you might be surprised to find some familiar names that aren’t known for their traditional banking services.

For example:

  • Ally Financial is one of the nation’s largest auto lenders. But it offers a savings account with 3.4% interest.

  • American Express is a credit card company. But it pays 3.5% on its savings accounts.

  • Goldman Sachs is mainly an investment bank. But it offers nearly 3.8% through its Marcus consumer banking business.

These are all protected by FDIC insurance. And they pay more than 10x interest on your savings than the national average rate for savings accounts.

Another option for earning attractive yields on cash is money market mutual funds available through your broker.

Fidelity’s Treasury Money Market Fund (FZFXX) offers 4%… Schwab’s Treasury Obligations Money Fund (SNOXX) yields 4.26%… And Vanguard’s Treasury Money Market Fund (VUSXX) pays 4.5%.

Keep in mind that mutual funds aren’t protected by FDIC insurance. But these three only invest in the safest form of debt – Treasurys backed by the federal government.

There are also exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that can serve as cash substitutes.

It’s important to pick funds that focus only on the types of bonds that limit credit and interest rate risk. Specifically, the best ones are ultrashort duration or floating rate Treasury funds.

A couple of good options are the SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL), which yields 4.4%, and the WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury ETF (USFR), which yields 4.45%.

Even Higher Yields Are Out There

Cash is a safe holding-pattern asset… But there’s no reason to miss out on a competitive yield while you wait.

Don’t let your money slack on the job.

This is the kind of mindset that differentiates average investors from millionaires and billionaires.

Money is an asset. So don’t give it vacation time to sit back and relax. Make it work around the clock for you.

Your portfolio will thank you.

And if you’re looking for returns that are double – or more – than the ones I mentioned above, check out the replay of my special broadcast right here.

During this event, I explain how to generate healthy double-digit yields while managing risk and limiting exposure to the broader markets.

These alternative investments are normally reserved for high-net-worth “sophisticated” investors, and they don’t follow the same rules as the stocks that everybody else invests in. (We call them contractually obligated money, or COMs).

They’re what market insiders use to profit from downturns. But I’ve made them available to you, the average investor.

To get access to our exclusive research on the best and safest alternative income investments, click here to watch the replay.

Happy SWAN (sleep well at night) investing,

Brad Thomas
Editor, Intelligent Income Daily