Pros and cons of a money market account
A money market account is like a parking spot for cash, but with a few guardrails.
Successful saving is all about the habit. Automate your savings through direct deposit and payroll deduction so you are paying yourself first.
— Greg McBride, CFA
Greg McBride, CFA, is Chief Financial Analyst for Bankrate, the pre-eminent personal finance website. He leads a team responsible for researching financial products, providing analysis, and advice on personal finance to a vast consumer audience. With more than a quarter century of experience in personal finance, he is a subject matter expert that has the unique ability to provide both in-depth commentary and practical advice to consumers. Through Bankrate.com's Money Makeover series, he has helped consumers plan for retirement, manage debt and develop appropriate investment allocations.
McBride has appeared on hundreds of national cable and network broadcasts including NBC's "Nightly News," CBS' "Evening News" and ABC's "World News Tonight," and has been a frequent guest on CNBC and Fox Business Network. McBride is routinely quoted by major media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today, has served as a Wall Street Journal Expert Panelist, and is a regular guest on financial talk shows throughout the United States. He is also an accomplished public speaker, having appeared before audiences at the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Trade Commission, American Association of Individual Investors, National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Money 2020, and at the China Times Golden Cicada Awards in Beijing.
McBride serves on the funding board of the Consumer Financial Education Fund through the Rose Foundation of Oakland, CA.
McBride had a distinguished record of serving on boards in the credit counseling industry for over a decade, having previously chaired investment and compensation committees, most recently with the nation’s largest nonprofit credit counseling agency, Money Management International of Sugar Land, TX.
McBride is a graduate of the University of Florida and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
There are high income households that blow through it all and can’t save a dime, and there are households with very modest incomes that are prodigious savers. The common traits I’ve seen among good savers from all walks of life is the desire and discipline to save, making it a priority, a willingness to sacrifice and delay gratification, and keeping expenses in check. If you can save when you’re young or when you have a modest income, the habit stays with you if you move up the income scale. However, I have yet to meet a spendthrift that was able to flip a switch once reaching a certain age or income level and transform into a strong saver. If you’re unable to save, what are the barriers keeping you from doing so and what can you do to find a way around them?
Successful saving is all about the habit. Automate your savings through direct deposit and payroll deduction so you are paying yourself first.
— Greg McBride, CFA
A money market account is like a parking spot for cash, but with a few guardrails.
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