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Budgeting basics

A budget is a spending plan that helps you understand how much money you're making and where you're spending it. A budget is the cornerstone of a strong financial plan.

Budgeting tips

A couple budgets together.
Bankrate offers 18 ideas for stretching your budget to save money.
Woman using a calculator and examining financial documents
Understanding discretionary income can help you with your budgeting strategy.
Our guide tackles the basics of disposable income and how you can use it to budget.

Calculate your savings

Use our Savings Calculator to help you quickly and accurately estimate the growth of your investment. Set a goal and figure out how much you need to save each month to hit the mark.

Latest articles

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New Bankrate data shows money is the No. 1 factor negatively impacting mental health.
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Savers, here are strategies to invest in CDs.
A check-cashing store.
If you don’t have a bank account, check-cashing services offer access to your money, at a cost.
Big banks pay just 0.01% APY while online banks offer 4.4%. Your $10,000 could earn $897 more over two years. Learn how to switch without changing banks.
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Digital banking makes it easy to access your personal finances from anywhere.
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Here’s how you can open a checking account online, in three steps.
Young business woman working at the office on a laptop
Here’s a guide to saving $10,000 in one year to make yourself more financially secure.
A portly white male wearing sunglasses is relaxing on his hammock outside, smiling in the sun holding a debit card in one hand and a smart phone in the other.
Customer satisfaction is up at banks and credit unions, but fees are still an issue.
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Here’s a helpful guide to how much you need in savings over the course of your life.
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Monthly budgets are popular because many expenses, such as rent and bills, occur monthly.
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It’s important to find the right accounts for your emergency savings.
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An emergency fund is an essential part of a solid financial plan.
Mother and daughter shopping for vegetables
These simple moves can help you build a cash cushion.
Calendar of 2023
Use this challenge to stash more cash toward your savings goals.
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Creating a timeline is a useful way to plan and meet all your financial goals.
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Rainy day and emergency funds differ but together provide a sound financial plan.
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Verizon and Openbank announced a partnership on Tuesday that gives Verizon customers a way to save money on their bill if they have an Openbank High Yield Savings account. Verizon customers can save money [...]
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Emergency savings depleted? Here’s how to start replenishing it.
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There are a handful of numbers you should track for your financial health and well-being. A few you might already know about – your credit score and your net worth, for example. But you should also know [...]
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As the old saying goes: What goes up, must come down. But in the case of annual percentage yields (APYs), we might have a bit more air time. While APYs on deposit accounts may have come down from their [...]
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Here’s what you need to know about tapping into your emergency fund.
After facing a rent increase, I’m moving to Washington, D.C. to save $24,000 over two years.
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Take these simple steps to jumpstart your savings plan for a new car.
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Sweeping changes at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) signal what would be a significant shift in banking regulation under the Trump administration. While regulatory changes might sound like [...]
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