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The Federal Reserve and Your Money

Interest rates are a little lower than they used to be, but they’re still near the highest levels in over a decade. Here’s what it means for your wallet.

The latest on the Fed from Bankrate’s experts

“The biggest question now is how the Federal Reserve will respond to mounting concerns about the ongoing government shutdown, its risks to the economy and how it may influence future policy decisions.”

– Stephen Kates, CFP

The Fed Cut Interest Rates Again. Here’s How Your Wallet Could Feel It.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the second straight meeting, a sign that officials are more focused on safeguarding the job market and shielding the economy from a recession than reining in rising inflation.
Read more

Recent interest rate trends

Every time the Federal Reserve adjusts interest rates, borrowing and savings rates move in lockstep. Compare Bankrate data to see how the latest Fed decision is impacting rates on key consumer products.

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About Bankrate
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Stephen Kates, CFP Arrow Right Icon

Bankrate Financial Analyst

Sarah Foster

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Principal U.S. Economy Reporter

Mark Hamrick

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Senior Economic Analyst

Latest articles

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a press conference
The Fed will continue to stay on the sidelines when it comes to rates.
A women wearing a facemask talks on the phone while crossing the street
While economists were more optimistic, they weren’t without doubts about the risks to the outlook.
The rotunda on Capitol Hill
The financial practice of spending less than you make doesn’t apply to the federal government.
A framing art gallery is closed in Venice Beach, California, during the coronavirus pandemic.
The return to normalcy could happen later — rather than sooner. 
Two people under umbrella using tablet
The Fed’s recent actions may force savers to start thinking differently about their money.
Envelopes
A reader asks how people living on fixed income can beat inflation.
A person wears a protective face mask outside a GNC store.
Some forecasts suggest a resurgence in coronavirus cases could tip the financial system over again. 
Employees hadn out unemployment applications to people in their vehicles
Ending the crisis depends largely on eradicating the virus and the economic problems it opened up.
Illustration of gift box surrounded by an up arrow representing higher inflation.
Here’s what to skip and what to buy — and how to tariff-proof your budget.
Illustration of woman holding a briefcase in front of two bar graphs representing the deteriorating labor market
It’s a tale of two job markets: secure for job holders, recession-like for job seekers.
Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, during the National Association of Business Economics (NABE) annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Borrowers often don’t notice small rate cuts, and a weakening economy could dull the relief.
Federal Reserve Eccles Building illustration
Bankrate analyzed the Fed’s historic rate moves for clues on what might come next.
Illustration of a US Federal Reserve ink stamp
Every financial decision you make is impacted by the Federal Reserve.
Illustration of Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaking at a podium at the Fed's post-meeting press conference.
Officials are cutting rates to shore up the job market, but it’s not without risk.
Woman reaching in to the air for cash
Prices rise and fall all the time in the U.S. economy. It’s not always inflation.
Image of Jerome Powell
Rate cuts usually help your budget. This time, the impact may be barely noticeable.
Illustration of gift box surrounded by an up arrow representing higher inflation.
Here’s what to skip and what to buy — and how to tariff-proof your budget.
Illustration of woman holding a briefcase in front of two bar graphs representing the deteriorating labor market
It’s a tale of two job markets: secure for job holders, recession-like for job seekers.
Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, during the National Association of Business Economics (NABE) annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Borrowers often don’t notice small rate cuts, and a weakening economy could dull the relief.
Federal Reserve Eccles Building illustration
Bankrate analyzed the Fed’s historic rate moves for clues on what might come next.
Illustration of Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaking at a podium at the Fed's post-meeting press conference.
Officials are cutting rates to shore up the job market, but it’s not without risk.
Illustration of Fed Chair Jerome Powell
See what the nation’s top economists are forecasting in Bankrate’s Q3 survey.
Illustration of workers and small business owners in front of a briefcase
Before data started to show that the job market was slowing, cracks appeared in people’s lives first.
Illustration of worker juggling dollar bills over a background of a line signifying rising inflation
A record 62% say pay hasn’t kept up with costs, climbing from 55% in 2022.
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