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Our commitment to security: Save is SOC 2, Type 2 certified! 

Heather Leighton
Security
Security is heightened at Save with SOC 2 Type 2 certification.
In the ever-evolving landscape of financial technology, traditional banking institutions are seeking innovative partnerships, like what Save offers, to stay competitive and enhance their offerings. Recently, we set a new standard for ourselves by completing our SOC 2 certification. SOC 2 stands for System and Organization Controls (SOC). It’s an independent, third-party assessment of an organization’s security practices. Types I and II of SOC 2 demonstrate different levels of proven security standards.  Related read: The future of banking can be better for customers and banks Understanding SOC 2: Type 1 vs. Type 2  Before we explore the unique advantages of…

Equity Markets Drive Market Savings 2023 Returns (Part II)

Samuel Cherkas
Investing
2023 saw an equity rally, which is good news for equity-focused portfolios.
The average National Deposit Rate in January 2023 was around 0.30% and, as of December 2023, was still as low as 0.46%, according to the FDIC. In comparison, Save’s S&P 500 Risk-Controlled portfolio produced returns for a 1-year Market Savings program of 9.34%a during 2023.   Market Savings provides you with the safety of an FDIC-insured† deposit, while Save invests on your behalf at no risk to your capital. Save’s S&P 500 Risk-Controlled portfolio is one of several portfolios that we, an SEC-registered adviser, offer.   So how would the S&P 500 Risk-Controlled portfolio have produced a 1-year Market Savings program return…

6 graphics that will teach you how to have an investor’s mindset

Samuel Cherkas
InvestingFinance
Yes, investing comes with risk, but products like Market Savings and Market Trust allow you to be in investor in a different way.
Around 158 million Americans, or 61% of US adults, own stocks. At Save, we want to increase the number of people who understand, and benefit from, the wealth generation potential of financial markets. Nearly half (45%) of American adults feel they’ve missed out on financial opportunities by not investing more or at all over the last 10 years, according to a 2022 MagnifyMoney survey of 1,500 U.S. resident adults. Yes, investing comes with risk, but products like Market Savings and Market Trust allow you to invest without the risk of losing your initial deposit. For Market Savings, your deposit is…

Is market-driven yield better?

Adam Watts
InvestingFinance
Four paper airplanes representing market-driven yields.
Investing generally generates higher returns than savings accounts. Both Market Savings and traditional savings accounts hold cash in FDIC-insured† deposit accounts.  As such, their deposit safety is the same. The difference lies in their yield.  So, which is better? Market-driven yield or traditional savings account interest? It is widely accepted that over the long term, investing in stocks and bonds outperforms savings accounts.  If we use the classic 60% stock and 40% bond portfolio to represent investing and the average one-year CD rate to represent savings, from 1983 to 2022, we see that the investment portfolio’s compound return is more than…

9 ways to easily plant trees without leaving your couch

Heather Leighton
InvestingSave Culture
We've got to plant trees, but how exactly? Here are a few ideas.
We’ve got to plant trees, but how exactly? We’ve got a few ideas for you to consider. Beyond their serene beauty and calming presence, trees play a pivotal role in combating the escalating crisis of climate change. As environmental consciousness takes center stage, the significance of these leafy giants becomes ever more apparent.  According to the USDA, a mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year, with this remarkable capacity growing to a ton over its lifespan of around 40 years. But it’s not just the individual efforts that count. When united, trees wield extraordinary strength…

The reality of late retirement savings and how to make up for it

Heather Leighton
RetirementInvesting
The reality of late retirement savings and how to make up for it
Retirement savings planning is unique for every person, but for most Americans, their current retirement savings plan just isn’t enough.   The key is to start as soon as possible and maintain saving for retirement, but often people wonder how much they’re on track. Here are a few facts to help with that:  The average American has $65,000 in retirement savings and by their retirement age, that average is estimated to be $255,200, according to the Federal Reserve’s most recent “Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2019” survey.   Nearly half of working-age families have nothing saved in retirement…

Who is Market Trust for and where does it fit in your retirement plan?  

Heather Leighton
RetirementInvesting
Woman leaning on a car parked on a cliff overlooking the ocean while thinking about retirement planning.
Market Trust is redefining retirement planning. In this blog, we break down whether or not Market Trust is for you.    Market Trust helps make up for lost time safely through a conservative investment program that achieves principal protection based on a five-year term4 and a variable APY** of 13.82% using S&P 500 Risk-Controlled Portfolio historical performance.  An APY** that high is tempting for anyone with an ounce of financial knowledge, but is Market Trust the right program for you?   Short answer, Market Trust is for you if you are near retirement age, like 55 years old or older, if you’re…

Introducing Market Trust – a new way to save for retirement 

Heather Leighton
Retirement
Woman in a kitchen researching Market Trust, which combines market-driven yields with principal protection.
Move over IRAs and 401ks, there’s a new retirement product called Market Trust in town. Like other Save products, our newly-launched Market Trust combines market-driven APY** with principal protection when held for the full term.4 Market Trust marks the first time we have made our advisory technology available to retirement-saving customers and advisers.4 Market Trust helps make up for lost time safely through a conservative investment program using S&P 500 Risk-Controlled Portfolio that achieves principal protection based on a five-year term and a variable APY** of 12.48% based on historical performance. But how can Market Trust provide such a high…

Equity markets drive Market Savings returns in 2023 

Samuel Cherkas
Investing
How Save portfolios performed so far in the market in 2023
The average National Deposit Rate in January 2023 was around 0.30% and is now 0.42%, according to the FDIC. In comparison, Save’s S&P 500 Risk-Controlled portfolio has produced annualized returns for a 1-year Market Savings program of 15.9%a,b.    Let’s explain:  The first half of 2023 saw a big equity rally, while bonds and commodities struggled. This is good news for equity-focused portfolios, and mixed news for multi-asset, diversified portfolios (which generate returns from all asset classes).   For a 1-year Market Savings program, the S&P 500 Risk-Controlled portfolio is on course to deliver +15.9%a, b on an annualized basis, with other…

3 simple things I wish I knew before I started investing 

Heather Leighton
Investing
Investing and financial literacy of U.S. adults isn't the best. These investing tips may help.
Ultimately, time in the market, the true meaning of diversification, and knowing how taxes impact your returns are just a few things I wish I had known before I started investing.  Let’s be honest, financial education in America isn’t where it should be. The 2023 TIAA Institute-GFLEX Personal Finance index revealed that 48% of the 28 basic money questions were answered correctly by surveyed Americans.  TIAA has conducted the survey since 2017, and since its induction, this percentage of correct answers has averaged around 50%.  In an S&P Global FinLit Survey on literacy rates around the world, the countries with…

The future of banking can be better for customers and banks 

Heather Leighton
Save CultureSecurity
Two men sailing thinking about banking.
Fintechs like Save are transforming the banking industry, but unique to our “Savetech” is the appeal for both banks and customers.   Banking-as-a-service, known as “BaaS,” has flourished thanks to technological advancements and regulatory changes, and we’re thankful for the BaaS partnerships that we have garnered because it allows us to bring quality banking alternatives to the marketplace.     “The days of going into a bank to open an account are gone thanks to BaaS,” said Michael Nelskyla, Founder and CEO of Save. “Customers can open a Save account entirely on their own within minutes and start earning more on their money.…

Our philosophy on Market Savings fees – you shouldn’t pay fees if you don’t make money 

Heather Leighton
InvestingSecurity
Man in a canoe on a lake thinking about Market Savings fees.
Our Market Savings fee structure is changing the investment world by doing something no other financial advisor is doing: If you don’t make money, we don’t make money.   To put our customers first, we’re on a mission to build financial products that build your wealth. For Market Savings, your portfolio has to earn more than our management fee before we take our fee.   This is how Market Savings management fee breaks down:  If your Save portfolio earns less than 0.35% If your Save portfolio earns exactly 0.35% If your Save portfolio earns more than 0.35% Save charges no fee Save charges no fee You…

How to maximize savings: 5 tips for growing your money

Heather Leighton
FinanceInvesting
You must maximize savings to ensure financial well-being and achieve your long-term financial goals. 
You must maximize savings to ensure financial well-being and achieve your long-term financial goals.  However, maximizing savings requires strategic planning and a proactive approach. The following points are practical tips and tricks (some of which you might not have thought of previously) to help you grow your money effectively.   From budgeting and reducing debt to optimizing savings through various strategies and new products, we will explore actionable steps to help you make the most of your available resources. Managing your finances can sometimes be overwhelming, but starting is the first step in taking control of your finances and setting yourself…

What you need to know before becoming a Save customer

Heather Leighton
Save CultureSecurity
What you need to know before opening a Save account 
When deciding on opening a financial account with any firm, credibility is often of importance. Ultimately, credibility can often be found in trust signals that are linked to government-regulated memberships and a fintech’s partner network, like with Save.    As an SEC-regulated firm, we are required to abide by specific standards to ensure customers can access all of the information they may want to know about our business, but sometimes it’s hard to sort out the most critical information as a customer. To help, we’ve compiled what we think are some of the key pieces of information customers would want to…

How Save referrals can significantly boost your investment returns 

Adina Lazar
Investing
Refer friends and family to Save, and watch your investment returns grow together. 
Save makes savings social. Refer friends and family to Save, and watch your investment returns grow together.  Financial institutions are expected to spend $30.75 billion on digital advertising by the end of this year. The aim of their advertising efforts, like any business, is to generate awareness and get potential clients to open new accounts.  At Save, we’d rather invest our available resources into improving our customers’ investments. This is why we’ve created a referral program that encourages happy customers to introduce friends who could also benefit from higher returns to Save.  Save’s referral program is easy:  1. Simply share…

When banks like SVB fail, what happens to deposits when the FDIC takes over? 

Heather Leighton
Investing
The SVB failure shows how important FDIC insurance is.
As we see with the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank closures, having an FDIC-insured account keeps your deposits safe in the event that a bank fails.  On March 10, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced that Silicon Vally Bank (SVB) was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Then, two days later, the FDIC announced Signature Bank was closed, too. To protect depositors, the FDIC took over the banks’ assets.   But what does that actually mean?   In these situations, the protection extended by the FDIC becomes a lifesaver for your money.  The…
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