By Steve GarmhausenThe Federal Reserve’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged Wednesday means your savings accounts will continue to enjoy decades-high yields of 5% or more. The question of how long interest rates will remain robust matters to those making decisions about how to save. Savings accounts are attractive because balances are readily available for emergencies or planned expenses like a home down payment—but their interest rates can change quickly in response to Fed actions. Savings accounts vs. CDsThe best savings accounts and CDs were paying around half a percentage point of annual interest before the Fed started raising rates last spring. Safe, liquid alternatives to bank accounts include Treasury bonds—the one-year T-bill was recently yielding 5.4%—and money-market mutual funds, which yield a hair less.

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Persons: Steve Garmhausen, it’s, “, ”, James Thorne, Brooke May, Daniel Wilson, Adam Stockton ,, you’ll Organizations: Wellington, Altus Private Wealth, Fed, City Locations: Altus, Indianapolis, Ind, Auburndale