MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money
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February 24, 2026 / 3:14 PM EST
/ CBS News
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A $10,000 deposit into a specific savings vehicle now can still result in hundreds of dollars in earned interest.
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If you were able to save $10,000 in the uneven economic climate of recent years, then you should congratulate yourself for a job well done. And if you were able to do so without growing your debt balances at the same time, that’s an even more considerable accomplishment. But while the hard work of saving may be seemingly complete right now, the next level of determining where to store that money can be equally as difficult. After all, with multiple savings accounts currently offering competitive interest rates – even if they’re lower than they had been in recent years – it can be hard to determine which one makes the most sense for your hard-earned dollars.
There are four primary savings accounts to consider now: certificates of deposit (CDs), high-yield savings, money market and traditional accounts. Each has a different top interest rate and each operates in its own unique way. To better determine which will be the best home for your money, however, it helps to know how much interest your $10,000 can earn in each in the final months of 2026. Below, we’ll break down the interest earnings you should know now.
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How much interest can $10,000 earn in 2026?
While CDs have fixed interest rates that allow for precise interest-earning calculations, high-yield savings, money market and traditional savings accounts have variable rates that will change over time, especially over an extended period. But savers can still gain an approximate idea of what they can earn with each.
Here, then, is how much interest a $10,000 deposit can earn over the next nine months of 2026, assuming variable rates remain constant, no money is added or withdrawn and no CD early withdrawal penalties are issued:
$10,000 traditional savings account at 0.39%: $29.24
$10,000 money market account at 4.00%: $298.52
$10,000 high-yield savings account at 4.09%: $305.21
$10,000 9-month CD at 4.00%: $298.52
Your most lucrative options, then, are the money market account and the 9-month CD now. Just understand that the money market account rate will likely change before the year is complete, but the CD rate won’t. At the same time, the CD will prohibit access to the money in a way that all three accounts on the list will not.
Examine all four closely, then, to determine which meets your needs the best, but do your best to avoid the traditional account. At a rate of just 0.39% on average now, not only will your money not be keeping pace with inflation, but you’ll virtually be losing money by not shifting it into one of the other high-rate alternatives instead.
Get started with a CD account online now.
The bottom line
The interest-earning potential of a $10,000 deposit can be worth hundreds of dollars, earned before the end of 2026, if savers take action now. And if they do so with a CD, that interest will be guaranteed and dependable. While these returns aren’t quite as lucrative as what was available in 2023 or 2024, they’re still exponentially improved from what was available at the start of the decade. With a little effort and a strategic approach, savers can continue to grow their earnings this year as they build up their $10,000 closer to $11,000 or beyond.
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