MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money
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February 25, 2026 / 3:37 PM EST
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A $50,000 deposit into a CD or high-yield savings account could prove to be a lucrative choice this year.
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Even after the impact of decades-high inflation in recent years and an elevated interest rate climate that still has a long way to cool further, $50,000 represents a sizable sum of money saved. And if it was accumulated without having to accrue any debt in the interim, it’s an even more impressive accomplishment. But building up this amount of money is only the first step in the process, even if it’s the most fundamental one. The next move involves knowing where to store it in the cooler but still competitive interest rate landscape of 2026.
Multiple savings accounts can home this money, assuming savers don’t want to try their luck investing in stocks instead. But these four primary savings account options come with different interest rates, terms and conditions and not each one will offer savers a lucrative return on their initial, five-figure deposit. It helps to know, then, which of these accounts will actually be the most favorable before shifting around any funds. Below, we’ll detail the interest-earning potential $50,000 could result in now, calculated against a series of account types.
See how much interest you could be earning with a high-rate savings account here.
How much interest can $50,000 earn in 2026?
Some savings vehicles, like certificates of deposit (CDs), have fixed interest rates that can make interest-earning projections both precise and simple to calculate. Others, like high-yield savings and money market accounts, utilize variable interest rates that will change based on market conditions. Traditional savings accounts also have variable rates, but at under 0.40% on average right now, these make for a poor home for any savings, let alone an amount as high as $50,000.
Here’s how much interest a $50,000 deposit can earn over the next nine months in 2026, working on the assumption that variable rates don’t change, no money is deposited or withdrawn, and no penalties are issued against the accounts:
$50,000 traditional savings account at 0.39%: $146.18
$50,000 money market account at 4.00%: $1,492.62
$50,000 high-yield savings account at 4.09%: $1,526.04
$50,000 9-month CD at 4.00%: $1,492.62
Though the high-yield savings account has the greatest interest rate here, and therefore the greatest interest-earning potential, it’s not a guaranteed return in the way that a CD is, and over the full nine months is actually likely to decline in a way that a locked CD account will not.
Money market accounts, meanwhile, have identical rates to CDs now – but they’re also likely to change over time. That said, the account also comes with check-writing features that the other three do not, so if your goal is to maintain flexible access to your funds, occasionally be able to write a check from the same account in which you’re saving money, all while still earning an elevated interest rate, a money market account could be for you.
No matter which you choose, however, try to avoid keeping any money – let alone $50,000 – in a traditional savings account, as the 0.39% rate these accounts employ now not only doesn’t keep pace with inflation, but they essentially represent an interest-earnings loss when compared to readily available alternatives.
Get started with a CD account online now.
The bottom line
A $50,000 deposit can still produce a substantial interest return for savers this year, even in the overall cooler interest rate environment that 2026 now represents. Take the time, then, to consider each account type closely, evaluating the pros, cons and interest-earning power of each to determine which makes the most sense for your money. It took a lot of time, effort and patience to build your savings funds to this level, so it’s critical that you get as much interest out of the money as possible.
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