Latest posts
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When Interest Rates Stay High: How to Compare Treasury Bills, CDs, and Savings Accounts
The best place for your cash depends on liquidity, rate certainty, time horizon, and risk—not simply the highest advertised yield. By Sang Lee — Founder and Editor of AssetCalculus | Published by AssetCalculus What Is Happening With Rates? As of August 2026, the Federal Reserve is holding its benchmark federal funds rate at a target…
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Is a 4.5% APY on a Savings Account Good Right Now?
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus Yes — as of August 2026, a 4.5% APY sits toward the higher end of what’s broadly available and comfortably beats what most brick-and-mortar bank savings accounts pay (often well under 1%). With the Federal Reserve holding its benchmark rate at a target range of 3.50%–3.75%, top…
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What Is APY (Annual Percentage Yield)?
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus APY (annual percentage yield) is the total interest a savings account, CD, or money market account actually pays you over one year, once compounding is factored in. It’s different from the plain “interest rate,” which only reflects the base rate before compounding is applied. Because U.S. banks…
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Where the U.S. Economy Stands in August 2026 — And What It Means for Savers
The Fed is holding rates steady while inflation stays sticky. Here’s what that means for where you park your cash. By Sang Lee — Founder and Editor of AssetCalculus | Published by AssetCalculus The Economy in One Paragraph As of August 2026, the Federal Reserve is holding its benchmark federal funds rate at a target…
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The Rule of 72
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus Here’s a mental math trick that professional investors actually use: divide 72 by your expected annual rate of return. The answer tells you roughly how many years it will take your money to double. It’s called the Rule of 72, and it works because of how compound…
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Dollar-Cost Averaging (Explained Simply)
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus Have you ever hesitated to invest because you weren’t sure whether the market was about to go up or down? Dollar-cost averaging is probably the answer you’re looking for. The idea is almost embarrassingly simple. Instead of trying to time the market, you invest a fixed dollar…
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Does a 1% Fee Really Matter Over 30 Years?
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus Yes, and the effect is much bigger than it sounds. A 1% annual expense ratio doesn’t just cost you 1% of your money once; it compounds against you every single year, quietly eating into returns that would otherwise be growing on top of each other. Here’s the…
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How Do You Calculate Average Cost Basis After Buying at Different Prices?
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus Add up the total dollars you spent across all your purchases, then divide by the total number of shares you own. That single number is your average cost basis per share, and it’s what most brokers use to calculate your gain or loss when you sell. For…
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What Is Compound Interest?
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus Compound interest is interest calculated on both the money you originally invested and the interest that money has already earned. Instead of earning a flat amount every year, your gains start generating their own gains, which is why compound growth accelerates over time instead of moving in…
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What Is Average Cost Basis?
Reviewed by Sang Lee | Published by AssetCalculus Average cost basis is the average price you paid per share when you bought the same stock or ETF at different times and different prices. Instead of tracking each purchase separately, you combine them into one number: the total amount you spent divided by the total number…
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Turn the ideas in these articles into your own numbers with AssetCalculus’s free tools.
- Compound Interest Calculator — estimate how savings or investments can grow over time.
- Inflation-Adjusted Return Calculator — see what a return is worth after inflation.
- ETF Expense Ratio Impact Calculator — compare how fund fees affect long-term results.