Budgeting basics

A budget is a spending plan that helps you understand how much money you're making and where you're spending it. A budget is the cornerstone of a strong financial plan.

Envelope budgeting

Zero-based budget

Create a home budget

Budgeting tips

A couple budgets together.

Bankrate offers 18 ideas for stretching your budget to save money.

Woman using a calculator and examining financial documents

Understanding discretionary income can help you with your budgeting strategy.

Our guide tackles the basics of disposable income and how you can use it to budget.

Essential reading

Calculate your savings

Use our Savings Calculator to help you quickly and accurately estimate the growth of your investment. Set a goal and figure out how much you need to save each month to hit the mark.

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Latest articles

In case of a potential emergency, it pays to be financially prepared.

Consumer grabbing water bottle with mask during coronavirus

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Customers walk past a Chase Bank branch.

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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell talks to reporters at press conference

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A custom image of a $100 bill and a mask.

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Mother and daughter shopping for vegetables

These simple moves can help you build a cash cushion.

Calendar of 2023

Use this challenge to stash more cash toward your savings goals.

Illustration of construction workers on a roof

An emergency fund is an essential part of a solid financial plan.

illustration of money growing on trees

Here’s a helpful guide to how much you need in savings over the course of your life.

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Creating a timeline is a useful way to plan and meet all your financial goals.

Man using cell phone in living room

It’s important to find the right home for your emergency savings.

Young man choosing oranges in the supermarket

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People walking back and forth in front of Capital One Bank entrance.

A CFPB lawsuit claims Capital One underpaid savings account interest by $2 billion.

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If your New Year’s goal is to practice self-care, use these tips to stay on budget.

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Here’s how you can start paying off that holiday debt and building up your savings.

Mother and daughter shopping for vegetables

These simple moves can help you build a cash cushion.

A couple budgets together.

Bankrate offers 18 ideas for stretching your budget to save money.

Whimsical illustration of a hand putting a quarter into a miniature but realistic high end safe. As if it were a piggy bank

Comparing savings rates can ensure you get the best return on your savings.

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Get the latest rates on top-yielding money market accounts.

Close up, two hands holding a one hundred dollar bill

Even earning as little as $100 in extra income here and there can give you added spending money.

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