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.

Budgeting tips

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.

Woman sitting on a sofa looking at her laptop

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.

Initial deposit:

Monthly contribution:

Over a period of:

Months

Years

APY:

Total savings breakdown:
	Interest earned	$ 5,803.89
	Total contributions	+ $24,000
	Initial deposit	+ $10,000

Your total savings

$ 39,803. 89

The average APY in the U.S. is 0.57%. Enter an APY to see how much you can save, or choose an APY from one of our partners.

Explore banking products:

CDs Savings Accounts MMAs Checking Accounts

Latest articles

Keeping track of bills and payments can be difficult, here’s how to make it easier.

Bankrate’s experts are reacting live to the Fed’s latest interest rate decision.

Still wrestling with inflation, Fed officials might not be so quick to rescue the economy.

Older couple on a couch, smiling, looking at a laptop

Verizon and Openbank announced a partnership on Tuesday that gives Verizon customers a way to save money on their bill if they have an Openbank High Yield Savings account. Verizon customers can save money [...]

illustration of hammer with box with red health cross sign on it and a stack of cash

Emergency savings depleted? Here’s how to start replenishing it.

The National Credit Union Administration is similar to the FDIC, which covers banks.

Woman sitting on her couch, looking at her laptop

There are a handful of numbers you should track for your financial health and well-being. A few you might already know about – your credit score and your net worth, for example. But you should also know [...]

Two happy people looking at sheets of paper

As the old saying goes: What goes up, must come down. But in the case of annual percentage yields (APYs), we might have a bit more air time. While APYs on deposit accounts may have come down from their [...]