What workarounds did people try for "How to decide whether to invest excess savings or keep them in an HYSA"?

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Community members documented 212 workarounds:
1. Leaving money in a High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA)
2. Maxing out tax-advantaged accounts like 401k, IRAs, and HSAs
3. Placing surplus cash into a high-yield savings account (HYSA)
4. Leaving excess funds in checking or high-yield savings accounts
5. Holding cash in a money market account
6. Putting money into a high-yield savings account
7. Asking for pointers on personal finance forums
8. splitting monthly surplus between a Roth IRA, a high-yield savings account, and day-to-day accounts
9. maintaining a large cash balance in a high-yield savings account
10. Opening a brokerage account to buy index funds automatically on a weekly basis
11. Contributing to a Roth or traditional IRA to manage tax advantages
12. chasing rates across different banks
13. investing in treasury ETFs like SGOV or money market funds
14. accepting lower rates to keep the bucket feature
15. Placing extra money into a high-yield savings account for liquidity
16. Making extra principal payments to save on interest
17. Using a mortgage recast after accumulating enough cash
18. Using the raise as an inflation adjustment across existing budgets
19. Splitting the raise evenly between treating yourself with a vacation and investing the rest
20. Adding 1% to retirement contributions and enjoying the remainder
21. Allocating half to retirement accounts and putting the rest into sinking funds
22. Consulting the Bogleheads prioritizing investments wiki chart
23. Following the personal finance subreddit wiki prime directive
24. Prioritizing high-interest student loan payoff before investing heavily
25. Maxing out available retirement accounts like SEP and IRAs
26. Putting monthly savings into a high-yield savings account to maintain liquidity
27. Investing in T-bills through TreasuryDirect for a higher yield and state tax exemption while keeping funds relatively liquid
28. Asking for advice and personal experiences from online forum communities
29. Comparing historical returns of index funds against real estate appreciation and rental income
30. Calculating mortgage interest rates against potential market yields
31. parking cash in a low-yield savings account
32. reading common personal finance topic wikis
33. Investing in Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
34. Allocating money toward mental health treatment
35. Putting money into a CD based on advice from a banker
36. Investing in diversified index funds like VT or FSKAX
37. Choosing dividend ETFs like SCHD, VIG, or JEPI
38. Selecting growth-oriented options like VUG or QQQ
39. Using a blended 60/40 portfolio allocation
40. Selecting a target date fund
41. Considering real estate investments with family guidance
42. Exploring the possibility of renting out properties
43. Splitting the difference with a compromise of 9 or 10 months of expenses
44. Prioritizing marital peace over the opportunity cost of extra invested cash
45. Keeping an oversized cash reserve solely for peace of mind and anxiety reduction
46. Putting everything into a single broad fund like VTI or VT
47. Combining 85% VT with 15% FSELX
48. Keeping cash in a checking account to avoid missing bills
49. Moving cash into money market funds like SPAXX
50. Investing in index funds through a Roth IRA
51. Building up emergency funds first and waiting until finishing school and securing a higher-paying job to tackle loans.
52. Checking loan servicers for interest rate reductions or waiting for potential future federal loan forgiveness and rule changes.
53. Keeping cash entirely in a high-yield savings account
54. Lump-sum investing or dollar-cost averaging into the market
55. letting money sit in a debit account
56. trying to teach oneself financial management without parental guidance
57. considering switching to online banking platforms like Sofi
58. Reading financial wikis and beginner investing books like The Simple Path to Wealth
59. Investing in low-cost S&P 500 index funds
60. Dollar cost averaging cash into index funds over time
61. Making a lump sum investment into stocks
62. Considering purchasing a property to rent out
63. Leaving money sitting in a checking or high-yield savings account
64. Setting up automated weekly investments into index funds like SPY or JEPQ
65. Using automated robo-advisor platforms like Fidelity Go
66. Reviewing the Prime Directive in the personal finance wiki
67. Looking up the company online
68. Consulting Reddit communities and wikis for guidance
69. Investing idle cash into treasury accounts via platforms that allow quick withdrawals.
70. Keeping money in Wealthfront earning 3.30%
71. Looking into certificates of deposit (CDs) offering around 3.80%
72. Following community wiki flowcharts and guidelines
73. Putting remaining funds into standard brokerage accounts using broad market index funds
74. leaving money in funds with lagging yields to avoid administrative friction
75. waiting to see if fund yields catch up naturally
76. leaving old retirement accounts open
77. contributing to new employer options with matching
78. depositing money into a 403b retirement plan
79. sitting on it in a checking account
80. Keeping everything in checking and relying on discipline not to spend
81. Manually transferring excess funds into a brokerage or high-yield savings account
82. Setting up automatic split direct deposits from an employer into various funds
83. Keeping a fixed 6 months of expenses in savings
84. Relying on credit cards for immediate liquidity while funds are in the market
85. Using online high-yield savings accounts recommended on Doctor of Credit or Deposit Accounts
86. Following the personal finance wiki flowchart
87. Investing in an S&P Index fund
88. Keeping all money in a low-yield checking account
89. Reading subreddit wikis and common topics guides
90. Following general rules of thumb like keeping 3 to 6 months of expenses in a high yield savings account
91. Keeping emergency cash under the mattress
92. Putting the entire emergency fund directly into a high-yield savings account
93. sitting in cash and waiting
94. putting money into a money market fund, t-bills, or an ETF like VOO
95. trying to time the market or waiting for a crash
96. Reading subreddit wiki guides and common topic links for personal finance
97. Picking an account at random and forgetting about it
98. Comparing current tax brackets to expected future tax brackets
99. Dumping savings into a high-yield savings account (HYSA)
100. Contributing more pretax to employer-sponsored plans like a 457b or 403b
101. Investing excess funds in index funds like VT or target date funds
102. Following the personalfinance subreddit wiki and common topics flowchart
103. Allocating 3 to 6 months of expenses into a high-yield savings account and investing the rest in broad market index funds
104. Directing a minimum of 15 percent of gross income toward retirement accounts
105. reviewing the personal finance wiki prime directive
106. increasing emergency fund savings
107. making extra mortgage payments
108. maximizing retirement contributions
109. Putting money into a brokerage account
110. Maximizing a Roth IRA
111. Continuing regular student loan payments
112. Investing automatically in broad index funds like VOO or VTI through a brokerage account
113. Allocating funds into short-term fixed-income or cash-equivalent instruments like SGOV for medium-term goals
114. Keeping cash entirely in a high-yield savings account for maximum liquidity and zero market risk
115. Maxing out tax-advantaged retirement accounts while accepting reduced short-term liquidity
116. Splitting funds across multiple options like a mix of retirement contributions, taxable brokerage accounts, and cash savings
117. Putting money into target date funds or following general online forum flowcharts like the personal finance wiki
118. Using a High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA)
119. Putting the money into short-term Treasury bond funds
120. Setting up automatic transfers to a separate account so the money is never seen in checking
121. Asking an AI tool like ChatGPT for financial advice
122. Moving money to a free brokerage account with Vanguard, Fidelity, or Schwab
123. Opening a high-yield online savings account
124. Using an FDIC-insured HYSA like Amex or Elevault
125. Following subreddit wiki flowcharts and financial guides
126. Allocating funds toward total market index funds or building an emergency fund
127. letting lifestyle creep eat it
128. paying the minimums on low-interest student loans
129. putting money into general savings
130. Parking money in a high-yield savings account (HYSA) as an emergency fund
131. Investing left-over funds into index funds like VOO or SPY
132. Treating the funds as a down payment for future real estate
133. reading the wiki and educating oneself
134. following prime directive flow charts
135. moving accounts to avoid service charges
136. Waiting it out through the plateau phase
137. Investing in hobbies
138. Exploring backdoor investment options
139. Investing in a low-cost total-market index fund in a retirement account
140. Allocating funds toward paying off high-interest debt
141. leaving zero-percent interest cards alone to pay them off slower while putting cash into savings or a car down payment
142. Investing in short-term treasuries, treasury ETFs, or money market funds through a brokerage
143. Deploying cash into broad market index funds or a three-fund portfolio
144. Dollar-cost averaging into the market
145. taking a nice vacation and investing the remainder
146. expanding emergency funds
147. timing or withholding investments due to recent purchases
148. Investing the money and forgetting about it for a few years
149. Putting it towards college tuition or expenses to keep student loans low
150. Building an emergency fund
151. Opening a Roth IRA or 529 plan
152. Putting the surplus check into a high-yield savings account or separate savings to earn interest and hold it as a buffer until the next annual escrow analysis.
153. Using the surplus funds immediately to pay off expected home maintenance bills or home improvement projects.
154. Calling the mortgage servicer to question why the surplus occurred and whether the next year's projected monthly payment reduction is accurate.
155. pretending the raise did not happen and using accumulated money to pay off debt
156. leaving cash sitting in a bank account
157. paying off credit card debt
158. following standard personal finance wiki steps like the Prime Directive
159. Dividing leftover funds into equal buckets for investing, saving, and spending
160. Allocating a larger portion to savings and a smaller portion to spending
161. Paying a financial advisor a 1% fee
162. Consulting family members who are financial professionals
163. Investing in broad-market index funds like VTI or SCHG independently
164. leaving money sitting in a checking account
165. steadily paying off credit card debt with low interest
166. Using cash savings to pay down the high interest debt
167. Keeping cash liquid for future life goals like buying a house and having kids
168. Putting funds into short-term Treasuries or government money market funds like SGOV or VBIL
169. Paying down a low-interest mortgage
170. Following standard personal finance wikis, flowcharts, and the three-fund portfolio
171. Investing in liquid equity ETFs like SPY and QQQ
172. Putting extra cash into a high-yield savings account for emergencies
173. Automating contributions into a taxable brokerage account
174. Increasing retirement contributions to retire earlier
175. Using funds for home maintenance, upgrades, and lifestyle improvements
176. Reading personal finance wikis and standard flowcharts
177. Leaving large amounts of cash sitting in a standard checking account.
178. Avoiding the employer 401k entirely because there is no company match.
179. leaving cash in high-yield savings accounts or checking accounts
180. investing small test amounts gradually into index funds
181. Leaving the money sitting in a basic bank account
182. Looking for financial flowcharts online
183. Follow a standard financial order of operations or flowchart.
184. Keep a portion in a High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA) for emergencies or near-term goals.
185. Max out a Health Savings Account (HSA) if eligible.
186. Invest the remainder in broad-market, low-cost index funds in a taxable brokerage.
187. Max out a Roth IRA contribution.
188. Invest in a broad market index fund or total world stock ETF.
189. Put the money in a High Yield Savings Account (HYSA) if saving for a short-term purchase.
190. Increase the size of the existing emergency fund to account for inflation.
191. Following the r/personalfinance Prime Directive and wiki guidelines.
192. Investing excess cash into low-cost, broad-market index funds (e.g., 60% US / 40% ex-US or total market index funds like FXAIX).
193. Parking emergency fund cash in money market funds (e.g., SPAXX, SGOV, or FDLXX) within brokerage/cash management accounts instead of a standard HYSA.
194. Automating direct deposits and recurring buy orders into index funds.
195. Leaving the money in liquid accounts that collect very low interest
196. Leaving cash in a checking account earning no interest
197. Locking money into a short-term CD
198. Keeping emergency funds in the stock market
199. Considering buying a cheap project car
200. Asking a personal finance forum for a roadmap
201. Putting 3-9 months of expenses into a high yield savings account that does not lock up the funds.
202. Investing the money into a tax-advantaged Roth IRA or work retirement account.
203. Putting the funds into a broad market index like the S&P 500 for long-term compounding.
204. Consulting a personal finance flowchart to prioritize savings and investments.
205. accumulating cash in a checking account earning zero percent
206. dumping it in a HYSA
207. Leaving excess cash in low-yield checking or savings accounts
208. Asking online forums for allocation strategies and validation
209. Seeking out fee-only financial planners
210. Putting it in broad index funds and short-term CDs
211. Keeping the cash liquid in a savings account
212. Reinvesting it back into the business

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