I was sure those high yield savings accounts were a scam until I opened one
For years, I kept my emergency fund in my regular bank, earning maybe 5 cents a month. I figured anything offering 4% or more had to be fake. Then my credit union in Austin started offering one, so I moved $1,000 over as a test. After three months, I actually got over $10 in interest, which proved it was real. Has anyone else been surprised by how much they were leaving on the table?
Oh man, that reminds me of my old fear of online bill pay. I was convinced hitting "submit" would just send my rent money into the void forever. I'd still drive checks to the leasing office like it was 1998. One month I was out of town and had to try it, and it worked perfectly. Felt like a total dinosaur for all those years of extra trips.
But you know, I actually get why you were so careful. That "void" feeling is real because once you send it, you lose all control. A check is a physical thing you can stop or track. With online pay, you're just trusting a system you can't see. My cousin had a payment get stuck in processing for a week with no help from the bank. Sometimes being a dinosaur just means you like having a paper trail.
My buddy kept his down payment in a regular checking account for years. He finally switched it to a high yield account and made enough in a few months to cover his moving truck rental.