8 Clever Moves When You Have $1,000 In The Bank

Keeping tons of money in your checking account means you're missing out.

$1,000 in Checking Account

Saving up $1,000 in your checking account is a big milestone. But leaving the money in checking likely doesn't make much sense since most checking accounts pay minimal or no interest.

Once you've worked hard to amass $1,000, you want to put your money to work for you. Here are eight money moves you can make to get the most bang for your buck and get on the path towards a bright financial future.

1. Invest in Apple, Tesla, or Amazon for just $1

Once you’ve paid all your essential monthly bills, take a look at what’s left in your bank account and come up with an investing strategy. Even if it’s not a lot of money, don’t let that stop you – you can start investing with just $1.

Stash is a great place for beginning investors to get started. You can invest in fractional shares (partial shares) in companies that are household names like Apple, Tesla, and Amazon. A single share of some companies could cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, but with fractional shares you can invest with as little as $1.

If you're thinking about saving for retirement, you can start investing in an IRA and enjoy the tax benefits that come with retirement accounts. Stash also offers tools and guidance to help you along the way.

As a bonus, Stash will give you $10 towards your first investment after you sign up and deposit $5 or more into your personal portfolio.3

2. Cancel your car insurance

We’ve got bad news. You could be wasting $500 every year on overpriced, second-rate car insurance. And you should probably cancel your existing insurance right now, because there’s something much better.

This new tool from FinanceBuzz can tell you if you’re overpaying for your car insurance in just a few clicks. On average, we find around $500 a year in savings for drivers. And once you try it out, you’ll never have to look for affordable insurance again because we find you the lowest rates that other companies can’t match.

Oh, and it’s also free. And come on — you can’t tell us you don’t want to save up to $500. To find out if you’re losing up to $500 or more a year, just enter your zip code here, answer a few questions and see if you’re overpaying. It takes less than 2 minutes.

See if you’re overpaying

3. Earn passive income by investing in real estate

Imagine getting a check in the mail every few months for just holding a little bit of money in an account. Sounds amazing, right?

With Fundrise, an investment of as little as $10 can start earning you passive income through quarterly distributions. You'll get to invest in some of the hottest real estate deals without the headaches that come with being a landlord.

It takes less than 1 minute to create an account with your email and password, and you don't have to invest a dime until you know it's right for you. Be sure to confirm your account by clicking the link in the email they send you.

The investments do come with risk. Fundrise has paid distributions every quarter since at least Q2 2016, but your payment is never guaranteed.

For the service, you’ll pay a 0.85% annual asset management fee and a 0.15% annual investment advisory fee.

4. Stop overpaying when you shop online

Shopping online has its perks. It's super convenient, but it can be time consuming to find the best deals. Instead of hunting for coupon codes (that don't always work!) and opening tons of browser tabs comparing prices, you can try Capital One Shopping.

Capital One Shopping makes saving money effortless. Just add the browser extension and when you check out, it'll scour the internet for coupon codes to help you save cash. And before you check out at favorite stores like Amazon, Target, Home Depot, and Best Buy, Capital One Shopping will notify you with a friendly pop-up if the item you're buying is available cheaper somewhere else.

Capital One Shopping is free to use and won't show you ads. Add it today and stop overpaying!5

Get Capital One Shopping now

5. Start rebuilding your credit for less than the price of Amazon Prime

Bad credit history? That means credit anxiety… and not getting approved for things like car loans or apartment leases. But if you aren’t using the Extra Debit Card, you’re missing out. It lets you build credit with your everyday debit purchases. Don’t worry though… it’s an easy fix.

Extra helps you build credit history every time you swipe your card. Just sign up by connecting your existing bank account, and they’ll give you a spending limit based on your bank balance. No credit check is required. Then, just spend like normal. At the end of the month, they total up all of your transactions and report them to credit bureaus as credit-worthy payments.

In addition to building your credit history, you also get perks just like a credit card. You can earn up to 1% in points for everyday purchases like rideshares, coffees, and your phone bills. And there are no credit checks, interest rates, or deposits required.

Start building credit

6. Borrow up to $35k to finally crush your debt

If you're looking for a chunk of change to pay off credit card debt, a personal loan could be a good option.

Our partner LoansUnder36 will match you with loan providers that fit your specific needs. Just fill out one application — there's no application fee and no minimum credit score to apply — to see multiple loan offers.1

Why not see if you qualify? If approved, you could receive your loan as soon as the next business day.

Get a loan offer here

7. Increase your credit scores instantly, for free

Your credit scores affect whether you can get approved for a loan, a credit card, or even a new job. Usually it can take weeks or months to improve your credit scores, but there's an innovative new feature that could help you raise your FICO® Scores2 instantly.

Experian Boost™ can help you get credit for making on-time payments for your phone and utility bills. The process takes just minutes and if qualifying payments are identified, you can include this positive information in your Experian credit file. (Don't worry: If you have any negative marks, those won't count against you.)

Since launching, Experian Boost has collectively increased FICO® Scores across America by over 10 million points. It's 100% free and new potential credit scores take effect immediately.

8. Get up to $8 million for your family

It’s hard to think about not being there for your family, but it does happen. You need to ask yourself if they could survive financially without you if you’re gone. If the answer is no, life insurance could help protect them.

Once you have kids and sizable debt like a mortgage, term life insurance from Ladder can be life-changing. Proceeds from a term life insurance policy could help your family take time to grieve your loss. It could help them financially for years. It could help pay for your kids’ college. And it could help ease the worry about any debt you may leave behind.

With Ladder, your family could get up to $8,000,000 in benefits if you die. It could transform their lives and provide stability for years. Apply with Ladder today. It takes less than 5 minutes and costs as little as $4.954 per month.

Get started

9. Invest in art that has outperformed the S&P by over 180%

History has shown art to be one of the top investments of all time. In fact, in the last two decades art has outperformed the S&P by over 180% between 2000-2018.

But while the ultra-wealthy rake in huge profits, everyday folks have been left out in the cold. Masterworks is an exclusive platform that lets investors of all types add art to their portfolios in just a few clicks.

They let you buy individual shares of famous works by artists like Warhol, Banksy, and Basquiat, similar to stock in a company. Get paid when the painting sells, or trade your shares to other members on their secondary market.

While Masterworks requires a $5,000 account minimum to get started, you can build a well-rounded portfolio of masterpieces with the help of their art experts.

Skip the waitlist: Use our link to get exclusive access to bypass the 25,000 person waitlist!

Click here to get started

Get $10 To Start Investing