Personal finance, compared with clear eyes
The money decisions that matter: credit cards, savings and CDs, loans and mortgages, tax software, brokers and alternative investing, researched independently. Every rate carries the date we verified it. No sales pitch.
Financeradar is an independent research site, not a financial advisor. Nothing here is financial advice.
Credit Cards
Annual fees, real APR ranges, welcome bonuses, and which cards actually earn their fee.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
- Wells Fargo Active CashFlat 2% on everything plus an easy $100 bonus and free phone insurance$0Annual fee
- Chase Ink Business UnlimitedFlat 1.5% business card currently paying a $1,000 welcome bonus at $0 fee$0Annual fee
- Capital One Venture X Rewards$395 annual fee with a $300 Capital One Travel credit; 75,000 bonus miles after $4,000 spend in 3 months.$395Annual fee
- Discover it Cash BackRotating 5% categories with every dollar of year-one cash back matched$0Annual fee
High-Yield Savings
APYs verified against issuer pages, FDIC details, and the fine print behind promo rates.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
American Express High Yield Savings3.20% APY with no fees or minimums from American Express National Bank3.20%APY
Barclays Tiered Savings3.50% APY, or 3.65% APY on balances of $250,000 to $1M, with no minimum deposit and no monthly fee3.50%APY
Marcus Online Savings3.50% APY, no minimum deposit, no fees, same-day transfers of $100,000 or less, from Goldman Sachs Bank USA3.50%APY
Ally Online Savings3.20% APY, no monthly fees or minimums, with savings buckets and Surprise Savings tools3.20%APY
Alternative Investing
Real estate, farmland, private credit, and more: minimums, fees, and honest risk notes for retail investors.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
- Fundrise$10 to start, non-accredited real estate and credit funds, about 1.00% fees, quarterly repurchase offers8.16%Reported return
GroundfloorNotes from $100 (up to 8.0% fixed for non-accredited investors), Loans from $10, auditor going-concern warning5.0%Reported return
Arrived$100 fractional rentals plus the Real Estate Income Fund, no accreditation8.3%Reported return
Percent$500 minimum, accredited-only marketplace for short-duration asset-backed private credit14.6%Reported return
Personal Loans
APR ranges, origination fees, and loan limits read on each lender's own page, with the real cost of $10,000 over 36 months.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
LendingClub (now Happen Bank)5.96% to 35.99% APR, $1,000 to $75,000, terms to 84 months, from the bank formerly called LendingClub5.96-35.99%APR range
Achieve Personal Loans6.25% to 35.99% APR, $5,000 to $50,000, a 560 minimum credit score, and rate discounts for co-borrowers and direct payoff6.25-35.99%APR range
Wells Fargo Personal Loan6.74% to 26.74% APR with no origination fee, $3,000 to $100,000, for customers of at least 12 months6.74-26.74%APR range
Discover Personal Loans6.99% to 24.99% APR, no fees of any kind, $2,500 to $40,000 over 3 to 7 years6.99-24.99%APR range
Mortgage Lenders
Home loans in plain English: what each lender publishes about credit scores, down payments and fees, plus free payment and refinance calculators.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
Chase Home LendingBig-bank lender with 3% down, FHA, VA and jumbo loans to $9.5 million, plus homebuyer grants in eligible areas620Min. credit score
Veterans United Home LoansVA-loan specialist with $0 down, a published daily VA rate table and a typical 620 minimum score620Min. credit score
Rocket MortgageOnline lender with FHA, VA and jumbo loans, 1% down on ONE+, and a published rate table with its assumptions580Min. credit score
Better MortgageAll-digital direct lender in all 50 states with 3-minute online pre-approval and FHA, VA and jumbo loans580Min. credit score
Small Business POS
Card rates, monthly fees, hardware prices and contract terms for small shops and restaurants, with what a month really costs.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
Square POSA free plan, simple card rates and no contract, built for small shops, salons and food trucks2.6% + 15¢In-person
PayPal Point of SaleNo monthly fee, a 2.29% + 9¢ in-person rate and a $29 first reader, from the company behind PayPal2.29% + 9¢In-person
HelcimPay the card networks' real cost plus a small published margin, with no monthly fee or contract0.4% + 8¢Markup
SumUp POSLow-cost card readers and a no-monthly-fee plan for new, seasonal and mobile sellers2.6% + 10¢In-person
Credit Card Processing
In-person and online card rates, monthly fees and contracts for nine processors, with what $10,000 of sales really costs a month.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
Square PaymentsOne flat rate for every major card, no monthly fee on the Free plan and no contract, whether you tap, type or invoice2.6% + 15¢In-person
Helcim PaymentsPay the card networks' real cost plus a small published margin, with no monthly fee, no PCI fee and no contract0.4% + 8¢Markup
Stripe PaymentsNo monthly or setup fee, 2.9% + 30¢ online and 2.7% + 5¢ in person, with payment links and invoices that need no code2.7% + 5¢In-person
PayPal PaymentsTake PayPal, Venmo and card payments with no monthly fee: 2.99% + 49¢ for a card online, 2.29% + 9¢ in person2.29% + 9¢In-person
Tax Software
What each plan costs for the tax year it applies to, who really files for free, and what a freelancer pays.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
FreeTaxUSAFree federal return for every situation, $15.99 per state, with optional paid support. Prices for tax year 2025.$0Federal from
Cash App TaxesFree federal and state filing, including freelance and investment income, if you use a Cash App account. Tax year 2025.$0Federal from
Credit Karma TaxFree federal filing for every form, $15 per state, powered by TurboTax. Needs a free Credit Karma account. Tax year 2025.$0Federal from- Jackson Hewitt OnlineOne flat $25 for the federal return and every state return, even with freelance income. No free plan. Tax year 2025.$25Federal from
Online Brokers
Where to buy stocks, ETFs and funds: trading fees, minimums, cash rates and IRAs, each read on the broker's own page.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
Fidelity Brokerage Account$0 online stock and ETF commissions, no account minimum, $0 Fidelity funds, $1 fractional shares and seven retirement account types.$0Stock trades
Charles Schwab Brokerage Account$0 online stock and ETF commissions, no minimum, 24/7 support, 400+ branches, thinkorswim, and seven retirement account types.$0Stock trades
Interactive Brokers (IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro)$0 stock and ETF commissions on IBKR Lite, no minimum, $0.65 per options contract, and IBKR Pro for lower margin rates than Lite.$0Stock trades
Vanguard Brokerage Account$0 online stock and ETF commissions, $0 Vanguard funds and a 3.81% 7-day yield on cash. The only one here that takes no payment for order flow.$0Stock trades
Robo-Advisors
Hands-off investing compared in plain English: yearly fees in dollars, minimums, and who offers a human advisor.
Listed in our score order, not sorted by the figure shown.
Betterment Investing0.25% a year ($5 a month on small balances), no real minimum, tax-loss harvesting included and an optional human planner tier.0.25%Annual fee
Fidelity GoNo advisory fee under $25,000, 0.35% from there with coaching included. No minimum to open, $10 to start investing.$0 under $25kAnnual fee
Wealthfront Automated Investing AccountA flat 0.25% a year and $500 to start, with daily tax-loss harvesting and direct indexing from $100,000. No human advisor tier.0.25%Annual fee
Vanguard Digital AdvisorAbout 0.15% to 0.16% a year after Vanguard's fee credit (0.20% gross), $100 to start, built on Vanguard index funds.0.20% grossAnnual fee
Why trust these numbers
Every APY, APR, and fee shows the date we last verified it against the issuer's own page. Stale numbers get re-checked, not left to rot.
No placement is paid for, and providers cannot edit their reviews. We list closed and failed products alongside live ones, most comparison sites quietly don't.
Some links may earn us a commission. It never changes a rating, and we say so on every page. How we make money
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