Financeradar Research
Data reports on the money decisions that matter.
First-party analyses of the products we track: high-yield savings, credit cards, and alternative investing. Every rate verified against the issuer's own page and date-stamped. No sales pitch, no paid placement.
The cash versus card spread 2026: 3.65% versus 20.94%
On September 17, 2026, FinanceRadar verified 29 high-yield savings accounts at 3.65% APY on average. The Federal Reserve's G.19 all-accounts credit card rate for 2026 Q2 was 20.94%. That was a 17.29 point gap. On $10,000, cash earned about $365 and revolving debt cost about $2,094.
Read the reportThe FDIC rate gap 2026: what verified accounts actually pay
FinanceRadar verifies 29 high-yield savings accounts at 3.65% APY on average, 9.6 times the FDIC national savings rate of 0.38% as of August 17, 2026. The same gap shows up in CDs, money markets, and the few checking accounts that pay anything.
Read the reportPrivate credit platform statistics 2026
FinanceRadar tracks 29 private credit and alternative-investing platforms. 48% are open to any investor and 54% let you start under $1,000, but the category is young (66% launched since 2015), illiquid, and not FDIC insured. This is what the first-party data shows.
Read the reportMoney market account statistics 2026
On September 17, 2026, FinanceRadar tracked 6 money market accounts averaging 3.40% APY, roughly five times the FDIC national money market average of 0.63% (August 17, 2026 release). They paired a savings-like rate with check-writing and debit access, 67% charged no monthly fee, and 100% were FDIC insured.
Read the reportChecking account statistics 2026
FinanceRadar tracks 14 checking accounts. 71% charge no monthly fee, 85% need no minimum to open, 79% charge no overdraft fee, and only 29% pay any interest. The value of a checking account is now its fine print, not its yield.
Read the reportCredit card APR and fee statistics 2026
FinanceRadar verifies 31 credit cards. The median card charges a variable purchase APR of 19.24% to 28.49%, in line with the Federal Reserve's 22.89% average on accounts assessed interest, and 48% carry no annual fee.
Read the reportCD rate statistics 2026
On September 17, 2026, FinanceRadar verified 15 certificates of deposit averaging 4.07% APY, with 80% paying 4.00% or more, versus the FDIC national 12-month CD average of 1.71% (August 17, 2026 release). Rates ran from 3.00% to 4.50%, all FDIC insured.
Read the reportHigh-yield savings account statistics 2026
FinanceRadar verifies 29 high-yield savings accounts averaging 3.65% APY, roughly nine to ten times the FDIC national savings average of 0.38%. 28% pay 4.00% or more, 90% charge no monthly fee, and 100% disclose FDIC insurance.
Read the reportFinanceradar Rate Index: September 2026
First monthly snapshot of the rates and fees we verified on 3 September 2026: 21 HYSA averaging 3.59% APY, 24 credit cards averaging $190 a year, 9 CDs averaging 3.94%, 21 alternative-investing products of which 9 skip accreditation.
Read the reportTwo-Thirds of High-Yield Savings Rates Still Come With a Catch (September 2026)
On 3 September 2026, of the 21 published high-yield savings accounts Financeradar verified, 14 attached a promo, balance floor, deposit habit, fee, or subscription to the APY they advertised. The clean floor was 3.00% to 3.40%.
Read the reportMethodology
How we build these reports
Every report is built from Financeradar's own tracking set of financial products. We record each rate, fee, and term directly from the issuer's official page, date-stamp it, and re-verify on a rotating schedule. We define our terms in the open, publish the full dataset behind each finding, and release everything under Creative Commons so you can quote and reuse it. Nothing here is financial advice.
Full methodology