Wealthfront Cash Account

The Wealthfront Cash Account is a brokerage cash management account for people comfortable holding money at a brokerage rather than a bank. It pays a base rate with no direct-deposit requirement, adds optional boosts, and sweeps deposits to program banks for FDIC coverage. The terms are simple to state. Wealthfront's page data lists a $1 minimum to open, and there is no monthly fee. The base rate is 3.55% APY as of October 1, 2026, provided by program banks and subject to change. Two boosts sit on top of that base: new clients get a 0.65 point boost for 3 months on balances up to $150,000, and a separate 0.25 point boost applies ongoing with a $1,000 monthly direct deposit or $2,500 recurring deposits into any account, plus a funded investing account. Stacked, those boosts reach the advertised headline of up to 4.45% APY, but the base rate of 3.55% is the figure that applies without them. On access, Wealthfront offers free instant withdrawals to eligible accounts, even on weekends and holidays. It also reimburses 2 out-of-network ATM fees per month in the U.S. (up to $7.50 each) and gives access to 19,000+ free ATMs nationwide. On safety, deposits are held at Wealthfront Brokerage and swept to up to 32 program banks, which provides FDIC insurance of up to $8 million for individual accounts and $16 million for joint accounts. Wealthfront states that it is not a bank. The flags. Wealthfront is not itself a bank, so your FDIC protection depends on deposits being swept to the program banks. The top headline rate of up to 4.45% is not the rate you hold by default; it requires the boosts, and the new-client portion lasts 3 months. There is no physical presence, so there are no branches and no in-person service. None of this makes the account unsafe, but it is a brokerage cash product, not a bank account, and it should be evaluated as one.