[ad_1] The post Where to Save Money for a House appeared first on Millennial Money. Buying a house is one of the most expensive undertakings in a person’s life. So it pays to have plenty stashed away in savings before house hunting! But where’s the best place to safely save and grow the money you’re saving? Let’s find out. Where to Put Your House Savings Here are the best places to put your money when saving for a house. 1. High yield savings account (HYSA) For most people, high yield savings accounts (HYSAs) at online banks are the safest place to grow your down payment for two primary reasons. First, HYSAs provide some small growth, thanks to interest-earning on deposits, which is called annual percentage yield (APY). Secondly, your HYSA deposits are secure and not subject to market volatility. Your APY rate may change slightly due to interest rate adjustments by the Fed. However, you’ll never lose money unless you take it out yourself and spend it. As for how much you can earn, here are some examples at the time of writing: Axos Bank’s HYSA pays 0.61% APY Ally Bank’s Online Savings APY is 0.50% American Express National Bank’s APY is 0.40% In comparison, a traditional savings account from Bank of America offers a measly return of… 0.01% APY. Another benefit to HYSAs is that you have some (but not too much) ability to move money around. That’s because HYSAs are bound by Regulation D, a federal restriction that limits the number of transactions per billing cycle consumers are allowed to make with a savings account. Typically, you’re allowed to make six withdrawals and transfers from your HYSA each month. Simply put, this makes it harder to spend your money and easier to save it. Learn More: Check out our top HYSA recommendations. Axos High Yield Savings Axos is an online-only bank that offers accounts with no monthly fees. They have some of the industry highest rates on high-yield savings accounts, MMA’s and CDs…you can’t go wrong! Get Started 2. Certificates of deposit (CDs) CDs can also be a great place to stash money, depending on how far you are from making a purchase. If you’re a year or two away from buying a home, you may want to lock a sum of money away in a CD with a fixed interest rate for one to two years. Just make sure you don’t need to access that money during the term or you’ll have to pay an early withdrawal penalty. Learn More: Best CD Rates for 2021 3. Money market accounts Money market accounts are similar to checking accounts because they come with flexible debit card access. The major difference is that money market accounts generate interest rates based on money markets. As a result, they tend to pay much higher interest on deposits than traditional checking or savings accounts, and are more in line with what you’ll find with an HYSA. One strategy is to link money market accounts to HYSAs and use them when withdrawing funds. You may withdraw $20,000 from a HYSA for a down payment and keep the money on hand in a high-interest money market account as you approach the closing date, enabling you to still earn interest. Learn More: Best Money Market Accounts and Rates for 2021 Money Market vs. CD Money Market vs. Savings Accounts 4. Brokerage accounts If you’re considering buying a house within the next 5 to 10 years, then it could make sense to put money into a robo-advisor or taxable brokerage account. This way, it can grow in the stock market. Keep in mind that investing in brokerage accounts can be risky due to market volatility. So, you should only do this if you already have a sizable amount saved in a savings account. You’ll also have to pay taxes on any gains you cash out on If you play your cards right, you’re likely to generate more than you would with a savings account, giving you more wiggle room when shopping for a mortgage loan and house. Learn More: Check out my top picks for online brokerage accounts. Webull Webull has built lots of momentum lately due to its zero-commission structure, attractive sign-up incentives, robust trading tools, and sleek user-friendly design. Learn More Where to Avoid Putting Money When Saving for a House Here are places to avoid putting your money before making a home purchase. 1. Low-interest checking accounts New homebuyers often make the mistake of keeping money in traditional checking accounts as they save up a down payment. This creates a few problems. For starters, interest rates are so low that your deposits will produce little to no income. But the worst part is that it’s much easier to spend money when it’s in your checking account. Maybe you face an unexpected car repair or dental bill. These situations can quickly deplete your savings by a few thousand dollars, leaving less to put towards a deposit, down payment, or closing costs. When you’re saving for your first home, every penny counts. 2. Tax-friendly retirement accounts There’s nothing wrong with putting money aside for retirement while you’re saving for a house. However, you should be prepared to kiss that IRA or 401k money goodbye for at least a few decades. Any money you put into retirement savings is considered illiquid cash, meaning you can’t easily access it. When you’re buying a home, you’ll want to have access to liquid cash so you can quickly come up with your down payment and closing costs when the time comes. That said, overall best practices suggest having several lines of investing. Retirement savings, which you won’t touch until retirement, but you can if you absolutely need to. Brokerage accounts you can pull money out of when needed, but expect to pay taxes on gains. Savings accounts, where you can safely grow deposits. This is the best place to store your house money. 3. Alternative investments The same logic