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Do you have more or less money than your peers?
Main points:
- Having money in a bank account can help you protect your financial stability, but it can be difficult to know how much money to keep in your accounts.
- The data shows the average account balance, so you can compare account size with your peers.
- In 2019, Americans’ average checking and savings account balance was $5,300, while the median was $41,600.
Keeping money in a checking and savings account can provide you with financial stability. You can use the money in your checking account to pay bills and cover your current expenses. You can put money in a savings account for emergencies and purchases you need to make soon because the money there is both safe and accessible.
If you have money in these accounts, you may be surprised how they stack up compared to your peers. Check out how your account balance compares to average Americans to find out.
Do you have more or less money saved than your fellow Americans?
According to the US Federal Reserve, the average combined checking and savings account balance as of 2019 was $5,300. Average is the middle number if everyone’s bank accounts are listed in ascending to descending order.
The average account balance, on the other hand, was $41,600. This is the overall average if you add up all the money in all the accounts and divide that balance by the number of people with the account. The mean is much higher than the mean because people with very high balances skew it upwards.
To find out if you have more or less money in your bank account than your peers, you can access your checking and savings accounts and see what your current balance is. Although your balance will fluctuate over time as money comes in and out, you can get a pretty good idea of how much cash you have in your combined accounts.
How can you increase your account balances?
If you have less than your peers, you may wonder if you should work on increasing your balance. The answer depends on whether you need more money for savings and checking. None of these accounts tend to earn a lot of interest, so if you won’t need the money in the next two to five years, it should be invested rather than deposited into one of these bank accounts.
If you want or need more money in your checking or savings account, there are a number of ways to do it. One of the best solutions to building a bigger bank account is to increase your income. This is because you can make essentially unlimited money if you put in the time and effort, while the costs can only go so far. However, you can also look at your budget and look for ways to cut back on spending so that more money stays in your bank accounts instead of out.
Ultimately, whether you have more or less than your peers, the important thing is to make sure you have enough in your checking and savings account to cover your bills and be prepared for the emergencies life throws your way.
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