Here's What Happens When You Leave a Lot of Money in Your Savings Account

Even when interest rates are high, you could still lose out financially. 

You'll often hear that it's important to have money set aside for emergency expenses, like home repairs, car repairs, or medical bills. And the best place to put that cash is a savings account. That way, you'll have access to it whenever you need, and you won't have to worry about your principal contribution losing value. 

But while it's good to have a nice amount of financial protection from emergencies, you don't want to make the mistake of putting all of your money into a savings account. Even when interest rates are higher like they are today, they might pale in comparison to the returns you manage to generate by investing your money in a brokerage account. 

Don't sell your money short

Putting your money into a savings account means keeping it safe. Investing, on the other hand, carries risk. But in exchange for that risk, you might manage to generate a much higher return on your cash than what a savings account will pay you. And in the long run, that could really make a difference.

These days, you might be able to score a 4% return on your money in a high-yield savings account. For a risk-free deposit, that's not a bad deal. 

But here's something to consider. The S&P 500 index, which consists of the 500 largest publicly traded companies, generated an average yearly return of 11.88% between 1957 and the end of 2021, according to Investopedia. 

Now, let's be a little bit more conservative than that and assume your portfolio only delivers an average yearly return of 8%. That's still a lot higher than the 4% you might get on the money you keep in a savings account. And that could make a world of a difference over time.

In fact, let's say you have $10,000 in cash beyond what you need for your emergency fund. If you keep that money in the bank for 30 years and score an average annual 4% return on it, you'll end up with around $32,400. But if you invest that $10,000 in a brokerage account and your portfolio delivers an average annual 8% return, in 30 years' time, you'll be sitting on about $100,600. That's a difference of more than $68,000.

It pays to take on some risk

Any money you have earmarked for emergencies, or for near-term goals, like buying a car or home, should be kept in a savings account. But if you have money you're trying to save for long-term goals, like retirement, then investing it could really be a far more lucrative choice. 

And if you're not good at picking stocks or you feel you don't have the knowledge needed to do so, you can invest in exchange-traded funds instead. These allow you to put your money into the broad market so you're not taking on the risk that comes with buying individual companies. And it may make you more comfortable with the idea of investing in the first place.