SmartyPig accounts do not have monthly maintenance fees. There is not a required amount to keep in the account. The first initial deposit to open the account is $25.

This savings account offers tiered interest rates. This means the more money you have in the account, the more interest you will earn. The interest rates do not vary much between tiers. The difference from a low amount to the higher amount is around 0.05%.

With this SmartyPig account, you can set up different savings goals. The savings accounts can be long-term, like saving for a college education. They can also be short term, like saving for a mountain bike or birthday party. You can transfer money from your SmartyPig primary account to different savings goals.

The best way to save money is to set up direct withdrawals. You set up when you want the money to come out of your account and how much to withdraw. Then, SmartyPig does the rest. Once the money is deposited into your account, you can transfer it into different savings goal. The withdrawals can be set up to occur monthly or biweekly.

SmartyPig has only one account offered: a high yield savings account. They do not offer checking accounts, CDs, money market accounts, or business accounts. The interest rate on this savings account is considerably higher than other banks savings accounts.

The website says you can withdraw money anytime, but federal regulation only allows six withdrawals per billing cycle. This includes transfers between your SmartyPig primary account and your different savings goals. The transfer or withdrawal will not take place if you have made more than six in a billing cycle. If you repeatedly try to make more than six, your account will be closed. Once you reach your goal, you cannot withdraw part of your money back to your external funding source. You must withdraw it all, or transfer the money between other savings goals.

This account is not meant for high account balances. There is a maximum account balance of $250,000. If your account has $250,000, you will earn interest on the money in the account, but you cannot add to the account.

Each SmartyPig account is only allowed to have one external funding source set up for it. That means you can only have one bank account connected to each SmartyPig account. You can change your external funding source if you want, but never have more than one.

Read the full SmartyPig review.

The interest rates for Rising Bank accounts are competitive. The rates are competitive with other online accounts. They are much higher than typical bank rates. The rates are not tiered. Any amount above the required opening amount earns competitive interest rates.

The Rising Bank high yield savings account and the regular CDs have low opening amounts. The regular CDs are available in one, two, and three-year CDs. These CDs and the savings account each only requires $1,000 to open.

There are no monthly fees on the high yield savings account. This account is free. To earn interest, you must keep $1,000 in the account. The CDs only have a fee if you withdraw money before the CD reaches maturity.

Rising Bank offers two Rising CDs. These come in 18-month and 36-month terms. Each of these CDs requires $25,000 to open. During the CD term if interest rates increase you can increase the rate on your CD. The 18-month CD allows for one rate increase; the 36-month allows two rate increases. When you increase the rate of the CD, you can also deposit more money into the CD.

Rising Bank has limited types of accounts available. They offer a high yield savings account and CDs. The CD terms range from one year to three-year terms. There are not a wide variety of term lengths available through Rising Bank. They offer regular CDs, one jumbo CD, and two Rising CDs. Rising Bank does not offer a money market account or checking accounts. No business accounts are currently available.

The Rising CDs and the jumbo CD have high opening amounts. The Rising CD terms each require $25,000 to open. The jumbo CD has one term length, and it requires $100,000 to open the account. You must keep these amounts in the CDs to earn interest.

The interest rates for the Rising Bank high yield savings account are not fixed. Rising Bank may change the rate you earn on your account at any time. The bank does not have to notify you if the rates change. Interest credits to your account every month for the savings account and every three months for CDs. If you close your accounts before interest credits, you will not receive the earned interest.

Rising Bank offers limited ways to contact customer service. Reach a representative through phone, mail, or email. They are open Monday through Friday. The Rising Bank website says their customer service representatives offer personalized help. The ways to contact someone are limited though.

Read the full Rising Bank review.