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50 Years Old and Sick of the Daily Grind? A ‘Mini-Retirement’ Could Be the Answer
You have spent decades climbing the ladder, paying the mortgage, and putting out daily fires at work. The finish line of traditional retirement is still over a decade away, but the daily grind is already wearing you down.
Quitting your job entirely is financial suicide. But the thought of spending another 15 years in the same routine is more than you can bear.
There is another option — an intentional, extended break from the workforce, aka a mini-retirement.
The new normal for career gaps
Taking months off from work is no longer viewed as a red flag on a resume or a symptom of a midlife crisis. It is a measurable shift in how professionals manage their careers.
According to the HSBC Quality of Life report, nearly half of affluent professionals plan to take multiple extended breaks throughout their working lives. The data shows the ideal age to take the first break is 47.
While a true mini-retirement is an independent exit, employer attitudes are shifting to meet this demand. Before you quit entirely to fund your own break, check your HR manual.
Recognizing the high cost of losing senior talent to burnout, a growing number of companies are willing to negotiate extended, unpaid leaves of absence. This setup can give you the operational freedom of a mini-retirement while keeping a safe door open for your eventual return.
3 ways to structure your mini-retirement
Taking a mini-retirement is not a one-size-fits-all maneuver. Depending on your financial health and your employer’s flexibility, you can structure your exit in one of three ways.
- The paid sabbatical (lowest risk, lowest freedom): Some companies offer fully or partially paid sabbaticals as a retention tool. You keep your benefits, your 401(k) match, and your salary, though usually for a shorter duration, like four to eight weeks. It is safe, but you remain tethered to your employer’s timeline and expectations.
- The unpaid leave of absence (the middle ground): You negotiate an agreement to step away for three to six months. You stop receiving a paycheck and will likely have to cover your own health insurance premiums, but your desk is waiting for you when you return. It requires strong cash reserves, but it removes the need to job hunt while providing a massive mental reset.
- The clean break (maximum risk, maximum freedom): You resign entirely. This is a true mini-retirement. You rely completely on your own savings to fund a year or more away from the corporate world. You lose your safety net entirely, but you gain absolute, unfiltered control over your schedule, your location, and what you decide to do next.
The upside of hitting pause
Taking months off from work sounds radical, but the benefits often outweigh the initial fear of stepping away.
- Burnout recovery: Chronic stress destroys your physical and mental health. A Gallup workplace report found that over 40% of managers experience intense stress on a daily basis. A prolonged break lowers your cortisol levels and allows your body to actually repair itself.
- A test drive for the future: Many people struggle with the transition into full retirement because they lose their sense of identity. A mini-retirement gives you a low-risk environment to figure out how you want to spend your time when you no longer have a boss dictating your schedule.
- Extended earning potential: Taking a break now might keep you in the workforce longer. Financial researchers note that taking time to prioritize your well-being can refresh your perspective. Returning to work recharged means you are less likely to force an underfunded early retirement at age 58 just to escape.
The financial reality check
The freedom of a mini-retirement comes with strict financial realities. You cannot ignore the math, and stepping away without a plan is a fast track to disaster.
- Funding the gap: You need cash to live on, and you cannot pull it from your 401(k) or IRA without facing severe tax penalties. Calculate your essential living expenses for the duration of your break and add a 20% buffer. This money must sit in a highly liquid, accessible account. You could also consider a part-time or work-from-home job.
- The healthcare hurdle: If you leave your job, you leave your subsidized health insurance. You will need to factor the cost of a private plan or COBRA coverage into your monthly budget. The nonprofit KFF notes that the average cost of family health coverage sits in the tens of thousands of dollars a year. Absorbing the employer’s portion of that cost can easily add hundreds of dollars a month to your out-of-pocket expenses.
- Stalled contributions: Every month you are not working is a month you are not matching your employer contributions or compounding your wealth. You have to ensure your current portfolio is strong enough to handle a temporary pause in fresh capital.
Crafting your exit strategy
If the idea of a mini-retirement feels like a lifeline, start planning today. The most successful breaks are planned a year or two in advance.
Start tracking your exact monthly expenses to see what a bare-bones budget looks like. Build up a dedicated cash fund separate from your emergency savings.
Have an honest conversation with your employer. You might be surprised to find they would rather grant you a six-month leave of absence than lose your decades of institutional knowledge forever.
Taking a break in your 50s is a serious financial decision, but ignoring your burnout may be a far greater risk.
Before making any decisions, if you have over $100,000 in savings, get some advice from a pro. SmartAsset offers a free service that matches you to a vetted, fiduciary advisor in less than five minutes.
Highest Ever Bonus for IHG Business Card, Earn 200K Points
IHG Business Card 200K Bonus
The Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card has a new signup bonus, which is the highest yet. You can now earn up to 200,000 points when you apply and get approved for this card. You need to spend a total of $9,000 in the first six months in order to get the full bonus. Check out the full details below.
Signup Bonus
- Earn up to 200,000 Bonus Points:
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Plus 60,000 Bonus Points after you spend a total of $9,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening.
- Annual Fee: $99
- DIRECT LINK
This new cardmember bonus offer is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this business credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this business credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this business credit card within the last 24 months. You are also subject to the Chase 5/24 rule.
Card Details
- Earn:
- Up to 26X total points at IHG® Hotels and Resorts
- 10X points with this card
- Plus up to 10X points from IHG® on stays for being an IHG One Rewards member
- Plus up to 6X points from IHG® on stays with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of this card
- 5X total points on travel, dining, select business purchases, and at gas stations.
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Up to 26X total points at IHG® Hotels and Resorts
- Anniversary Free Night valued at up to 40,000 points.
- Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status for as long as you remain a Premier Business cardmember
- Redeem 3 Nights, Get 4th Night Free
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 every 4 years.
- $100 statement credit and 10,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 each calendar year.
- Purchase Protection
- Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance
- No foreign transaction fees.
About IHG One Rewards
The recently-overhauled IHG One Rewards program can offer great value for the right traveler. IHG has a variety of brands, from luxurious to very affordable. You can choose from more than 6,000 properties in 100+ countries. Here’s some basic information about the program, so you have an idea of the value that you might expect.
- IHG Rewards Club points are worth about half a cent each but you can sometimes get a value of up to 0.7 or 0.8 cents per point.
- Standard award nights typically start at 10,000 according to the IHG award chart, though you might see properties that cost as high as 100,000 points. You can also combine points and cash for your stays. Cardholders get the 4th Night Free when redeeming points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay.
- IHG One Rewards members earn points on qualifying stays at IHG properties. You typically get 10 points for every $1 spent at most IHG hotels, but you earn only 5 points per $1 spent at Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites. You then earn bonus points based on your IHG Elite status. Spire Elite and Kimpton Inner Circle (invite only) members earn a 100% bonus on base points.
- IHG has partnerships with over 40 airlines, allowing you to exchange IHG points for airline miles in frequent flyer programs including United, American, Delta, British Airways and Qantas. In the other direction, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio to IHG One Rewards.
Guru’s Wrap-up
This is the highest ever offer for the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. which we also saw in September 2025. You get the usual bonus of 140,000 points with $4,000 spend, plus another 60,000 points when spending an additional $5,000. Considering that you can get an average value of about 0.4 cents cent per point, this bonus is worth about $900. But, don’t expect to get a value of 0.7cpp or more like you used to.
The other two IHG cards also have increased welcome bonuses. You can get 175K with IHG Premier and 120K with IHG Traveler.
AI is making productivity obsolete. The leaders who thrive next will have something machines can’t touch
For most of modern history, human worth was measured by output — how much you produced, how fast you moved, how efficiently you performed. The modern economy was built on this premise. Factories needed workers who could produce more units. Corporations rewarded leaders who optimized systems. Knowledge work elevated those who could analyze faster and process more. In a world where intelligence and information were scarce, productivity created advantage.
But something fundamental has changed. For the first time in history, we are creating machines that can out-produce us in the very domains where productivity once defined human value. AI can analyze faster, generate more ideas, and process vastly more information than any human mind. According to the World Economic Forum, 85 million jobs may be displaced by AI-driven automation by 2025 — while the skills most in demand are shifting toward judgment, creativity, and leadership.
The age of the “human doing” — the professional defined entirely by cognitive output and execution speed — is ending.
This shift is unsettling for leaders whose identities have been built on cognitive performance — the smartest analyst, the fastest strategist, the most productive executive. When machines can outperform humans at doing, a deeper question emerges: what remains uniquely human? The answer isn’t intelligence, knowledge, or speed. It’s wisdom.
In my book The Last Book Written by a Human, I describe wisdom as something fundamentally different from intelligence. Intelligence processes information. Wisdom integrates experience. Intelligence answers questions. Wisdom knows which questions actually matter. And wisdom cannot be automated. It emerges from lived experience — through reflection, relationships, responsibility, and the slow accumulation of perspective that no dataset can fully replicate.
AI can summarize the world’s knowledge, but it cannot feel the weight of a hard decision, carry responsibility for another human being, or sit with moral tension when the right path isn’t obvious. Those aren’t bugs in the system. They are the very conditions through which wisdom is formed.
Wisdom: The New Competitive Advantage
For business leaders, this shift has enormous implications. For decades, leadership culture rewarded speed and optimization — executives were expected to process massive information and make rapid decisions. But when intelligence becomes automated and abundant, the source of competitive advantage changes. In an era of infinite “doing” generated by algorithms, the most valuable asset on any balance sheet may be the one that can’t be measured: the human capacity for discernment. Intelligence is becoming a commodity. Wisdom remains scarce.
The leaders who thrive in the AI era will not simply be those who understand technology best. They will be the ones who can see clearly amid overwhelming information — who know when to move fast and when to pause, when to optimize and when to protect something more human.
The Wise Leader
If wisdom is the advantage, three qualities will increasingly define effective leadership:
Discernment: The ability to recognize what truly matters amid an explosion of data, predictions, and automated recommendations.
Reflection: The discipline to pause before reacting — to consider long-term consequences instead of chasing short-term optimization.
Human-Centered Judgment: The courage to make decisions based not only on efficiency, but on how those decisions affect human flourishing.
This isn’t abstract philosophy — it has direct implications for how organizations operate. Many companies today run inside a culture of constant reaction: perpetual urgency, relentless optimization, pressure to move faster at every turn. But in a world saturated with intelligence, speed alone is no longer the differentiator. The real advantage may come from building a culture of reflection, where leaders are rewarded not only for rapid execution but for thoughtful judgment. Sometimes the most valuable decision a leader can make is to say no — to resist a short-term optimization that undermines long-term health.
AI as the Catalyst
None of this means AI is the enemy — in fact, it may be the catalyst that forces this evolution.
Artificial intelligence is, in many ways, a mirror reflecting our current state of consciousness. If we feed it our obsession with speed, efficiency, and profit at any cost, it will amplify those instincts. But if we use this technological disruption as an opportunity to rethink leadership — to rediscover discernment, empathy, and reflection — AI could free humans to focus on what we do best.
The irony is that this future may look strangely familiar. Before the industrial age, many cultures understood the difference between knowledge and wisdom — elders were valued not because they could produce more, but because they had lived long enough to see more clearly. Modern economies replaced elders with experts. Now AI is replacing experts, which may finally create space for wisdom to return.
The Return of the Human Being
AI will continue expanding what organizations are capable of, and businesses will still need efficiency, innovation, and execution. But the deeper question leaders must now confront is this: if machines increasingly handle the doing, what is the role of the human being? The answer lies in qualities machines cannot replicate — meaning-making, ethical judgment, empathy, presence, and the ability to hold complexity without rushing to resolution. In other words, the capacity to be fully human.
For centuries, humans have been conditioned to behave like machines — optimizing productivity, minimizing inefficiency, maximizing output. Now that machines are surpassing us at those tasks, we face a profound invitation: to remember what we really are. Not human doings. Human beings. In the age of AI, that distinction may become the most valuable leadership capability of all.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
Ray Dalio warns a ‘final battle’ for the Strait of Hormuz is coming
Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio published a dire warning Monday: the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran will be a decisive confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz, and the outcome will determine far more than the price of oil. It will determine whether the American-led global order survives.
“It all comes down to who controls the Strait of Hormuz,” Dalio wrote in a lengthy post on X. If Iran retains the ability to control, or even negotiate over, who passes through the Strait—through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows daily—Dalio argues the U.S. will be seen as having lost the war, regardless of how the conflict is resolved.
Dalio compared a potential U.S. failure at Hormuz to Britain’s humiliation during the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis, a moment widely regarded by historians as the end of the British Empire’s global imperialism. He pointed to a pattern he says has repeated across 500 years of history: a rising power challenges the dominant empire over a critical trade route while the world watches, and money and alliances shift fast toward whoever wins.
When that dominant power, the holder of the world’s reserve currency, is “overextended financially,” as Dalio has often argued (including recently in Fortune) and then “reveals its weakness” by losing control over the conflict. “Watch out for allies and creditors losing confidence, the loss of its reserve currency status, the selling of its debt assets, and the weakening of its currency, especially relative to gold,” he wrote.
The post arrives at a moment of confusion around who has control over the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait has been effectively closed for its third week, though there are signs that a small trickle of vessels getting through. President Trump disparaged American allies throughout the weekend, and then again on Monday afternoon for failing to provide military support to help secure the waterway. He then reversed course and said that the U.S. didn’t “need anybody” and was the strongest country in the world. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz “is open and only closed to enemies.” Unresolved questions remain on whether Iran mined the Strait, which would be an irreversible escalation if true.
Dalio framed both sides as locked into a conflict with no diplomatic exit. “While there is talk of ending this war with an agreement, everyone knows that no agreement will resolve this war because agreements are worthless,” he wrote, adding that whatever comes next—whether the U.S. takes control of the strait or leaves it to Iran—”is likely to be the worst phase of the conflict.”
The core problem, Dalio said, is motivational asymmetry. For Iran’s leadership, the war is “existential,” a matter of regime survival, national pride, and religious commitment. For Americans, it’s about gas prices, and for U.S. politicians, it’s about the midterm elections. Dalio was clear over which side that calculus favors in a prolonged fight: “In war, one’s ability to withstand pain is even more important than one’s ability to inflict pain.”
Iran’s strategy, he says, is to inflict that pain for as long as possible, then wait for the U.S. to quit, just as it has done in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Trump is now calling on allied nations to join a multinational escort operation through the strait, though for the most part, they haven’t yet been receptive. Dalio says it remains to be seen whether that effort can serve as a potential “solution” to getting the waterway reopened.
“If President Trump demonstrates his and the U.S.’s power to do what he said he would do, which is win this war by having free passage through the Strait of Hormuz and eliminating Iran as a threat to its neighbors and the world, it will greatly bolster confidence in his and the U.S.’s power.”
But if he doesn’t, the ripple effects, on everything from trade flows, to capital markets and the dollar’s reserve currency status, could irreparably damage American hegemony. Tehran has also threatened the dominance of the petrodollar by reportedly agreeing to open the Strait of Hormuz to a limited number of oil tankers that trade in yuan rather than dollars.
“Both sides know that the final battle, which will make clear which side won and which side lost, still lies ahead,” Dalio wrote.
PE firm buys mortgage tech company formerly known as Voxtur
A New York-based private equity firm is acquiring Apex Analytics, formerly Voxtur Analytics, after a tumultuous past few years.
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Hale Capital Management, which has a focus on investing in technology and technology-enabled companies at key moments of transformation, bought Voxtur’s existing senior secured indebtedness from Bank of Montreal in September, an obligation the company had been
The financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“Apex Analytics has exactly the profile we seek: a strong team supporting mission-critical products in a large and underserved market with a deeply loyal customer base,” Hale Capital CEO Martin Hale said in a press release Friday. “We saw an opportunity to work with the existing management team to act decisively, recapitalize the business and relaunch the company on a sound footing. We look forward to working with the Apex Analytics team to unlock the significant growth potential we see in this business.”
Voxtur, a Toronto-based mortgage technology company that operated in the United States and Canada, had not released its earnings results since the first quarter of 2025, when it posted a net loss of $5.5 million. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Voxtur recorded a loss of $46.2 million.
It delayed future filings as the company awaited information required to complete financial statements, Voxtur said in a press release.
Hale Capital provides money to its portfolio companies, as well as a network of operating executives and hands-on support through financial and operational transformation. As part of this investment, Hale Capital welcomed Rob Cain as the chief restructuring officer of Apex to support the existing management team.
“My focus now is on developing our team as we accelerate organic growth in our core business units leveraging Hale Capital’s expertise and partnerships,” Cain said in the press release.
Voxtur
Voxtur’s plan to sell a majority stake in Blue Water was centered around strengthening its balance sheet by removing corporate debt, the company said in a statement at the time. But Voxtur
Hale Capital’s purchase of Voxtur’s indebtedness in September provided the foundation for the restructuring and acquisition. The company has since rebranded to Apex and will operate independently under Hale Capital’s ownership, according to the release.
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8 Last-Minute Tax Reminders For 2026
The tax deadline is almost here! Here are some last minute tax reminders if you’re still working on filing your taxes.
Although it might not be the most enjoyable financial task, it’s a necessary obligation that we each undertake every year. And if you use great tax software, filing taxes doesn’t take as much time as you may dread.
But tax filing time isn’t only about filing returns. There are things you can do today to help you save money on your tax bill, and help you save time on filing.
Here are the best last-minute tax tips to consider this season.
Table of Contents
Don’t Miss The Tax Filing Deadline
Double-Check Your Return Before You File
Make Sure You Have All Your Tax Forms
File Your Taxes Even If You Owe
Seek Out Legitimate Deductions And Credits
Don’t Forget Your Self-Employment Expenses
Claim Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Expenses
Contribute To An IRA Or Roth IRA
The Bottom Line
Don’t Miss The Tax Filing Deadline
First, the tax filing deadline is April 15, 2026 – a normal year for the first time in a while.
There are a few exceptions to this if you live in a disaster area this year. Check out the IRS list of tax deadline extensions.
Most states that charge an income tax also require that the tax be paid by April 15th. However, a few states have later filing deadlines.
Double-Check Your Return Before You File
As you scramble to the tax finish line, don’t rush through the important details. A mistake on your tax form can lead to major headaches down the line.
Every year, we read stories about people who accidentally mistyped their name, address, or number. While tax software can help spot obvious errors, it can’t catch some mistakes like entering the wrong bank account information.
So don’t rush! Make sure to file with the correct Social Security number and include all of the necessary signatures.
We also recommend reviewing different sections of your return to ensure you haven’t made a major typo. For example, one zero separates $8,000 and $80,000. If you mistype one value, you could under or overstate your income, and this type of error could delay your tax return from being processed.
As you file your return, take advantage of opportunities to review your numbers. Double-check that they make sense with your actual income. This is easy to do using software like H&R Block Online which offers section summaries for income, deductions, and credits.
Make Sure You Have All Your Tax Forms
While most people settled into a new normal in the last year, it’s still been remarkably tumultuous. You may have claimed unemployment, received state stimulus checks, had side hustle income, or other “atypical” forms of income. These are a few tax forms you shouldn’t overlook this year:
- 1099-G: Unemployment Income. 1099-G forms provide information on unemployment income (and whether taxes were withheld from the income). While employment numbers are currently strong, many people started 2021 unemployed, and they need to claim that income. If you didn’t receive this form, you may need to go to your state’s website to find out how to request an online copy of the letter.
- 1099-NEC: Forms reporting Non-Employee Income. The 1099-NEC reports non-employment income. Filers with this type of income are considered self-employed, and they may be eligible for all sorts of self-employed deductions. If you earned more than $600 from a single business entity, they are supposed to provide a 1099-NEC to you.
If you’re waiting on late tax forms, see this guide.
File Your Taxes Even If You Owe
Even if you owe money on your taxes, you want to file your tax return on time. Interest on late taxes is a reasonable interest rate, but non-filing penalties are steep, and it increases the rate you’ll pay on overdue taxes.
Getting your taxes filed will also help you nail down how much money you owe, so you can make a specific plan to get your back taxes paid off.
Seek Out Legitimate Deductions And Credits
Great tax software makes it easy to claim legitimate tax deductions and credits. Great tax software makes it easy to itemize deductions or claim deductions for student loan interest or charitable gifts.
It also helps you find credits such as:
- Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC). This credit is worth up to $2,000 per tax return. It can be used to cover qualified expenses for eligible students.
- Saver’s Credit. Depending on your income and savings rate in qualified accounts, you could qualify for the saver’s credit.
- American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). Still an undergrad? You might be able to use this tax credit to lower your tax burden.
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). If you have a low to moderate-income, then you might qualify for this tax credit to lower your tax burden.
Don’t Forget Your Self-Employment Expenses
Whether you’re a full-time freelancer or a side hustler, you likely have some form of self-employment income. And most forms of self-employed income are accompanied by tax-deductible expenses.
Before you file, comb through your electronic receipts to find expenses that count as tax-deductible. Some common deductible expenses include a portion of your internet costs, website maintenance costs, educational materials, and any direct costs of goods sold. You might be surprised at the sheer number of tax-deductible expenses to be found in your side hustle.
Recording these costs allows you to claim them on your tax return. H&R Block Self-Employed Online explains some of the legitimate deductions, so you can look for these expenses in your past credit card statements and other records.
If your side hustle is becoming a full-time hustle, you might consider looking at getting professional help as well. H&R Block has tax experts that can help you with any situation, from filing your taxes this year, to getting the help you need to set yourself up for success next year.
Claim Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Expenses
Many employers offer Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts, and other tax-deductible spending accounts. Money in your Flexible Spending Accounts is yours, but it’s up to you to claim the money in it. If you don’t claim the money by tax time, you will probably lose the money in those accounts, even if you set aside the money yourself.
If you’re lucky, you may have a few weeks remaining to spend the money in the account. So stock up on contacts, get your teeth cleaned, or do whatever you need to do to use up that money. Then submit your receipts, so you can get reimbursed.
Even if you can’t keep spending, you may still be eligible to submit receipts for reimbursement.
Every employer has different rules regarding the Flexible Spending Accounts, so check with your HR representative to figure out what you need to do to take advantage of these funds.
Contribute To An IRA Or Roth IRA
An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a tax-advantaged investment account designed for retirement. People who contribute to an IRA can claim a tax deduction this year for funds contributed. The funds can grow tax-free until you withdraw them during retirement. There are income limits associated with IRA contributions, and the maximum you can contribute for the 2025 tax year is $7,000 ($8,000 for people age 50 and up). Contributions aren’t due until tax day, so this is a great way to save on your taxes this year.
Roth IRAs are similar to traditional IRAs, but they don’t allow you to claim a tax deduction this year. Instead, you pay taxes on your contribution this year. Then the gains and distributions are free from taxation.
Even though you don’t get a tax deduction, you must complete your 2025 Roth IRA contributions by April 15th, 2026.
Note: You can also contribute to your HSA for 2025 all the way through April 15, 2026.
The Bottom Line
As you move toward the end of the tax filing season, consider taking advantage of these last-minute tax tips that can save you money. The tips above can help you if you’re considering a DIY approach to filing your taxes. However, generic tips are not a substitute for help from a tax professional or tax filing service. Professionals can help you with tax prep and questions specific to your situation.
Editor: Ashley Barnett
Reviewed by: Colin Graves
The post 8 Last-Minute Tax Reminders For 2026 appeared first on The College Investor.
Chase $900 Checking + Savings Bonus
Update 3/16/26: Apologies, was testing something. More information here.
Update 1/11/26: Extended through 04/15/2026. There is also a $400 checking bonus that is better if you can’t also do the savings bonus on this page.
Offer at a glance
- Maximum bonus amount: $900
- Availability: Nationwide, online or in-branch
- Direct deposit required: Yes, no minimum. Click here to view what triggers this bonus.
- Additional requirements: None for checking; $15,000 balance for savings
- Hard/soft pull: Soft
- ChexSystems: Doesn’t pull
- Credit card funding: Can fund up to $50 with a debit card online (prepaids do not work). Cannot fund with debit or credit in branch.
- Monthly fees: $12, waivable
- Early account termination fee:
Bonus taken back if closed within six monthsNone - Household limit: None listed
- Expiration date:
April 19, 2023January 24, 2024April 17, 2024July 16, 2025
The Offer
Direct link to offer (incognito)
- Chase is offering a checking & savings bonus worth up to $900. Bonus is as follows:
- Receive a bonus of $300 when you open a Chase Total checking account and have a direct deposit post to the account within 90 days.
- Receive a bonus of $200 when you open a Chase savings account and deposit $15,000 or more in new money within 30 days and maintain a balance of $15,000 for 90 days.
- Receive an extra $400 bonus when you complete both of the above bonuses.
The Fine Print
- Checking offer is not available to existing Chase checking customers. Savings offer is not available to existing Chase savings customers. Both offers are not available to those whose accounts have been closed within 90 days or closed with a negative balance within the last 3 years.
- You can receive only one new checking and one new savings account opening related bonus every two years from the last coupon enrollment date and only one bonus per account. Coupon is good for one-time use.
- To receive the checking bonus: 1) Open a new Chase Total Checking account, which is subject to approval; AND 2) Have your direct deposit made to this account within 90 days of coupon enrollment. Your direct deposit needs to be an electronic deposit of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security) from your employer or the government. Person to Person payments (such as Zelle®) are not considered a direct deposit. (Micro-deposits do not qualify as a direct deposit for the bonus. Micro-deposits are small deposits, typically less than $1, that are sent to your account to verify it is the correct account.)
- After you have completed all the above checking requirements, we’ll deposit the bonus in your new account within 15 days. To receive the savings bonus: 1) Open a new Chase SavingsSM account, which is subject to approval; 2) Deposit a total of $15,000 or more in new money into the new savings account within 30 days of coupon enrollment; AND 3) Maintain at least a $15,000 balance for 90 days from the coupon enrollment. The new money cannot be funds held by you at Chase or its affiliates.
- After you have completed all the above savings requirements, we’ll deposit the bonus in your new account within 15 days.
- To receive the extra bonus: You must open the checking and savings account at the same time and complete all requirements above for BOTH the checking bonus and savings bonus. After you have completed all requirements, we will deposit the remaining bonus due in your new account within 15 days.
- To receive any of the above bonuses, the enrolled account must not be closed or restricted at the time of payout. Eligibility may be limited based on account ownership. The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) for Chase SavingsSM, effective as of 12/29/2022, is 0.01% for all balances in all states. Interest rates are variable and subject to change. Additionally, fees may reduce earnings on the account.
- Bonuses are considered interest and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT (or Form 1042-S, if applicable).
Avoiding Fees
Savings Account
The Chase Savings Account comes with a monthly service fee of $5. Monthly fee is waived with any ONE of the following:
- Keep a minimum daily balance of $300 or more
- Have at least one repeating automatic transfer from your Chase checking account of $25 or more; one time transfers do not qualify
- Have a linked Chase Premier Plus Checking, Chase Premier Platinum Checking, or Chase Private Client Checking account
New accounts will not be charged a Monthly Service Fee for at least the first two statement periods.
Checking Account
The Chase Total Checking account comes with a monthly service fee of $10-$12 which is waived if complete any of the following:
- Have monthly direct deposits totaling $500 or more
- Keep a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or more in the checking account
- Keep an average daily balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of qualifying Chase checking, savings and other balances
New accounts will not be charged a Monthly Service Fee for at least the first two statement periods.
Early Account Termination Fee
There used to be an six-month period where you would lose the bonus if closed out, but sometime in 2022 (?) they removed that clause and so it’s now safe to close after you receive the bonus paid out.
Our Verdict
This is the best public bonus we’ve seen on this account, really excellent offer and much better than the prior $600 offer.
Those who have done a Chase bonus before can do it again after 24 months. Look for the opening date of when you opened your last checking/savings accounts (not the bonus date), then wait 24 months before opening the new account. That will make you eligible for the new bonus.
Be sure to have the $15,000 sent directly to the Chase savings account. If you send it to the checking and then transfer it over to the savings, I don’t know if you’ll earn the savings bonuses. (Update: there are reports on both sides of this. Report link | Counter-report link)
RELATED posts:
- How To Find The Chase Bank Account Bonus Tracker
- PSA: Don’t Use ACH-Pull for Chase Bank Account Openings, Avoid Account Lockup
- Does Chase Match a Checking or Savings Bonus? (Yes, For 21 Days)
- (Update) My Experience Signing Up For The $900 Chase Checking & Savings Bonus
Useful posts regarding bank bonuses:
- A Beginners Guide To Bank Account Bonuses
- Bank Account Quick Reference Table (Spreadsheet) (very useful for sorting bonuses by different parameters)
- PSA: Don’t Call The Bank
- Introduction To ChexSystems
- Banks & Credit Unions That Are ChexSystems Inquiry Sensitive
- What Banks & Credit Unions Do/Don’t Pull ChexSystems?
- How To Use Our Direct Deposit Page For Bank Bonuses Page
- Common Bank Bonus Misconceptions + Why You Should Give Them A Go
- How Many Bank Accounts Can I Safely Open Within A Year For Bank Bonus Purposes?
- Affiliate Links & Bank Bonuses – We Won’t Be Using Them
- Complete List Of Ways To Close Bank Accounts At Each Bank
- Banks That Allow/Don’t Allow Out Of State Checking Applications
- Bank Bonus Posting Times
Afghanistan says 400 killed in Pakistan air strike on Kabul hospital, Pakistan rejects claim
Afghanistan says 400 killed in Pakistan air strike on Kabul hospital, Pakistan rejects claim