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Interest rates on savings — whether for cash stashed in money market mutual funds, bank money market accounts or certificates of deposit (CDs) — are hitting levels last seen in the early 2000s. “I’m just thrilled with all this,” says Peter Crane, publisher of Money Fund Intelligence. It’s especially welcome news for retirees in need of low-risk income to help make ends meet and others seeking a safe place to set aside funds for an emergency.

But not every financial institution is offering high interest rates, even to longtime customers. And even if you invest in money market mutual funds, whose yields float with the short-term market, you have to shop around for the best deal.

Thank — or blame — the Fed. In an effort to squash inflation, the Federal Reserve has hiked its target for short-term interest rates eight times since 2021. Its key fed funds rate is now 4.5 percent to 4.75 percent and expected to go higher after the Fed’s Open Market Committee meeting later in March. Typically, savings rates follow the fed funds rate, and you’ll find plenty of CD offers for 4 percent or more.

Some major banks, however, aren’t sharing the love, at least not with all their products. One big bank, for example, offers a six-month CD yielding a paltry 0.03 percent. Another big bank offers 0.05 percent for a six-month CD for customers willing to plunk down $100,000. (The “standard rate” for smaller deposits is 0.01 percent.)

One reason: Banks set their own rates according to how much they need money from deposits, which they lend out at a higher rate. Many of the larger banks are flush with cash and in no hurry to lure more at higher interest rates. “It’s a binary world where big banks are offering diddly-squat on a lot of their deposits,” says Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.com. On the other extreme are online banks, whose rates more closely track the fed funds rate. “Right now we have four major online banks offering more than 5 percent on CDs,” he says.​

For tips on how to earn more interest on your savings, from AARP, CLICK HERE.

Most people tend to focus on one type of exercise or activity and think they’re doing enough. Research has shown that it’s important to get all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one has different benefits. Doing one kind also can improve your ability to do the others, and variety helps reduce boredom and risk of injury. No matter your age, you can find activities that meet your fitness level and needs!

Endurance activities, often referred to as aerobic, increase your breathing and heart rates. These activities help keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you perform the tasks you need to do every day. Endurance exercises improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They also can delay or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers, heart disease, and others. Physical activities that build endurance include:

• Brisk walking or jogging
• Yard work (mowing, raking)
• Dancing
• Swimming
• Biking
• Climbing stairs or hills
• Playing tennis or basketball

To learn about the other types of exercise that can improve your health and physical ability, from the National Institute on Aging, CLICK HERE.

Have you ever noticed that your joints ache more when the temperatures start to dip?

You’re not alone. A handful of surveys and studies show that individuals with the most common form of arthritis — known as osteoarthritis, which affects nearly 33 million U.S. adults — experience more joint pain in colder weather. And the reason isn’t straightforward.

Here’s a look at why your joints may be crankier in colder weather — and what you can do to help alleviate the discomfort.

Dips in air pressure and physical activity

One reason for more seasonal soreness may have to do with the change in barometric pressure, or the measurement of air pressure in the atmosphere.

In warm weather, barometric pressure is high; when it gets cold, that pressure drops. And when that happens, “it can cause your tissue around the joint (muscles, tendons, etc.) to expand, which increases the pressure in the confined space in your joint,” explains Michael M. Kheir, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan. The result can lead to joint pain.

Activity levels can contribute to increased pain and stiffness in the joints. And studies show that when the temperatures plunge, so do physical activity levels.

It may sound counterintuitive, but regular exercise is one of the most effective strategies when it comes to treating arthritis pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity can help adults with arthritis decrease pain and improve function by about 40 percent.

The winter blues may also be to blame for an increase in joint irritation. Some research suggests a link between seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, and chronic pain.

“We know that mood, for example, can change during different seasons, and we know that there’s certainly a relationship between mood and pain perception,” said Mahmood Gharib, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

To learn about tips to relieve joint paint, especially during colder weather, from the AARP, CLICK HERE.