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With interest rates rising, saving makes more sense. Fintech startup Accrue Savings flips the script on “buy now, pay later,” encouraging people to save now with a new kind of layaway for the digital–banking era. “I believe that brands have a responsibility to be sustainable and not just push credit down the throats of the public,” says founder and CEO Michael Hershfield. Customers set up a free (FDIC–insured) savings account and make auto–deposits toward a specific purchase goal. (Think: saving up for a couch.) Progress is rewarded with cash given out by participating merchants—currently 35, including brands like SmileDirectClub, Eterneva, and Casper.
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