One alternative to bank and credit union deposits, sometimes referenced in DepositAccounts data, are mutual fund money market accounts (MMF), although uninsured. The funds endeavor to maintain a stead asset value of $1/share. During the last financial crises, several (aggressive) MMFs "broke the buck" which resulted in a rather big fuss.
Recently, there has been a bit of a disruption in the muni bond market, as many fear that governments will have declining tax revenues, and thus defaults may surface.
In that context, I happened to notice that Vanguard's Municipal MMF (VMSXX) technically has broken the buck. I seldom drill down on their site to the level shown below, but found that as of this week's close, the market value is less than $1, although the fund is still quoted at $1.00 (because amortized cost method is permitted for retail MMFs). I haven't noticed any commentary on financial sites about such a development. I would appreciate anything you see on this.
FROM VANGUARD'S SITE
Price and yield
Price as of 03/20/2020
$1.00
Change
$0.00 0.00%
Daily market value as of 03/20/2020
$0.9986. ?
7 day SEC yield
as of 03/20/2020
2.10% C
Compound yield
2.12%
Product summary
Vanguard Municipal Money Market Fund seeks to provide federally tax-exempt income and preserve shareholders’ principal investment by maintaining a share price of $1. As such it is considered one of the most conservative investment options offered by Vanguard. Although the fund invests in short-term, high-quality securities, the amount of income that a shareholder may receive will be largely dependent on the current interest rate environment and the availability of eligible municipal securities. Investors in a higher tax bracket who have a short-term savings goal and seek a competitive tax-free yield may wish to consider this option.