The big, big banks (Chase, BofA) are too big to fail and are also subject to more thorough stress tests. That's one option. You could also deposit in multiple b

The big, big banks (Chase, BofA) are too big to fail and are also subject to more thorough stress tests. That's one option. You could also deposit in multiple banks to stay below 250k. There are institutions that automate that. Another option is to deal directly with the federal government and buy bonds from them (likely through a bank but your money doesn't have to stay there for long). Then only the most catastrophic scenario would see you losing money. You are still subject to inflation and interest rate risk. But honestly at that point, worry about having guns and knowing how to use them, not where your money is. One last edit to add that Treasury is making all depositors whole. So, really, all of this is moot... besides the guns :)