Why you should deposit $10,000 into a 5-year CD now (2024)

FAQs

Why you should deposit $10,000 into a 5-year CD now? ›

The interest is significant and predictable

A one-year CD with a $10,000 opening deposit that earns the Bankrate partner average yield of 4.94 percent would be worth around $10,494 when it matures in 12 months' time. This high-yielding one-year CD would earn you around $320 more in total interest than a CD earning the national average rate.

The bottom line

If you put $10,000 in a 5-year CD right now, you could be looking at earnings of more than $2,000 when the CD matures. Ultimately, CDs can be part of a successful financial strategy, as long as you make the right choices and shop for the best available rate.

Five-year CD rates allow you to earn a guaranteed interest rate long term. While shorter CDs in 2024 have higher APYs and offer more flexibility, 5-year CDs could let you ride out today's high interest rates for a potentially longer period.

If you're in a position to save in today's higher interest rate environment, investments like CDs could help accelerate your savings. CD rates have skyrocketed since 2022: 1-year CD rates have increased more than twelve-fold, with 3-year and 5-year CDs up nearly six-fold and five-fold, respectively.

That's why if you suspect that interest rates will soon drop, it can be a good idea to put money in a CD to preserve the high APY you would earn. CDs have specified term lengths, ranging from three months to five years.

Federal insurance keeps CDs safe

Like savings and checking accounts, most CDs are protected by deposit insurance, meaning your funds are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) at a bank and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) at a credit union.

The risk of having a CD is very low. Unlike how the stock market or a Roth IRA can lose money, you typically cannot lose money in a CD. There is actually no risk the account owner incurs unless you withdraw money before the account reaches maturity.

Banks and credit unions often charge an early withdrawal penalty for taking funds from a CD ahead of its maturity date. This penalty can be a flat fee or a percentage of the interest earned. In some cases, it could even be all the interest earned, negating your efforts to use a CD for savings.

Does a 5-year CD make sense? ›

A five-year CD is a low-risk investment with predictable returns and a significantly higher yield than traditional savings. When interest rates are high, a five-year CD allows you to lock in an attractive rate for a relatively long time.

A five-year CD usually offers the highest rate of return of any CD, though now, shorter terms like one-year CDs offer higher rates. Experts say this is a sign that savings rates have peaked and are unlikely to climb much higher, especially since the Fed paused rates for the third consecutive time in December.

Traditionally, in your typical ladder, five-year CDs have a higher yield than one-year CDs. But these days, you're likely to see a CD with a term of around six months to 18 months will likely have the highest yield in your ladder.

Disadvantages of investing in CDs

Once you decide on the term of the CD, whether it's six months or 18 months, it can't be changed after the account is funded. As noted previously, since CDs have a set interest rate and maturity date, you typically can't withdraw the money from the CD without paying a penalty.

CD rates may not be high enough to keep pace with inflation when consumer prices rise. Investing money in the stock market could generate much higher returns than CDs. CDs offer less liquidity than savings accounts, money market accounts, or checking accounts.

The most common way people lose money through a CD account is by withdrawing their funds before the term ends. When you take money out of your CD account before the maturity date, you'll typically have to pay an early withdrawal penalty.

The biggest disadvantage of investing in CDs is that, unlike a traditional savings account, CDs aren't flexible. Once you decide on the term of the CD, whether it's six months or 18 months, it can't be changed after the account is funded.

You'll have to pay federal and state income tax on interest you earn on traditional CDs. If you've earned $10 or more in interest on a CD, then those earnings must be reported. If the CD has a term longer than a single year, then you must pay taxes on the interest accrued each year.