Why you should deposit $10,000 into a 5 year CD now?
The interest is significant and predictable
The top nationwide rate in each CD term—from 6 months to 5 years—currently ranges from 5.20% to 6.18% APY. With a $10,000 investment in a top-paying CD, you can earn hundreds to thousands of dollars of interest on your money—and much more than if you keep it in a typical savings account.
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.
Right now, the average interest rate for a 5-year CD is 1.46%. If you put $10,000 into a CD with that rate right now, after five years you'd have earned $751.63, for a total of $10,751.63. As noted above, though, you can likely get a much better interest rate if you shop around and find a CD from an online bank.
Unlike traditional or high-yield savings accounts, which have variable APYs, most CDs lock your money into a fixed interest rate the day you open the account. 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.
If you believe interest rates will stay elevated for the near future or need regular income, CD laddering may still make sense. If you're concerned about interest rates falling in the future and don't expect to need access to your funds, locking in today's high rates for the long-term may make more sense.
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.
CD returns are impressive
Some of the top 5-year CD options on the market now offer APYs over 4.5%. What does that mean if you deposit $20,000? Here's how much money you stand to earn: $20,000 at 4.5% APY: $4,923.64 in interest (for a total of $24,923.64 after five years)
Potential for higher returns
Simply put: The more you deposit into a CD the more you'll make. While the rate you can get may be out of your control, the amount you deposit is up to you. So, by depositing $20,000, you can earn significantly more than you would have with $15,000 or $10,000.
How much interest would you earn? If you put $20,000 into a 5-year CD with an interest rate of 4.60%, you'd end the 5-year CD term with $5,043.12 in interest, for a total balance of $25,043.12.
Should you put 10k in a CD?
A certificate of deposit is a great way to stash money you don't think you'll need access to for a while. It's safe and secure, plus the interest rates are generally higher than you'll get with other savings products.
Many 12-month CDs pay around 5% annual percentage yield (APY), and many high-yield, 5-year CDs are in the 4% APY ballpark. At 5%, $10,000 would earn $500 in one year. At 4%, a 5-year, $10,000 CD would yield $2,167 over the course of those five years, based on annual compounding.
- Bread Savings™️ CD: 4.15% APY.
- Alliant Credit Union Certificate: 4.00% APY.
- Ally Bank High Yield CD: 3.90% APY.
- Popular Direct CD: 4.30% APY.
- Synchrony Bank CD: 4.00% APY.
- Capital One 360 CD: 3.90% APY.
- Sallie Mae Bank CD: 4.00% APY.
- LendingClub CD: 4.00% APY.
Waiting to open a CD could mean missing out on some stellar rates. Now, you can lock in high rates on both short-term and long-term CDs and, you can score some serious interest just by opting to deposit a larger lump sum into your CD.
The national average rate for one-year CD rates will be at 1.15 percent APY by the end of 2024, McBride forecasts, while predicting top-yielding one-year CDs to pay a significantly higher rate of 4.25 percent APY at that time.
Remember, it's possible that in two or three years from now, CDs will be paying 2.5% interest at best. So if you can lock in a 5-year CD at 5% now, that means that once things reach that point, you'll continue to earn more interest on your money while savers opening new CDs will be signing up to earn much less.
While longer-term CDs may tie up your funds for years, a 6-month CD allows you to access your money relatively quickly. If you suddenly need your $5,000 for an emergency or a more lucrative investment opportunity arises, you won't have to wait years to access your funds without incurring hefty penalties.
Today's impressive CD rates are the result of the United States Federal Reserve increasing its federal funds rate in an attempt to combat inflation. As inflation slows, there's no telling how long these high rates will last. So, it's wise to lock in today's high rates by investing $15,000 into a 1-year CD now.
You can find 6% CD rates at a few financial institutions, but chances are those rates are only available on CDs with maturities of 12 months or less. Financial institutions offer high rates to compete for business, but they don't want to pay customers ultra-high rates over many years.
Standard CDs are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) for up to $250,000, so they cannot lose money. However, some CDs that are not FDIC-insured may carry greater risk, and there may be risks that come from rising inflation or interest rates.
Are CDs safe if the market crashes?
Are CDs safe if the market crashes? Putting your money in a CD doesn't involve putting your money in the stock market. Instead, it's in a financial institution, like a bank or credit union. So, in the event of a market crash, your CD account will not be impacted or lose value.
CD rates tend to lag behind rising inflation and drop more quickly than inflation on the way down. Because of that likelihood, investing in CDs carries the danger that your money will lose its purchasing power over time as your interest gains are overtaken by inflation.
But when it comes to long-term savings, Dave Ramsey cautions against opening a CD. In fact, he insists that CDs are really nothing more than glorified savings accounts with slightly higher interest rates. The problem with those rates is that they don't do a good enough job of keeping up with inflation.
But sometimes breaking this rule pays off. Getting a CD when rates are low and breaking it when rates are high might be an opportunity to benefit from a higher-rate CD and earn you more than you would gain otherwise.
Long-term CDs (4-5 years)
Four- to five-year CDs, and longer, tend to have the best rates you can find (mid-2023 rates have been an exception). Pledging to leave your money inaccessible for that long can be worth the commitment, especially if you can lock into a high APY before a falling-rate environment.
