How does compound interest work with CDs? (2024)

FAQs

How does compound interest work with CDs? ›

Like savings accounts, CDs earn compound interest—meaning that periodically, the interest you earn is added to your principal. Then that new total amount earns interest of its own, and so on.

While most CDs are compounded monthly, sometimes interest is compounded more frequently (like every day), or less frequently (yearly or quarterly). The more often interest is compounded, the more money you'll earn.

High-yield savings accounts

The best online banks offer APYs of 5.00% or more. If you deposit $500 in a high-yield savings account with a 5.00% APY, you could earn as much as $142 over five years — assuming you don't make anymore deposits and that the APY stays the same.

The biggest risk to CD accounts is usually an interest-rate risk, as federal rate cuts could lead banks to pay out less to savers. 7 Bank failure is also a risk, though this is a rarity.

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.

The interest is significant and predictable

Let's say you put $10,000 into a 5-year CD with the rate discussed above – 4.75%. After the 5-year term is up you'll have earned $2,611 in interest for a total account balance of $12,611. That is a good rate of return for an option that comes with essentially zero risk.

Monthly compounding is used by many interest-bearing CDs. Under this model, the annual interest rate is divided by 12 (the number of months in a year). The monthly interest earned is then applied to the principal amount, thus increasing your account balance on a set date each month.

Key takeaways. Interest earned on CDs is considered taxable income by the IRS, regardless of whether the money is received in cash or reinvested. Interest earned on CDs with terms longer than one year must be reported and taxed every year, even if the CD cannot be cashed in until maturity.

The best 1-year CDs could earn $2,625 in interest on $50,000. The best 2- to 5-year CDs could earn between $2,250 and $2,375 in interest on $50,000 per year.

How much money should I put in a CD? ›

Don't put cash into a CD that you'll need for emergencies. Many CDs have a minimum deposit amount, usually around $500. Don't put more in a CD than you feel comfortable parting with.

With a traditional CD, you typically make a one-time opening deposit and leave it in the account until the end of the term. You can't continually add money to this type of CD. However, you can opt to open an add-on CD, which allows you to make additional deposits throughout the CD's lifetime.

National average interest rate for CDs

The national average for six-month CDs is 1.79% as of May 20, 2024, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). All of the CDs on our list offer significantly higher APYs than the national average.

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.

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.

Even if the market crashes, your CD is still safe. Your interest rate won't change, and your money is still insured. But, keep an eye on interest rates. After your CD term ends, you might find that new CDs have lower rates if the economy is still struggling.

Currently, money market funds pay between 4.47% and 4.87% in interest. With that, you can earn between $447 to $487 in interest on $10,000 each year. Certificates of deposit (CDs). CDs are offered by financial institutions for set periods of time.

That said, here's how much you could expect to make by depositing $20,000 into a one-year CD now, broken down by four readily available interest rates (interest compounding annually): At 6.00%: $1,200 (for a total of $21,200 after one year) At 5.75%: $1,150 (for a total of $21,150 after one year)