Fina You Plan To Invest An Amount Of Money In A Five-year Certificate Of Deposit

NerdWallet's CD calculator shows what you can earn with a certificate of deposit , a type of savings account that you leave untouched for months or years. Like regular savings accounts, CDs are safe because they are federally insured. Use the CD calculator below to see total interest.

What should I know when choosing CDs?

Prioritize finding a high interest rate. Not every bank has competitive rates on their CDs. See our list of the best CD rates .
Avoid early withdrawal fees. Although short-term CDs mean less time to wait to access your money and less need to incur the penalty to get money early, long-term certificates typically have higher rates.

Compare the best CD rates

See which banks and credit unions offer high-yield CDs right now.

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Frequently asked questions

Are CDs worth it in 2021?

CDs are safe investments that can help with some short-term savings goals, but keep in mind that high rates are hard to find right now. See more details in our article on the pros and cons of CDs .

If you put $500 in a CD for five years, how much would you make?

This depends on the CD rate. A five-year CD at a competitive online bank could have a rate of 0.80% APY, which would earn about $20 in five years. A five-year CD rate closer to the national average, such as 0.27% , would earn about $7. If your savings are closer to $500 than $10,000, you might also consider rewards checking options or neobanks with interest-earning accounts , which can have competitive interest rates with maximum balance limits.

How much does $10,000 in a CD make in a year?

This depends on the CD rate. A one-year CD with a rate of 0.50% APY earns $50, while a CD with a rate of 0.10% APY earns $10. To compare current rates, see the best one-year CD rates this month.

Can you lose money in a CD?

Only if you withdraw before the CD term matures. The penalty tends to vary from a few months' to a year's worth of interest.

What happens if I withdraw a CD early?

Generally a CD has an early withdrawal penalty , which tends to range from a few months' to a year's worth of earned interest, depending on the bank and the CD term length. Longer term lengths usually have bigger penalties. These penalties occur only if you take out money before a CD term expires. Try our calculator to see what an early withdrawal penalty costs . If you want the flexibility of withdrawing early without a penalty, consider a no-penalty CD.

What term length should you get?

The longer the term, the higher the rate tends to be. Terms typically range from three months to five years. Most have early withdrawal penalties, so be sure you won't need the money before the term expires.

How much interest will you earn on a CD?

This varies based on your deposit, CD rate and term length. For example, a $10,000 deposit in a five-year CD with 0.80% APY would earn about $408 in interest, while the same deposit in a five-year CD with 0.01% APY (all other factors being the same) would earn only $5 in interest.

How to calculate CD interest

If you'd prefer to try your hand at calculating interest without a calculator, use the compound interest formula:

A=P(1+r/n)^nt , where:

A = ending amount (this means original balance plus all interest earned after n years).
P = original balance (or your initial deposit, since there are typically no other contributions to CDs).
r = interest rate (as a decimal)*.
n = number of times interest is compounded per year (typically 365 for daily, 12 for monthly, 4 for quarterly).
t = time (in years).

Once you get a result for A, subtract P from A ( A - P ) to get the interest amount.

*Note: Interest rate and APY are slightly different. To be more exact, use the interest rate in the formula.

How do CD rates work?

CD rates are usually quoted as an annual percentage yield, or APY, which is how much the account earns in one year including compound interest. Banks and credit unions generally compound interest monthly or daily. An interest rate is similar to APY, but it doesn't factor in compound interest. For more details, see our explainer on APY .

When will CD rates go up?

It partly depends on when the Federal Reserve raises its benchmark rate again, which might not be for a while. Federal Reserve actions are one factor in banks' decisions to change rates. See historical CD rates .

See CD rates by term and type

Check out the best CD interest rates on certificates of deposit:

See CD rates by bank

If you want to see what specific banks offer, here's a quick list of both traditional and online banks' CDs (and one brokerage's offering):

Are there other accounts I should consider?

An online brokerage account is an option if you've already built a robust emergency fund and want to boost your long-term savings. Although these financial products come with more risk than CDs, they could lead to higher returns.

Picking the right broker comes down to your priorities. Some investors are willing to pay more for a top-notch platform; others count costs above all else. With brokerage accounts, you don't have to worry about early withdrawal penalties, but your funds may be more difficult to access in a pinch, given that you'll likely need to sell some investment shares before you can devote that money to anything else.