To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. Before depositing funds into a CD, understand whether your CD will automatically roll over into a new one at maturity and what fees exist should you withdraw money early.Compare and select the higher APY–a rate that combines the interest rate and the compounding period–between institutions for your selected term.Look for CDs with terms that reflect your own needs.Decide how much you have to save and how long you can set aside funds without withdrawing them.Keep in mind that if you roll the CD over at maturity, the rate will likely be different. Look for the highest CD rates today through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-member credit unions, both of which protect your CD account for up to $250,000. Credit unions also tend to offer more competitive CD rates than banks. Absent the physical overhead and large marketing budgets of brick-and-mortar banks, online banks tend to often offer higher rates to encourage new customers. When one bank raises rates, others follow, meaning better CD rates become available to customers who shop around. The Federal Reserve’s numerous decisions to raise the federal funds rate have steadily boosted CD rates since 2022. The federal funds rate is the rate banks charge each other for lending funds overnight, and it’s set by the Federal Reserve eight times each year. How Are CD Rates Determined?ĬD rates are determined by individual banks and credit unions, but these institutions largely base their rates on the federal funds rate. Treasuries have displayed a similarly inverted yield curve. Should interest rates fall in the future, banks don’t want to be stuck paying higher, fixed rates on longer-term CDs. Throughout the first three quarters of 2023, however, CDs with two- to five-year terms paid less than CDs with 12-month terms. In times with less volatile interest rates, the longer the CD term, generally the higher the rate. This translates to $352 to $528 in yearly earnings on a $10,000 deposit.

In November 2023, this means a 12-month CD paying 3.52% to 5.28% APY. While average CD rates remain modest, good rates tend to be at least two to three times higher. What Is the Average Interest Rate on a CD?

First united bank cd interest rates