What Is a Certificate of Deposit and How Does It Work?

Certificates of deposit (CDs) are financial tools you can purchase directly from a bank, credit union or brokerage firm. A CD holds a fixed amount of your money for a fixed term, allowing your money to build interest during that time.

Your interest rate is set when you purchase the CD. Average CD rates vary depending on the CD type, maturity date and when you make the purchase.

Your term length is connected to your CD’s maturity date, which is when you can get your funds back and the interest earned. Common term lengths are six months to five years, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

CDs are a good option if your retirement funds are currently sitting in a standard savings account and lacking growth. A CD can help combat inflation risk by allowing your money to grow with interest.

CDs work as a savings account that grows your money at a set rate, over a set period of time. Your CD ends when it reaches its maturity date.

Generally, once your maturity date arrives, you get your original deposit back, along with any interest you’ve earned. You can then decide whether you want to reinvest the money into another CD or pocket your earnings to build your retirement plan funds.

One important, and often confusing, detail about CDs is that the interest rates are presented in annual terms. Cameron Valadez, CFP®, CPFA, AWMA®, the co-founder of Planable Wealth, spoke to RetireGuide about how CDs’ annual rates can often be misleading.

“The key to understanding CD yields or interest rates is that they are stated in annual terms. For example, if you see a six-month CD with a 4% yield, this means it’s only going to pay 2% over six months,” Valadez told RetireGuide.

“What they’re doing is annualizing that number, and assuming that when the CD reaches maturity in six months and you get your money back, you will reinvest that money into another six-month CD paying that same 2%. That’s where that 4% comes from.”

“So, if you’re buying CDs that are less than one year, this is where it gets tricky. People think they’re going to get the rate listed for six months, when that is not true.”

There are two other important factors to consider on how CDs work — when you can deposit money and when you can access your funds.

While a CD is like a savings account, you can’t add funds regularly to your CD. You can only deposit money in your CD at the time you purchase it. Usually, the minimum deposit requirement for a CD is $500, according to CNBC.

You can only access the money in your CD after your maturity date has passed. However, some CDs make periodic interest payments, rather than compensating you in full at maturity.

Reguardless of how interest is paid, if you access your funds before your maturity date, you’ll face an early withdrawal penalty. However, you can purchase a liquid CD, which has the rare feature of allowing early access to funds without the penalty.

Most CDs purchased from banks or credit unions are insured up to $250,000 by either the FDIC or NCUA, making them safe investments for older adults preparing for retirement.

Compared to the new age investments for retirement — like cryptocurrency and micro-investing — CDs offer a secure opportunity to those with a large nest egg looking to grow their funds.

“CDs can be a great tool for retirees to utilize over a short period of time, within a few years or less, to keep idle cash working,” Valadez told RetireGuide.

This isn’t to say CDs are 100% riskless and you should throw all your funds into them. You should still diversify your investments and consider all your options. Learning about each type of CD can help you determine if they fit your retirement plan needs.

You should consider the different types of CDs before making a purchase. Some offer unique features, like early access to funds, a flexible interest rate or even an option to convert U.S. currency to foreign currency in your CD.

Two common types of CDs are traditional CDs, typically purchased at a bank, and brokered CDs, which can be purchased on the secondary market. Both CDs are FDIC insured up to $250,000, but they have different features that may make one better suited for you over the other.

For example, brokerage CDs can be riskier since they could be callable. If a CD is callable, the issuer can call them back at any time. This means you’d need to figure out a new method of investing your funds. Due to the risk, a callable brokerage CD can have a higher interest rate.

Traditional bank CDs can have a lower interest rate compared to brokerage CDs, but they could be a safer investment option.

You can ladder multiple CDs with different maturity dates to retain access to some of your funds. Some people prefer to do this over a jumbo CD, so they are not locked in until a single maturity date. If you ladder multiple CDs, you can unlock your funds and the interest you’ve earned as each CD matures.

“Retirees should have a very clear focus on the money they are considering laddering into CDs. The strategy is going to require ongoing management as the CDs mature, and you’ll need to do research on reinvesting your money,” Valadez told RetireGuide.

A main benefit of CDs is that they are reliable with low risk. However, this advantage also presents one of the glaring drawbacks — low risk means lower returns. With inflation still at a high 6.4% in 2023, the money in your CD could lose purchasing power if the inflation stays on trend.

CDs aren’t a one-stop shop for your retirement investment strategies; there are other alternatives you can consider. If you’re trying to get the closest alternative with similar features to a CD, Valadez recommends a short-term U.S. government treasury bond.

“I would say, in general, a U.S. government treasury bond is the next closest alternative investment to a CD if it has a comparable maturity to the CD and is held until maturity. In addition, the U.S. treasury bond is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, while CDs are backed only up to $250,000 by the FDIC.” Valadez told RetireGuide.