How it Works: Certificate of Deposit

What CDs Offer

CDs are special deposit accounts that banks offer. Unlike other savings accounts, CDs offer high interest rates and are covered under insurance by the federal government for amounts up to $250,000. This is great for investors looking for returns on investments that are consistently productive and low in risk. CDs can be purchased at banks by anybody looking to invest money. Brokerage firms, or deposit brokers, also offer CDs. Sometimes these firms can offer or negotiate to raise the interest rates even higher. The investor can negotiate this by promising to invest higher amounts of money into the organization. These are often called brokerage CDs when offered under these terms.

CD Process

When a CD is purchased by an investor, they input a certain amount of money into an account for a designated amount of time. Once they promise this, the bank then offers the investor interest on their investment as the bank will be using that money for loans which they will also receive interest on. These interest levels offered by the bank or lending institution are stable and pay back regularly. Once the investor decides to cash in that certificate of deposit, he will be given the original investment amount on top of any interest he might have acquired. But most banks require that the investment matures to a certain age before it can be withdrawn. This allows that money to be available to the bank long enough so they can turn it over on loans and obtain interest to make money.

CD Options

Most CDs were at one point fixed at certain interest rates and did not change. But the entire structure of these interest and loan policies has become increasingly more complicated. Banks now offer investors many more options on how to invest their CDs over time. They can choose variable interest rates as well as other customizations to their investment accounts. Long-term CDs can be purchased as well. These long-term CDs can be terminated by the bank if interest rates fall dramatically. Conversely, if interest rates suddenly start to rise, the bank will keep interest rates at that same amount. It provides guaranteed long-term benefits with no short-term risks.

References

Article reviewed by I.P. Last updated on: Dec 14, 2009

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