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2-Year CD Rates
CDs, also called certificates of deposit, are low-risk investments with a predetermined, fixed rate of return (interest) sold by financial institutions. The 2-Year CD is one of many time horizons typically offered by banks and credit unions, and serves as a fairly liquid way to store savings while growing them at higher interest rates than usually afforded by standard savings accounts.
2-Year CD Rate History – Average APY (%) Rate Trend over Time
Contribution Limits
CDs, or time deposits, usually come with no maximum limits on how much you are able to deposit. In most cases, the bigger your principal, the more you will earn in interest – this is called “tiered interest.” However, some financial institutions offer just a flat interest rate for any amount of principal.
Mini CD Ladders and Add-On CDs
2-Year CDs are commonly termed 24-month CDs and make for a good last rung on a mini CD ladder. The simplest way build this ladder is to invest in 5 CDs ranging in duration from 3 months to 24 months (i.e., a 3-month CD, 6-month CD, 12-month CD, 18-month CD, and a 24-month CD). After the first CD reaches maturity, you can decide whether to open another 24 month CD to extend your ladder. Repeat this process until you have 24 Month CDs expiring every 3 months, and you will have achieved higher rates of return than a savings account, while maintaining good liquidity (access to funds penalty free every 3 months). Alternatively, Add-On CDs are designed so that the bank or credit union will allow you to invest additional funds into an already opened CD. This could be advantageous, especially if the interest rates are tiered.
Small banks and credit unions typically offer the best interest rates on CDs, which is why you will predominantly see share certificates at the top of the CD rate tables on DepositAccounts. Whether bank or credit union, make sure the CD being offered is federally insured. The FDIC or NCUA guarantees each depositor up to at least $250,000 per insured financial institution where he or she has an account. American Share Insurance (ASI) is a private insurer that covers each account you may have at an insured credit union up to $250,000.
Some financial institutions offer Bump-Up CDs that allow the certificate of deposit holder to switch to a higher rate (if available) one time during the life of the investment without incurring a penalty. This is a helpful feature, but is usually offered with long term CDs as an incentive to “loan” the bank or credit union money for a longer period of time.