In-depth guides and resources to help you make the most of the CD Ladder Calculator and master the underlying financial concepts.
Open CD Ladder CalculatorA CD ladder is a savings strategy that splits your principal across certificates of deposit with staggered maturity dates (typically 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years) so that a portion comes due every 12 months. This provides access to some of your savings each year without locking everything in a single long-term CD, while capturing higher rates than a savings account. With 5-year CD rates above 4% at many FDIC-insured institutions in 2026, laddering is an effective strategy for medium-term savings goals with predictable timelines.
The guides compare CD ladders to alternatives: I-bonds (inflation-protected, $10,000/year limit), high-yield savings accounts (fully liquid but variable rate), short-term Treasuries (T-bills, state-tax-exempt interest), and money market funds. They explain how early withdrawal penalties (often 90–180 days of interest on a 12-month CD, up to 12 months on longer terms) affect net return if you break a CD early, and when a no-penalty CD makes more sense than a traditional CD for your liquidity needs.
Learn how to build an optimal CD ladder that earns top rates while giving you regular access to your money. Includes step-by-step setup, rate comparison, and reinvestment strategies.
Certificates of deposit, Treasury bills, and high-yield savings accounts all pay meaningful yield right now. This side-by-side comparison covers rates, taxes, liquidity, and which one fits each savings goal.
Squeeze the most yield out of certificates of deposit in 2026: brokered versus bank CDs, no-penalty and callable variants, stacking FDIC coverage past $250,000, and locking rates before the Fed cuts.