TIP TUESDAY: The Benefit of Purchasing Certificates of Deposit

TIP TUESDAY: If you’re leery about “playing the stock market” and may be looking for a “safer” way to grow your money, consider purchasing a Certificate of Deposit (or CD for short.) CD’s are issued by banks, credit unions etc. and have the advantage of offering more competitive interest rates (APY) than traditional savings accounts. Check your banking institution for minimum amounts to purchase CDs as they can vary with each institution.

Some people may think you need large sums of money to purchase CDs. FALSE. $500 can easily get you started. REMEMBER, build your emergency fund of $1000 FIRST, then save an additional $500 and purchase a CD to start. Again CDs are a great way to save money because they yield higher rates. Wouldn’t you rather your money earn in upwards of 4% or better as opposed to <1% on a traditional savings account? I would. NOTE: The longer the duration of your CD, the higher the interest rate. For example, a 30 day CD may garner an APY of 1.75% whereas a 60 month CD may garner a higher APY of 5-6%. Keep in mind the percentages given are approximations ONLY. Unlike a traditional savings account, there is a penalty for partial/early withdrawals which will hopefully keep temptation at bay. Once the CD has reached its maturity, you’ll have the option to cash out, roll it over for the same duration of time or change the duration of your CD based on current interest/market rates. If you do nothing, the CD will automatically roll over for the same duration of time at the current market rate of interest.

Now, I am by no means advising anyone to take their savings and put it all into CDs. A Financial Advisor wouldn’t advise that. As a matter of fact, they would advise against it. NEVER put all your eggs into one basket. A well balanced financial portfolio is certain to yield pretty “decent” returns.

What has been your experience with CDs? Please let me know below. If purchasing CDs sounds like something that may be of interest to you by all means, visit your banking institution for more information. GOOD LUCK!!!