Certificates of Deposit or CDs are low risk investments that would certainly make your money grow after a certain point of time. This CD Rates landing page article will include the basics of Certificates of Deposits, strategies on how to shop around for the best CD interest rates and the leading banks with the highest interest rates.

Now To the Basics

What exactly is a Certificate of Deposit? It is a type of investment similar to a regular savings account only this time you have to invest your funds in an account that has a maturity date. Typically, funds in a regular savings account can be withdrawn anytime but in a certificate of deposit, you will have to wait for the maturity date to expire before you can draw your money out. You are permitted to withdraw your funds before the maturity date but this action comes with a charge for penalty. The duration of keeping the investment intact ranges from a few months to more than ten years. Like the savings account, your funds will be gaining interest revenues which are usually based on a fixed rate. In most cases, the interest rates in Certificates of Deposits are a little higher than that of the regular checking account.

This CD Rate landing page will discuss the common types of CDs. You can purchase the traditional CDs which offers fixed interest rates and which can be reinvested into a new CD upon maturity date. Bump-Up CDs deals with variability as it allows you to trade your existing CD rate into a higher rate in cases when CDs with similar terms increases before the maturity date. Liquid CDs will allow you to draw out funds before maturity date without paying any penalty charges. The Zero-Coupon CD doesn't pay-out annual interests and the interests earned will be included in the total amount of deposited funds which in turn will be reinvested, yielding to higher returns upon maturity. Callable CDs can be recalled or put into a stop by a bank when the interest rates decrease below the initial rates. Brokered CDs are sold by brokers and yield higher interest rates offered by banks and can be bought after paying brokerage fees.

So far as of July 24, 2010, the topnotch Fort Knox Federal Credit Union is offering 1.40% APY on its 3-month CD and 6-month CD with a minimum $500 deposit. Melrose Credit Union gets the second spot for its 1-year CD having a 1.76% APY and a minimum deposit of $5,000. Melrose Union's long term CDs offer more than 2% APYs with the usual minimum deposits. East Boston Savings Bank is getting on its competitive side by offering 2% APY temporarily and this promo will last for 19 months and available locally only.

The CD Rates leader board is certainly filled with satisfactory banks and won't actually fit in this CD Rates landing page. But if you shop around your own area or search through the internet, you will be getting more answers than just reading this CD Rate landing page.