A Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a financial product that is offered by banks and credit unions. It is a type of savings account that pays a fixed interest rate for a fixed period of time. The interest rate is usually higher than that of a regular savings account, and the longer the term of the CD, the higher the interest rate. A CD Calculator is a tool that helps you calculate the interest earned on your CD investment.
Concepts
A CD Calculator uses the following concepts to calculate the interest earned on your CD investment:
Principal
The principal is the amount of money you invest in the CD.
Interest Rate
The interest rate is the percentage of the principal that you earn as interest over the term of the CD.
Term
The term is the length of time for which you invest in the CD.
Compounding Frequency
Compounding frequency refers to how often interest is added to your investment. The more frequently interest is compounded, the more interest you will earn.
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
The APY is the effective annual rate of return taking into account the effect of compounding interest.
Formulae
The formula for calculating the interest earned on a CD investment is:
Interest Earned = Principal * (1 + (Interest Rate / Compounding Frequency)) ^ (Compounding Frequency * Term) - Principal
The formula for calculating the APY is:
APY = (1 + (Interest Rate / Compounding Frequency)) ^ Compounding Frequency - 1
Benefits
Here are some benefits of using a CD Calculator:
- Accuracy: A CD Calculator helps you calculate your earnings accurately, taking into account compounding frequency and term.
- Comparison: A CD Calculator helps you compare different CDs and their respective earnings.
- Planning: A CD Calculator helps you plan your investments by showing you how much you can earn over different terms and compounding frequencies.
Interesting Facts
Here are some interesting facts about CDs:
- CDs are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to $250,000 per depositor per bank.
- CDs are considered low-risk investments because they are insured and offer a fixed rate of return.
- CDs can have terms ranging from a few months to several years.
Use Cases
Here are some use cases for a CD Calculator:
- Investment Planning: A CD Calculator can help you plan your investments by showing you how much you can earn over different terms and compounding frequencies.
- Comparison Shopping: A CD Calculator can help you compare different CDs and their respective earnings.
- Budgeting: A CD Calculator can help you budget your finances by showing you how much money you will have at the end of your investment term.

Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.