Here’s How Much $10,000 Would Earn in a 6-Month CD Right Now

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Certificates of deposit (CDs) don’t pay quite as much as they did last year, when APYs of over 5.00% were fairly easy to find. That said, today’s best CD rates are still over 4.00%.Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026
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Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes. Six-month CDs offer some of the highest APYs available right now — up to 4.50% in some cases. As far as guaranteed returns go, that’s pretty tempting.Still, CDs may or may not be the best place for your money.Here’s how much a 6-month CD could earn you now — and why you might want to consider some alternatives.How much would $10,000 earn in a 6-month CD now?Since CD rates vary from bank to bank, we’ll look at a few different options and see how much a $10,000 deposit would earn:The average 6-month CD rate of 1.64% (according to the FDIC)A competitive rate of 3.80%A top-tier rate of 4.50%CD APYEarnings After 6 monthsFinal Balance1.64%$82.28$10,082.283.80%$191.51$10,191.514.50%$227.12$10,227.12Data source: Author’s calculations.As you can see, your APY makes a big difference. It pays to shop around for the highest 6-month CD rate you can find.Should you open a 6-month CD?There are worse places to put your money now, but you may have better options, too.CDs lock up your money for the duration of the term. If you cash them out before their maturity date, you’ll typically sacrifice some of the interest. (Some CDs come with no early withdrawal penalty, but they also typically pay lower rates.)Meanwhile, savings accounts allow you to deposit, withdraw, and transfer money at any time. And the best high-yield savings accounts currently have APYs of up to 4.50% — the same rate as the best 6-month CDs.The only benefit of a 6-month CD over a high-yield savings account is that a CD’s APY is guaranteed, while a bank account’s APY can change at any time. But it’s unlikely that your savings account APY will change dramatically in the next six months — and it could even go up a little.Want to earn 10 times the national average savings APY? Check out our list of the best high-yield savings accounts and start putting your money to work.And if what you really need is growth, rather than safety, then you may want to invest in stocks through a brokerage account. Over the long term, the stock market has grown much faster than any CD. In the past six months alone, the S&P 500 Index — a group of 500 companies that make up over half the market cap of the U.S. stock market — has gone up 13%. That’s nearly three times the return you would have earned with a 6-month CD.Stock market returns are not guaranteed, and short-term losses are bound to happen from time to time. But buying stocks and holding them for the long term has proven time and again to be one of the best ways for ordinary investors to grow their wealth.Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes. We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.”}]] [[{“value”:”

Certificates of deposit (CDs) don’t pay quite as much as they did last year, when APYs of over 5.00% were fairly easy to find. That said, today’s best CD rates are still over 4.00%.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026

This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!

Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

Six-month CDs offer some of the highest APYs available right now — up to 4.50% in some cases. As far as guaranteed returns go, that’s pretty tempting.

Still, CDs may or may not be the best place for your money.

Here’s how much a 6-month CD could earn you now — and why you might want to consider some alternatives.

How much would $10,000 earn in a 6-month CD now?

Since CD rates vary from bank to bank, we’ll look at a few different options and see how much a $10,000 deposit would earn:

• The average 6-month CD rate of 1.64% (according to the FDIC)
• A competitive rate of 3.80%
• A top-tier rate of 4.50%

As you can see, your APY makes a big difference. It pays to shop around for the highest 6-month CD rate you can find.

Should you open a 6-month CD?

There are worse places to put your money now, but you may have better options, too.

CDs lock up your money for the duration of the term. If you cash them out before their maturity date, you’ll typically sacrifice some of the interest. (Some CDs come with no early withdrawal penalty, but they also typically pay lower rates.)

Meanwhile, savings accounts allow you to deposit, withdraw, and transfer money at any time. And the best high-yield savings accounts currently have APYs of up to 4.50% — the same rate as the best 6-month CDs.

The only benefit of a 6-month CD over a high-yield savings account is that a CD’s APY is guaranteed, while a bank account’s APY can change at any time. But it’s unlikely that your savings account APY will change dramatically in the next six months — and it could even go up a little.

Want to earn 10 times the national average savings APY? Check out our list of the best high-yield savings accounts and start putting your money to work.

And if what you really need is growth, rather than safety, then you may want to invest in stocks through a brokerage account. Over the long term, the stock market has grown much faster than any CD. In the past six months alone, the S&P 500 Index — a group of 500 companies that make up over half the market cap of the U.S. stock market — has gone up 13%. That’s nearly three times the return you would have earned with a 6-month CD.

Stock market returns are not guaranteed, and short-term losses are bound to happen from time to time. But buying stocks and holding them for the long term has proven time and again to be one of the best ways for ordinary investors to grow their wealth.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026

This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!

Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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