3 CD account mistakes to avoid this September

Whether you’re considering opening a certificate of deposit (CD) account or have an existing one approaching its maturity date this month, the unique savings account remains a credible option for savers looking to protect their principal and grow their interest right now. CD interest rates are high and exponentially higher than what’s available with traditional savings accounts. And those rates are fixed, providing savers a level of predictability and security that they won’t be able to obtain with alternative account types. But these accounts aren’t risk-free, either. 

If you ultimately need to withdraw your funds before the maturity date has arrived, you’ll have to pay an early withdrawal fee to do so. And that could be significant depending on the deposit amount and the term, potentially eliminating all of the interest you’ve earned to that point. But while that will be a costly mistake worth avoiding in any economic setting, there are three other specific ones that savers will want to carefully avoid making this September. Below, we’ll break down what to know to better ensure CD account success both this month and in the months that follow.

See how much interest you could be earning by opening a CD account here.

3 CD account mistakes to avoid this September

CD accounts can be smart and profitable financial tools for savers, especially in today’s elevated interest rate environment, but they’ll need to carefully avoid these three timely mistakes to boost their chances of success:

Opening an account before the September Fed meeting

With the likelihood of an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve over 60% right now, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, opening a CD account before the bank’s meeting concludes on September 16 doesn’t make sense. While banks won’t necessarily raise rates by the same amount the Fed does, they do take direction from the central bank. 

It makes sense, then, to wait to see if you can secure a slightly higher rate later in the month. In the interim, however, start shopping for accounts and lenders now. That way you know which is offering the most competitive rates and which one is actually worth working with when a rate hike is made official.

Compare your current CD account options online now.

Opening a short-term account instead of a long-term one

Right now, long-term CDs are offering noticeably higher interest rates than short-term ones (a direct reversal from the trend from recent years). So opening a short-term account when there’s more to be earned with a long-term one will be a costly mistake better worth avoiding. After all, even a difference of 25 basis points between terms could prove to be significantly more interest earned over an extended period. That said, it’s critical that you only choose a long-term account that you can see through the maturity date or it won’t be worth it.

Using your current bank

Your current bank, with its physical branch locations, may be offering competitive CD interest rates now, and they may even become better as the rate climate heats up. But it would be a mistake to instinctively use that institution when you may be able to track down better rates and terms by using an online bank. Since these banks have fewer maintenance fees than their in-person counterparts, they’re often able to offer more competitive rates to savers. 

This isn’t a guarantee, but it’s worth remembering as the interest rate climate changes once again. By automatically using your current bank to open a CD, in other words, you may be leaving significant interest earnings unclaimed.

The bottom line

CD accounts have been and still are profitable and secure places to keep your money in today’s still-unpredictable economic climate. But they’ll need to be managed strategically as you would with any other savings account. By avoiding these three timely missteps, however, you’ll better position yourself for success with the account, earning more money and adding another layer of protection to your principal until the market inevitably stabilizes again.