CD Ladder Builder
Split a deposit across 2 to 10 CDs with their own terms and APYs. Shows each rung's value at maturity, the blended APY and average monthly interest. How it works
Use the CD Ladder Builder
About the CD Ladder Builder
$24,000 split evenly across 3-, 6-, 12- and 24-month CDs at 1.5%, 2%, 3% and 3.5% APY pays out $24,689.42 in total, each rung on its own maturity date: $689.42 of interest and a blended APY of 2.50%. While all four rungs are open they earn $50.22 of interest a month between them. The CD ladder calculator values each rung as P × (1 + APY)^t over its own term; give it a number of years and it rolls each matured rung into the longest CD and totals the ladder year by year.
The default ladder, rung by rung
| Rung | Amount | Value at maturity | Interest | Avg. monthly interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Month, 1.5% APY | $6,000.00 | $6,022.37 | $22.37 | $7.46 |
| 6-Month, 2% APY | $6,000.00 | $6,059.70 | $59.70 | $9.95 |
| 1-Year, 3% APY | $6,000.00 | $6,180.00 | $180.00 | $15.00 |
| 2-Year, 3.5% APY | $6,000.00 | $6,427.35 | $427.35 | $17.81 |
| Total | $24,000.00 | $24,689.42 | $689.42 | $50.22 |
A $24,000 deposit, 25% in each rung. Each rung’s average monthly interest is its interest ÷ its months, and the total is their sum.
What $1,000 grows to in one CD
| APY | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months | 24 months | 60 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | $1,002.49 | $1,004.99 | $1,010.00 | $1,020.10 | $1,051.01 |
| 2% | $1,004.96 | $1,009.95 | $1,020.00 | $1,040.40 | $1,104.08 |
| 3% | $1,007.42 | $1,014.89 | $1,030.00 | $1,060.90 | $1,159.27 |
| 4% | $1,009.85 | $1,019.80 | $1,040.00 | $1,081.60 | $1,216.65 |
| 5% | $1,012.27 | $1,024.70 | $1,050.00 | $1,102.50 | $1,276.28 |
Balance after the term, P × (1 + APY)^(months ÷ 12), with the APY treated as the yearly growth including compounding.
How to use this tool
- Enter the total deposit and add 2 to 10 rungs.
- For each rung enter the term in months, the APY and the share of the deposit in percent.
- Read the totals and the ladder schedule. A warning shows when the allocations do not add up to 100%.
Frequently asked questions
- How does a CD ladder work?
- You split a deposit across CDs of different lengths, so one comes due every so often instead of all the money being locked into one term. When the shortest rung matures you either spend the money or put it into a new CD at the longest term, which keeps one rung maturing at each interval. Enter Years to project and the calculator does that rollover, putting each matured rung with its interest into a CD at the longest rung’s term and APY. Over 3 years the default ladder reaches $26,496.33, $270.88 more than the same $24,000 rolled through 12-month CDs at 3% ($26,225.45).
- How is the blended APY calculated?
- It is the average of the rung APYs weighted by allocation. With 25% in each rung, (1.5 + 2 + 3 + 3.5) ÷ 4 = 2.50%. It is an arithmetic average, not the growth rate of the whole ladder over time.
- Why is it average monthly interest and not monthly income?
- A CD often pays its interest at maturity, so no money arrives each month. The figure is each rung’s interest divided by its months, added up: $22.37 ÷ 3 + $59.70 ÷ 6 + $180.00 ÷ 12 + $427.35 ÷ 24 is $50.22. That is what the ladder earns per month while every rung is still open, the first 3 months here. Spread over the full 24 months, $689.42 of interest is $28.73 a month.
- How is each rung’s value calculated?
- Balance = P × (1 + APY)^t, with t the term in years. $6,000 at 3% APY for 12 months is $6,180.00, and $6,000 at 3.5% APY for 24 months is $6,427.35.
- Is a CD ladder FDIC insured?
- The FDIC says deposits are automatically insured to at least $250,000 at each FDIC-insured bank, and CDs are among the covered accounts. This calculator does not check how much you hold at one bank.
- What happens if the allocations do not add up to 100%?
- A warning shows how far over or under 100% they are. The figures use the percentages you entered, so the totals cover only the part of the deposit you allocated.
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