Bankrate.com is an independent comparison service and an advertising-supported publisher. It covers nearly 4800 banks and credit unions across all 50 states in the United States to provide a well-researched and detailed comparison of the best CD rates. It thereby enables you to find the best Certificates of Deposit (CD) rates by taking into account the following parameters: the annual percentage yield, minimum deposit required, term and the penalty that will be charged for early withdrawal.

Additionally, Bankrate provides several tools to help users manage and maximize returns from their CDs.

CD Calculator: Bankrate provides users with an online calculator to calculate the interest earned on a CD. You need to enter the necessary information such as the initial deposit, months, interest rate and compounding to calculate the annual percentage yield (APY) and the closing balance. It also offers a detailed report highlighting the schedule of the CD’s balance and interest earned.

CD Laddering Calculator: You can also use Bankrate’s CD Laddering calculator to determine how to increase your CD investment returns to land the best CD rate. This will help you build a CD ladder for yourself that enables you to draw high yields and provide sufficient access to your cash.

Investment Calculator: You can use Bankrate’s extensive investment calculator to examine if your investment efforts are on the right track to reaching your investment goals. You can do this by entering vital information such as

• Investment goal: the total value of your investment goal
• Years to accumulate: the numbers of years you have to accumulate this sum
• Amount of initial investment: the amount you have invested towards your final goal
• Periodic contribution: the amount you will contribute on a regular basis towards your investment goal
• Contribution frequency: how frequently you are going to contribute towards the investment
• Compound interest: compounded daily, monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually

With the above information, you can determine the rate of return you can expect from your investments.

Savings Calculator: Bankrate’s savings calculator can help you analyze your investment growth over a period.