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18-Month CD Rates
Certificates of Deposit (or CDs) are financial products located somewhere on the “risk scale” in between savings accounts and common stock. Bank CDs, called Share Certificates by many credit unions, are offered in various ways and with varying maturity times. The 18-month CD is a popular offering because it is long enough to earn a fairly competitive yield, but short enough to avoid the draining effect of rising inflation on purchasing power.
18-Month CD Rate History – Average APY (%) Rate Trend over Time
Inflation Risk
Due to the “fixed” nature of certificate of deposit investments, long term CDs are threatened by an increasing rate of inflation. If the inflation rate surpasses the interest rate you are earning on a given CD, you have to make a choice to either withdraw the funds early (incurring a penalty) or suffer the devaluing of your money until the CD reaches maturity or the inflation rate reverses. The 18-month CD is short enough so that if inflation does surpass your interest rate, you won’t suffer very long. Because banks and credit unions usually link their CD rates with the inflation rate, it is good practice to evaluate whether inflation is trending upward or downward before locking in a fixed rate CD.
Short vs. Long-Term CDs
If you are not sure when you might need to access the funds that you are considering investing in a CD, a short term CD could be a better option (so as not to leave yourself in a liquidity pinch). The way to get the most value out of a CD is to pick a maturity date of when you think you will need the money and forget about it until it comes due. If withdrawal is not an option in your mind, it would make it easier to plan appropriately for expenses occurring before the CD matures.
Make sure that the institution offering the 18-month CD is federally insured so that if the institution fails, your money is guaranteed by the government to be reimbursed. Also, make sure to read the account agreement that you are making with the bank or credit union and check to see if they have placed any conditions on their obligation to repay your principal in full upon maturity of the CD. You should be able to receive your proceeds without any conditions.