Compare rates on 18 month IRAs from banks and credit unions. Use the filter box below to customize your results. Click here to learn more about 18-month IRA CDs and how they can be a beneficial tool in your retirement strategy.
IRA CD stands for Individual Retirement Account Certificate of Deposit. This product, offered by many financial institutions, provides a way for investors to earn a fixed rate of return over a fixed period of time. The IRA component gives the product some tax advantages (or liabilities, depending on how the account is utilized). The 18-Month IRA CD, or IRA Share Certificate, is a medium term CD that bears interest, on average, slightly above offered by savings and IRA savings accounts.
When an IRA CD matures, or reaches its 18-month ending date in this case, there is usually a grace period allowing you to decide your next step. Some financial institutions (especially banks and credit unions) will automatically renew the CD when at the end of the grace period, while others will liquidate the CD and deposit the money in another account for you. Your options during the grace period are to roll over the proceeds to another IRA CD, liquidate the account and deposit the funds into a different type of account, or cash out the proceeds. If you don’t roll the funds over into another IRA account (Traditional, Roth, etc.) before the grace period ends, then you will have to report the funds in the account as taxable income and pay any associated penalties. A Traditional IRA 18-Month CD and a Roth IRA 18-Month CD have different tax implications as far as how contributions and earnings are taxed.
Opening an account is straightforward and can be accomplished online at many financial institutions. For smaller banks and credit unions, a branch visit could be the only way to open an account. The financial institution can handle a rollover IRA, as well, if you wanted to transfer funds from a 401k.