Compare rates on 3 month IRAs from banks and credit unions. Use the filter box below to customize your results. Click here to learn more about 3-month IRA CDs and how they can be a beneficial tool in your retirement strategy.
A 3-Month IRA CD is a short term CD and liquid investment product with tax benefits. Structurally, the IRA CD is a certificate of deposit that is delivered in an Individual Retirement Account vehicle as a way to earn interest for a fixed period of time. Early withdrawal penalties allow the bank or credit union that sold you the IRA CD to discourage or disincentivize you from withdrawing the funds before the CD matures.
The question of whether this product is a wise investment when compared to a standard savings account is a valid one. If you are looking for a way to reap the tax benefits of an IRA, but you know you will need the funds and interest earned in the near future, the 3-Month IRA CD could make sense. Depending on current CD rates, however, you may be better off with a standard savings account. If savings account rates are higher than an IRA CD, then it becomes difficult to justify locking up funds in a product subject to IRS withdrawal rules and fixed maturity dates.
Investors use the product from time to time as the first rung on a mini CD ladder in order to build liquidity into an investing strategy and lock in high interest rates for longer chunks of time (than savings accounts). Banks and credit unions insured, respectively, by the FDIC and the NCUA will insure the IRA CDs they offer up to $250,000 per depositor. Traditional, Roth, SEP IRAs, and CESA IRAs are a few types featured in our rate tables above.