See what six months in a CD actually earns.
Zinssatz angegeben als
6 Monate
Übliche Laufzeiten
Zinseszins-Intervall
25.000,00 $ in einem CD über 6 Monate zu 4,40% APY, täglich verzinst, wächst auf 25.544,08 $ — das sind 544,08 $ Zinsen, im Schnitt 90,68 $ pro Monat.
Guthaben über die Laufzeit
| Monat | Kapital | Zinsen | Guthaben |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bei Eröffnung | 25.000,00 $ | 0,00 $ | 25.000,00 $ |
| 1mo | 25.000,00 $ | 89,87 $ | 25.089,87 $ |
| 2mo | 25.000,00 $ | 180,06 $ | 25.180,06 $ |
| 4mo | 25.000,00 $ | 361,42 $ | 25.361,42 $ |
| 5mo | 25.000,00 $ | 452,58 $ | 25.452,58 $ |
| 6mo | 25.000,00 $ | 544,08 $ | 25.544,08 $ |
Calculated in your browser using A = P(1 + r/n)nt. Nothing is sent to a server. Figures are before tax; confirm exact terms with your bank.
Formeln und Inhalte zuletzt geprüft . Bankzinsen ändern sich häufig – bestätigen Sie die aktuellen Konditionen direkt bei Ihrem Institut.
Die kurze Antwort
A 6-month CD locks your deposit for half a year at a fixed rate, and at most banks it is the best-priced short term on the sheet — banks compete hardest here because six months is where deposit money is most mobile. At 4.40% APY a $10,000 deposit earns $217.63 and matures at $10,217.63; $25,000 earns $544.08. The half-year term means you receive roughly half the advertised APY: 4.40% APY over six months is about 2.18% of your deposit, not 4.40%. The interesting comparison is not against savings but against the one-year CD. Rolling a 6-month CD twice at 4.40% produces $26,100.00 on $25,000, against $26,062.50 for a single 12-month CD at 4.25% — the shorter term wins by $37.50, provided the rate is still there in six months. That proviso is the entire decision.
Formel & Methode
A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt), t = 0.5
Half a year of compounding. At 4.40% APY that returns about 2.18% of the deposit, not 4.40%.
Convert the 6-month rate to a decimal and divide by n.
Raise (1 + r/n) to the power n × 0.5 — about 182 daily credits.
Multiply by the deposit for the six-month maturity value.
Subtract the deposit to isolate the interest.
To test rolling, square the six-month growth factor and compare it against a 12-month CD.
Anleitung
Type the amount or drag the slider. Six-month promotional CDs sometimes require a higher minimum than the standard tier — check before you assume the rate applies.
Banks price each term separately and the six-month line is often the most competitive. Do not carry over the rate from a different term.
You receive roughly half the annualised APY over six months. The interest tile shows the actual dollars rather than the annualised percentage.
Switch the term chip to 12 and compare. If the six-month rate is higher, you are being paid to stay flexible — but only until it renews.
Beispiele
Eingaben
Ergebnis
The 4.40% APY delivers 2.18% across six months. Savers routinely expect the full 4.40% and are disappointed at maturity — the APY is a per-year figure and the term is half a year.
Eingaben
Ergebnis
Rolling wins by $37.50 only if the second six-month rate matches the first. If it renews 0.50% lower you finish at $26,037.43 — behind the 12-month CD. The 12-month term is buying rate certainty, and $37.50 is what that certainty costs.
Methodik
Six months is treated as 0.5 years. Banks count actual days, so a 181- or 184-day half-year differs marginally from the figure shown.
The rolling comparison holds the second-term rate constant, which is the assumption most likely to be wrong. It is shown to make the trade-off visible, not as a forecast.
The rate is fixed and the interest compounds inside the CD rather than being paid out.
The savings comparison assumes the savings rate persists. It is variable and can be reduced without notice.
Die Konventionen folgen Regulation DD (12 CFR 1030), die regelt, wie US-Institute den APY auf Einlagenkonten ausweisen. Einlagen bei versicherten Instituten sind durch die FDIC bis $250,000 je Einleger, je Bank und je Kontoart geschützt.
Primärquellen
Einzelheiten
Six months is where promotional pricing concentrates. If one term on a bank's sheet is materially above the others, it is frequently this one — and it usually reverts to a standard rate on renewal.
A 90-day interest penalty on a six-month CD costs roughly half the term's interest. On $25,000 at 4.40% that is about $271 against $544 earned, so an early withdrawal at the halfway point still leaves you ahead of zero — unlike a 3-month CD.
The APY is annualised regardless of term length. Regulation DD requires it, which is what makes a six-month CD comparable with a five-year one, but it is also why the interest looks smaller than savers expect.
A six-month CD renews twice a year, so you face the reinvestment decision twice as often as on a one-year term. On an inverted curve that is an advantage; when rates are falling it is the main risk.
Pairing a six-month CD with a longer one is the simplest form of laddering — half the money stays liquid within six months, half captures the longer rate.
Wie das zusammenhängt
Anwendungen
Six months is the shortest term that reliably carries a competitive rate. It is the default answer for money you will not need immediately but do not want to commit for a year.
If you think rates are near a peak, six months lets you capture today's rate and reassess before the year is out. If you think they are near a floor, the twelve-month term is the safer choice.
Half a year is long enough to be worth doing and short enough that a mistake is cheap. Most people's first CD should probably be this one.
Verwandte Rechner
Häufige Fragen
At 4.40% APY, $217.63 — maturing at $10,217.63. The APY is an annual figure, so a six-month term returns about half of it: 2.18% of the deposit rather than 4.40%.
Sicherheit & Datenschutz
Verwendet dieselben Zinseszins- und APY-Konventionen wie Banken unter Regulation DD.
Keine Registrierung, keine E-Mail-Hürde, keine Bezahlschranke. Jeder Rechner ist beim ersten Besuch voll nutzbar.
Jede Berechnung läuft clientseitig in JavaScript. Nichts wird an einen Server gesendet oder gespeichert.
Ausgeliefert über HTTPS ohne gemischte Inhalte. Lesen Sie unsere Datenschutzerklärung oder sehen Sie sich die Formeln und die Methodik hinter jeder Zahl an.
Enter your deposit and the rate your bank quotes, and compare it against a twelve-month lock.