How does a CD ladder work?

A CD ladder splits one deposit across several CDs with staggered maturity dates, so part of the money frees up at regular intervals while the rest keeps earning longer-term rates. Divide the total by the number of rungs and assign each rung a term stepping evenly up to the longest. Put $50,000 into five rungs of $10,000 at 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months, paying 4.30%, 4.40%, 4.50%, 4.55% and 4.60% APY respectively, and the ladder returns $57,210.61 — $7,210.61 of interest — with a money-weighted blended yield of 4.47%. As each rung matures you either take the cash or roll it into a new longest rung, which keeps the cycle running. The point is that it removes the timing decision: you are neither betting rates will fall by locking everything long, nor giving up yield by keeping everything short.

How many rungs should a CD ladder have?

Between four and six for most savers, because the useful trade-off is between how often cash becomes available and how much admin you are willing to do. More rungs means shorter gaps between maturities and a blended yield closer to the average of the curve; fewer rungs means less to track but longer stretches where nothing is accessible. A five-rung ladder over 60 months frees up a fifth of the balance every twelve months. On $50,000 split into five $10,000 rungs at 4.30% through 4.60% APY, the first rung returns $10,430.00 after a year while the 60-month rung continues to $12,521.56. The number that actually matters is the shortest rung, since that sets how soon you first get access. Pick the interval you need cash at, then work backwards to the rung count.

Is a CD ladder better than one long CD?

It depends entirely on what you believe rates will do, which is why most people should prefer the ladder. A single long CD wins if rates fall, because you locked the higher rate across the whole balance. It loses if rates rise, because every dollar is stuck. A ladder splits that bet: $50,000 in one 60-month CD at 4.50% APY returns $62,309.10, while the same $50,000 laddered across 12 to 60 months at 4.30% to 4.60% returns $57,210.61 — less in this particular rate environment, but with a fifth of the balance becoming available every year rather than none for five years. You are paying some yield for liquidity and for not having to forecast. If you genuinely have no view on rates, that is a sensible price.

CD Ladder Calculator

搭建定存阶梯，实时查看加权综合收益率。

Build a CD ladder rung by rung and see maturity dates, blended yield and total interest update live.

利息合计: US$6,513.50
综合 APY: 4.20%

您的阶梯

阶梯总金额

US$10,000.00 per rung across 5 CDs

阶梯层数

最长存期

月

Rungs step every 1 年

复利频率

每层利率 (APY)

1 年4.50%

2 年4.30%

3 年4.15%

4 年4.05%

5 年4.00%

利息合计: US$6,513.50
全部到期时的阶梯价值: US$56,513.50
综合 APY: 4.20%

到期时间表

#1
1 年4.50%
US$10,450.00
#2
2 年4.30%
US$10,878.49
#3
3 年4.15%
US$11,297.38
#4
4 年4.05%
US$11,721.10
#5
5 年4.00%
US$12,166.53

Splitting US$50,000.00 across 5 rungs up to 5 years earns US$6,513.50 in total interest at a blended 4.20% — with US$10,450.00 becoming available after just 1 年.

Each rung is calculated independently with A = P(1 + r/n)^nt and runs entirely in your browser. Reinvestment of maturing rungs is not assumed.

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公式与内容最后审核于 2026年7月21日. 银行利率变动频繁——请直接向你的开户机构确认当前利率。

简短回答

定存阶梯是怎么运作的？

A CD ladder splits one deposit across several CDs with staggered maturity dates, so part of the money comes free at regular intervals while the rest keeps earning longer-term rates. Divide the total by the number of rungs, assign each rung a term stepping evenly up to the longest, and compute each with A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt). The ladder's blended APY is the deposit-weighted average of the rung rates, not a simple average, so an unequal ladder tilts toward whichever rungs hold the most money. The point of a ladder is that it removes the timing decision: you are neither betting that rates will fall by locking everything long, nor giving up yield by keeping everything short. As each rung matures you either take the cash or roll it into a new longest rung, which keeps the cycle going.

公式与方法

计算方式

Blended APY = Σ (rateᵢ × amountᵢ) ÷ total deposited

Each rung's rate weighted by the dollars in it gives the ladder's overall yield.

rateᵢ: APY on rung i
amountᵢ: Dollars placed in rung i
Σ: Sum across every rung

分步说明

1
Divide your total deposit by the number of rungs to size each CD.
2
Assign staggered terms — 5 rungs over 60 months means 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months.
3
Look up the bank's rate for each term and enter it per rung.
4
Calculate each rung independently with A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt).
5
Sum the maturity values for the ladder total, and weight the rates by amount for the blended APY.

使用指南

如何使用本计算器

输入四项参数，结果实时呈现。无需提交，也无需注册。

1
Enter your total amount
The full sum you want laddered. The tool splits it evenly across the rungs you choose.
2
Choose the number of rungs
Four or five is typical. More rungs mean more frequent access to cash but smaller individual CDs.
3
Set the longest term
This anchors the ladder. Terms step evenly from the shortest rung up to this maximum.
4
Tune each rung's rate
Enter your bank's actual rate for each term. Longer rungs usually pay more, and the ladder diagram redraws as you type.

示例

实例演算

真实数字，完整推演到底——你可以用自己的数据来核对计算器的结果。

$50,000 laddered across 5 rungs over 60 months

Total: $50,000
Rungs: 5 × $10,000
Terms: 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 months
Rates: 4.50% / 4.30% / 4.15% / 4.05% / 4.00%

Total interest: $6,513.50
Ladder value at full maturity: $56,513.50
Blended APY: 4.20%
First cash available: 12 months

You capture most of the 5-year rate while still freeing $10,000 plus interest every twelve months.

方法论

精确度与假设条件

每一个计算器都有其假设前提。以下是我们的假设，明确列出，让你清楚知道这些数字涵盖了什么、又没有涵盖什么。

Rungs are funded on the same day and sized equally — uneven ladders are possible but change the blended yield.
Rates shown per rung are the bank's current rates for those terms; real rates change between rungs maturing.
The model does not assume reinvestment. In practice you would roll each maturing rung into a new long-term CD.
Each rung is a separate CD with its own early withdrawal penalty.

计算惯例遵循 Regulation DD（12 CFR 1030），该法规规定了美国金融机构如何披露存款账户的 APY。受保机构的存款由 FDIC 提供保障，按每位存款人、每家银行、每种所有权类别计算，最高保额 $250,000。

一手来源

这些规则从何而来

本计算器遵循的惯例由监管机构制定，而非由我们自行设定。每一条都链接到发布机构，你可以自己去核对，而不必只听我们说。

细节

关键细节与规则

在开立或续存 CD 之前值得快速浏览的要点。

Laddering reduces interest-rate risk: if rates rise you reinvest a rung soon; if they fall your long rungs stay locked at the old higher rate.
Once a ladder is mature, rolling each maturing rung into the longest term means you eventually earn long-term rates on everything while still having annual access.
A 'barbell' variant puts money only in the shortest and longest terms; a 'bullet' targets one future date with several CDs maturing together.
FDIC insurance covers $250,000 per depositor per bank — a large ladder can be split across institutions to stay fully covered.

彼此之间的关联

本计算器适合哪些人

Retirees building income
You want a rung maturing every year to cover annual expenses without touching the rest.
Rate-uncertain savers
You do not want to bet on rates going up or down, so you hedge across terms.
Emergency-fund holders
You want better-than-savings yield but need part of the money reachable without a penalty.

所有 CD 计算器

九个专项工具，涵盖大额存单的方方面面。

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