Part of building a good personal portfolio is to go with conservative financial savings to offset any risky investments you may be making.  One of those conservative choices are certificates of deposit (CD).  Of course, “conservative” doesn’t have to mean low payout.  In this post, Peak Personal Finance will look at today’s hottest, top certificate of deposit rates nationally for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 year terms.

These certificates are guaranteed deposits that give a fixed, guaranteed yield expressed in annual percentage yield (APY). You can usually open certificate of deposits at any branch, online, or over the phone.

1 Year CD Rates
For a one year term, the top CD rates nationally are from GMAC Bank, showing a 2.80% APY with a $500 minimum deposit.  The second performer is Corus Bank with a 2.73% APY and a $10,000 minimum while the third top certificate of deposit rates for this term are from UFBDirect.com with a 2.65% APY on a $8,000 minimum deposit.

2 Year CD Rates
For a two year term agreement, certificate of deposits are once again at GMAC with a 2.90% APY and a $500 minimum.  Tennessee Commerce Bank has our second top CD rates with 2.85% APY and a $2,500 minimum deposit.  UFBDirect.com again comes in third with a 2.80% APY and a $8,000 minimum deposit requirement.

3 Year CD Rates
Things mix a bit for top certificate of deposit rates for 3 year terms with Tennessee Commerce Bank giving a 3.25% APY with a $2,500 minimum.  GMAC Bank comes in second this time at 3.20% APY and $500 minimum while Discover Bank shows with top CD rates of 3.20% APY as well, but with a $2,500 minimum deposit.

4 Year CD Rates
For the four year term, top CD rates are from Intervest National Bank with 3.55% APY and a $2,500 minimum deposit.  Top certificate of deposit rates are also at Tennessee Commerce and Discover bank, with a 3.40% APY and a 3.30% APY respectively, both with a $2,500 minimum deposit.

5 Year CD Rates
Finally, for the five year term, we have top certificate of deposits from Discover Bank with top CD rates of 3.70% APY while Intervest comes in a close second with 3.66% APY and both banks require a $2,500 minimum deposit.  Third in the five year is UFBDirect.com with 3.65% APY and a $8,000 minimum.

All these rates change regularly, so make sure to check for the current top certificate of deposit rates before you lock yours in.  All banks listed are FDIC insured.