9-month CDs offer about 4% APY as rates stay well below average

Bankrate’s August 2026 roundup put the best 9-month CD at 4.25% APY with a $1,500 minimum deposit, enough to earn about $31.71 on $1,000, $158.57 on $5,000 and $317.14 on $10,000 by maturity. On a $25,000 balance, the return would be about $792.86. Edward Jones listed a 9-month FDIC-insured CD at 4.00% APY as of Aug. 5, which would produce about $29.85 on $1,000 and about $298.55 on $10,000 over nine months.

NerdWallet’s August roundup also showed a 9-month CD at 4.25% APY with a $1,500 minimum deposit. Edward Jones said maturities and rates may not be available in all states, and Bank of America says online CD openings have a $250,000 maximum amount, two reminders that the best headline rate is not always available on every balance or in every market.

The broader rate backdrop remains much lower. The FDIC’s national rate for a 12-month CD under $100 million was 1.68% in July 2026, and FRED’s monthly series shows that benchmark rising only gradually from 1.53% in April to 1.55% in May and 1.65% in June before reaching 1.68% in July. In other words, the top 9-month offers around 4% to 4.25% APY still sit far above the national average even after the post-pandemic peak in yields has eased.

For savers weighing flexibility against a locked-in return, the gap to other cash products is narrow. Vanguard’s Federal Money Market Fund showed a 3.62% 7-day SEC yield as of July 31, with a $3,000 minimum investment and a $1.00 NAV price. If that yield held for nine months, $10,000 would earn about $270.31. NerdWallet’s best high-yield savings accounts reached up to 4.21% APY in August, and another 2026 savings roundup showed up to 4.15% APY; at 4.21%, a $10,000 balance would earn about $314.14 over nine months, only about $3 less than the top 9-month CD.

Back in January, WSJ Buy Side put the highest CD APYs between 4.10% and 4.78%, underscoring how much short-term savings rates have come down from earlier highs. A 9-month CD still lets savers lock in a rate near 4% to 4.25% APY and get the cash back before year-end, which is why the term keeps landing in the middle between yield and access.