Fidelity CDs: Pros, Cons, and Current Rates

Publish date: 2024-06-22
2024-07-29T21:33:13Z JUMP TO Section Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
  • Understanding Fidelity CDs
  • Fidelity CD Rates Today
  • What Influences Fidelity CD Earnings
  • Pros and Cons
  • Should You Invest in Fidelity CDs?
  • How Fidelity CD Rates Compare
  • Why You Should Trust Us
  • FAQs
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    Fidelity is an investment, retirement planning, and financial advisory firm with locations around the U.S. It offers a wide range of financial products, including CDs.

    If you're considering buying CDs to boost your savings, Fidelity CDs may be a smart option. Here's what to know about Fidelity CD rates before making your decision.

    Understanding Fidelity CD Options

    Types of CDs Available Through Fidelity

    Fidelity offers brokered CDs, meaning the company purchases its CDs from other financial institutions and resells them to the customer. This allows consumers to open CDs with several banks at once — all with one point of contact through Fidelity.

    Brokered CDs typically have higher interest rates than traditional CDs do, though interest doesn't compound as it usually does with regular CDs. Brokered CDs also don't charge early withdrawal penalties, and you can sell your CD any time if you need cash before it matures.

    How to Buy CDs on Fidelity

    To open a CD with Fidelity, you'll need a brokerage account or retirement account with the company first. This is where your CDs will be held and your interest deposited upon maturity. You can also select an "auto-roll" option that lets you roll your money — plus the interest you earned on it — into a new brokered CD once an old one matures.

    Fidelity CD Rates Today

    Note: Fidelity CD rates change frequently. We check rates every Monday to keep the rates in this article up to date.

    Fidelity CD rates are significantly higher than the average CD rates, and some even rival or beat the highest CD rates on the market.

    Fidelity's CD terms range from three months to twenty years and pay up to 5.20% APY (Annual Percentage Yield). Here's a look at how Fidelity CD rates break down by term:

    CD TermAPY (Annual Percentage Yield)
    3 months5.20%
    6 months5.05%
    9 months5.00%
    1 year5.05%
    18 months4.90%
    2 years4.95%
    3 years4.95%
    4 years4.80%
    5 years4.90%
    10 years5.00%
    20 years4.30%

    What Influences Fidelity CD Earnings

    Trying to figure out if it's the right time to get a brokered CD? We'll explain important factors that influence CD earnings so you can see if a Fidelity CD is a suitable option for you.

    Call Risk in CD Earnings

    Brokerage firms like Fidelity can offer callable CDs. These CDs can be called back by the financial institution before your account reaches maturity. If your CD is called back, you won't earn the total interest you would've received if the CD had fully matured.

    Financial institutions usually call back an account when CD rates drop. If rates are steady or rising, callable CDs are less likely to get called back.

    Fidelity Partner Banks

    Fidelity has CDs issued by banks. Brokerage customers benefit from this because they can get competitive CD rates that are significantly higher than average CD rates.

    Market Fluctuations and the Fed's Actions

    The Fed's actions can also impact Fidelity CD rates. CD rates fluctuate when the Federal raises or lowers the federal funds rate. Paying attention to upcoming Fed meetings can help you gauge whether CD rates might change in the future.

    Fidelity CD Pros and Cons

    Fidelity CD Pros

    Fidelity CD Cons

    Should You Invest in CDs Through Fidelity?

    Fidelity CDs may be a good option if you're looking for brokered CDs with high interest rates. You must have a Fidelity brokerage account in order to get CDs.

    Some of Fidelity's CD rates rival the best CD rates on the market — though like any brokered CD, they do not compound interest.

    Fidelity CD Alternatives

    Featured Nationally Available Deposit Rates

    Account NameAPY (Annual Percentage Yield) Accurate as of 7/31/2024Minimum Account Opening Balance
    Western Alliance Bank High-Yield Savings Premier5.31%$500
    Sterling Federal Bank 3 Month CD5.10%$1
    Barclays 6 Month Online CD4.85%$0
    SkyOne Federal Credit Union 1 Year No Penalty CD4.75%$1

    Fidelity CDs vs. Synchrony Bank CDs

    Synchrony Bank CD rates are 0.25% to 5.15% APY, which aren't as high as Fidelity rates — though they're traditional CDs, so interest compounds daily. Synchrony also offers more CD options than Fidelity. While there are no brokered CDs, there are bump-up CDs and no-penalty CDs, and terms range from three months to five years. Both Fidelity and Synchrony Bank CD rates are higher than national averages.

    Synchrony Bank Review

    Fidelity CDs vs. Capital One 360 CDs

    Capital One 360 CD rates are high overall, but they're not quite as high as those offered by Fidelity. Capital One 360 CD rates are 3.90% to 5.00% APY. Capital One 360 CDs are traditional CDs with interest that compounds monthly.

    Capital One 360 Review

    Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Fidelity CDs

    To review Fidelity CDs, we used Business Insider's certificate of deposit methodology. Our methodology considers interest rates, minimum deposit requirements, CD term variety, the company's overall ethics, mobile app quality, and customer service. We assign each category a rating on a scale of one to five, then average the scores together to reach an overall CD rating.

    Note: We typically consider early withdrawal penalties, but we omitted this category when reviewing Fidelity CDs. As a general rule, brokered CDs do not carry early withdrawal penalties.

    Fidelity CD Rates FAQs

    Are Fidelity CDs legit? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

    Yes, Fidelity CDs are legitimate certificates of deposit. They allow you to earn a preestablished interest rate on a single deposit if held to maturity — anywhere from three months to twenty years.

    Does Fidelity offer competitive CD rates? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

    Fidelity is a good choice for CDs, as its interest rates are much higher than the national average. Fidelity CDs are not a good choice if compounding interest is important to your savings strategy, though, as these are brokered CDs that offer only simple interest.

    Do Fidelity CDs typically have fees? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

    It depends on the CD. If you're purchasing or selling a CD on the secondary market, there may be a $1 trading fee for CDs.

    Are Fidelity CDs FDIC-insured? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

    Fidelity CDs are insured by the FDIC. All Fidelity CDs are bought through FDIC-insured banking institutions, so consumers are protected on up to $250,000 in deposits at each individual bank.

    Do I need a Fidelity account to invest in CDs? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

    Yes, you must have a Fidelity brokerage account to invest in CDs. Brokered CDs are specifically for brokerage customers.

    spanAly J. Yale is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience covering personal finance topics including mortgages and real estate. She contributes to Personal Finance Insider’s mortgages and loans coverage./spanspanExperience/spanspanAly began her journalism career as reporter, and later an editor, for several neighborhood sections of the Dallas Morning News./spanspanHer work has been published in several national publications, including Bankrate, CBS, Forbes, Fortune, Money, Newsweek, US News and World Report,  the Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo Finance. She’s also contributed to a variety of mortgage and real-estate publications, such as The Balance, Builder Magazine, Housingwire, MReport, and The Mortgage Reports. /spanspanHer favorite personal finance tip is to schedule regular check-ins to make sure your credit cards, savings accounts, and other financial vehicles still align with your budget and financial goals. She is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE)./spanspanExpertise/spanspanAly’s areas of personal finance expertise include:/spanullispanMortgages/span/lilispanLoans/span/lilispanReal estate/span/lilispanInsurance/span/lilispan/span/li/ulspanEducation/spanspanAly is a graduate of Texas Christian University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in radio/TV/film and news-editorial journalism./span Aly J. Yale Aly J. Yale is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience covering personal finance topics including mortgages and real estate. She contributes to Personal Finance Insider’s mortgages and loans coverage.ExperienceAly began her journalism career as reporter, and later an editor, for several neighborhood sections of the Dallas Morning News.Her work has been published in several national publications, including Bankrate, CBS, Forbes, Fortune, Money, Newsweek, US News and World Report,  the Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo Finance. She’s also contributed to a variety of mortgage and real-estate publications, such as The Balance, Builder Magazine, Housingwire, MReport, and The Mortgage Reports. Her favorite personal finance tip is to schedule regular check-ins to make sure your credit cards, savings accounts, and other financial vehicles still align with your budget and financial goals. She is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE).ExpertiseAly’s areas of personal finance expertise include:EducationAly is a graduate of Texas Christian University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in radio/TV/film and news-editorial journalism. Read more Read less spanSophia Acevedo is a banking editor at Business Insider. She has spent three years as a personal finance journalist and is an expert across numerous banking topics./spanspanExperience/spanspanSophia leads Personal Finance Insider's banking coverage, including reviews, guides, reference articles, and news. She edits and updates articles about banks, checking and savings accounts, CD rates, and budgeting and saving. She is highly knowledgeable about long-term trends in rates and offers at banks across the U.S./spanspanBefore joining Business Insider, Sophia worked as a journalist at her college newspaper and was a freelance writer. She has spent seven years writing and editing as a journalist./spanspanSophia was nominated for an Axel Springer Award for Change in 2023 for her coverage of a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-is-able-savings-account"ABLE accounts/a, tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities. She was also a winner of a a href="https://cnpa.com/cja/2018campus/"2018 California Journalism Awards Campus Contest/a for her photography./spanspanShe loves helping people find the best solutions for their unique needs and hopes that more people will find the tools to solve their financial problems. She’s inspired by stories of everyday people adapting to their financial circumstances and overcoming their fears around money./spanspanExpertise/spanspanSophia's expertise includes:/spanullispanBank accounts/span/lilispanSavings and CD rate trends/span/lilispanBudgeting/span/lilispanSaving/span/lilispanHow banks operate/span/li/ulspanEducation/spanspanSophia graduated from California State University Fullerton with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science./spanspanShe is an avid reader across a variety of genres, and she started running in 2021. She ran in the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon./span Sophia Acevedo Banking Editor Sophia Acevedo is a banking editor at Business Insider. She has spent three years as a personal finance journalist and is an expert across numerous banking topics.ExperienceSophia leads Personal Finance Insider's banking coverage, including reviews, guides, reference articles, and news. She edits and updates articles about banks, checking and savings accounts, CD rates, and budgeting and saving. She is highly knowledgeable about long-term trends in rates and offers at banks across the U.S.Before joining Business Insider, Sophia worked as a journalist at her college newspaper and was a freelance writer. She has spent seven years writing and editing as a journalist.Sophia was nominated for an Axel Springer Award for Change in 2023 for her coverage of ABLE accounts, tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities. She was also a winner of a 2018 California Journalism Awards Campus Contest for her photography.She loves helping people find the best solutions for their unique needs and hopes that more people will find the tools to solve their financial problems. She’s inspired by stories of everyday people adapting to their financial circumstances and overcoming their fears around money.ExpertiseSophia's expertise includes:EducationSophia graduated from California State University Fullerton with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science.She is an avid reader across a variety of genres, and she started running in 2021. She ran in the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon. Read more Read less spanAngela Fung is the Compliance Manager for Business Insider's a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance"Personal Finance/a division, overseeing a team that ensures content accuracy and editorial independence so readers are always getting up-to-date and objective financial advice./spanspanThe compliance team's mission is to maintain reader trust by confirming stories are fact-checked and current so that readers can make informed financial decisions. The team also works to minimize risk for partners by maintaining clear, precise language that is compliant with regulatory and partner marketing guidelines that align with the editorial team./span Angela Fung Marketing Compliance Manager Angela Fung is the Compliance Manager for Business Insider's Personal Finance division, overseeing a team that ensures content accuracy and editorial independence so readers are always getting up-to-date and objective financial advice.The compliance team's mission is to maintain reader trust by confirming stories are fact-checked and current so that readers can make informed financial decisions. The team also works to minimize risk for partners by maintaining clear, precise language that is compliant with regulatory and partner marketing guidelines that align with the editorial team. 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