Your ladder
Blended APY
4.15%
$5,000/rung · total interest at maturity $3,309
Ladder strategy
$3,309
4.15% blended · laddered across 5 years
1-yr rolled 5x (same rate)
$5,636
4.15% rolled — assumes rate holds; laddering hedges against drops
What does a $25,000 CD ladder earn?
Splitting $25,000 into five $5,000 CDs maturing in years 1 through 5 — at the top nationally available rates we verified July 2, 2026 (about 4.15% for 1-year and 4.20% for 5-year terms) — earns roughly $3,300 of total interest across the ladder, with one rung maturing every year. You get long-term rates on most of the money while never being more than 12 months from access to a rung.
$5,000
Per rung
~$3,300
Total interest
4.15% APY
1-yr top rate
4.20% APY
5-yr top rate
Frequently asked questions
How CD laddering works
Equal rungs, staggered maturities
Divide your deposit into equal slices. Each slice buys a CD that matures 1, 2, 3, ... years out. One rung rolls every year.
Blended APY beats rolling short
Longer-term CDs pay more today. A ladder gets you most of the long-end yield without fully locking up cash — the best of both worlds.
Rate-drop insurance
If rates fall, your longer rungs stay locked. If rates rise, the near-term rung rolls into the new higher rate. You win either way.