How much interest can a $50,000 CD earn right now?
If you have money in savings, no significant debt and extra money to work with, the conventional advice would be to avoid depositing a large, six-figure sum of money into a certificate of deposit (CD) account. Historically, stock market returns often supersede what savers can earn with a CD, sometimes significantly so. Passing on that possibility, then, often isn't worthwhile, especially when it means giving up access to a large, five-figure sum like $50,000. An early withdrawal penalty issued on that type of CD account can be costly.
But the economic climate of August 2025 is far from conventional.
Inflation just rose in May and June, after declining from a decades-high level in 2022. However, interest rates remain high and on pause, with a rate cut possible for September when the Federal Reserve meets again. Unemployment numbers, meanwhile, recently rose and stock market performance has varied following major uncertainty spikes earlier this year.
Against this backdrop, then, it's understandable if some savers would prefer the safety and predictability of a CD account versus investing in a hard-to-predict market. Before getting started, however, they should calculate the interest they could earn with a $50,000 deposit. Fortunately, this is easy to do thanks to that fixed CD interest rate. Below, we'll do the math against the rates and terms readily available to savers right now.
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How much interest can a $50,000 CD earn right now?
Interest on a CD is calculated against the rate and the term, or length, the money will remain untouched in the account until it matures. Here's what a $50,000 deposit would earn, then, if opened with today's top rates, assuming no early withdrawal penalties are levied against the account:
- $50,000 3-month CD at 4.30%: $529.04
- $50,000 6-month CD at 4.45%: $1,100.39
- $50,000 9-month CD at 4.30%: $1,603.98
- $50,000 1-year CD at 4.40%: $2,200.00
- $50,000 18-month CD at 4.16%: $3,152.23
- $50,000 2-year CD at 4.10%: $4,184.05
- $50,000 3-year CD at 4.10%: $6,405.60
- $50,00 5-year CD at 4.15%: $11,272.61
So the interest earnings on a $50,000 CD if opened now are substantial, with returns worth more than $500 for a short-term CD and more than $11,000 for a top, long-term one. And those returns are reliable and predictable, as the rates here won't change once opened. CDs are also safe as they're FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per account. In other words, if you're looking for a reliable return on your money and don't want to have to deal with the stress and volatility of managing it in today's stock market, a CD account could be a viable alternative worth exploring.
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The bottom line
A $50,000 CD account can earn savers significant amounts of interest on their money if opened now. But this much money can also perform well in high-yield savings and money market accounts, too. So, if you want to avoid the volatility of the stock market but want to earn as much as you can with a savings vehicle, it's important to weigh all of your options carefully before depositing this much money. It likely took a lot of work and effort to save up $50,000 and, accordingly, you'll want to get as much value out of it as possible.