CD Ladder Calculator

About this calculator

This calculator applies standard compound interest to a certificate of deposit: A = P × (1 + APY)^t, where P is the amount deposited, APY is the bank's stated annual percentage yield, and t is the term in years. Because APY already folds in the compounding frequency, each year's interest builds on the growing balance rather than just the original principal.

Savers use it to compare a bank's advertised CD rates against a plain savings account, and it's the building block behind a CD ladder — splitting money across several CDs with staggered maturity dates (say 1, 2, 3 and 4 years) so a portion becomes accessible every year while the rest keeps earning the higher long-term rate.