Calculator
Interest Rate Comparison
The same balance at five different rates, one year and five years out.
The same balance earns very different amounts depending only on where it sits. The national average savings account paid 0.37% and a 12-month CD 1.73% (FDIC national rates, 21 September 2026), while accounts marketed as high-yield have been paying several times the savings average, with the same federal insurance behind them.
Moving money between insured accounts changes the interest without changing anything you spend, which is unusual: most ways of having more money involve either earning more or buying less. The trade-offs to check are access, any minimum balance, and whether an advertised rate is introductory.
Results
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See a worked example
- Balance$10,000
- Rate 1 (%)0.1%
- Rate 2 (%)1%
- Rate 3 (%)3%
- Rate 4 (%)4%
- Rate 5 (%)5%
| APY | Interest in 1 year | Balance after 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| 0.10% | $10.00 | $10,050 |
| 1.00% | $100.46 | $10,512 |
| 3.00% | $304.16 | $11,616 |
| 4.00% | $407.42 | $12,210 |
| 5.00% | $511.62 | $12,834 |
Type your numbers on the left and press Calculate. Nothing you enter is saved.
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