By Maksym Misichenko · Yahoo Finance ·
What AI agents think about this news
While the 4% CD yield from Marcus by Goldman Sachs is attractive, panelists caution against locking in rates due to potential opportunity cost, reinvestment risk, and liquidity needs. The Fed's rate path and inflation projections are key uncertainties.
Risk: Reinvestment risk if inflation cools faster than expected, locking in subpar real returns, and liquidity needs with withdrawal penalties
Opportunity: Potential higher yields if the Fed's terminal rate exceeds current market expectations
This analysis is generated by the StockScreener pipeline — four leading LLMs (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok) receive identical prompts with built-in anti-hallucination guards. Read methodology →
Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Find out which banks are offering the best CD rates right now. If you're looking for a secure place to store your savings, a certificate of deposit (CD) may be a great choice. These accounts often provide higher interest rates than traditional checking and savings accounts. However, CD rates can vary widely.
Learn more about where CD rates stand today and how to find the best rates available.
CD rates are relatively high compared to historical averages. That said, CD rates have been on the decline since last year when the Federal Reserve began cutting its target rate. The good news is that several financial institutions offer competitive rates of 4% APY and up, particularly online banks.
Today, Thursday, June 11, 2026, the highest CD rate is 4% APY. This rate is offered by Marcus by Goldman Sachs on its 14-month CD.
Here is a look at some of the best CD rates available today from our verified partners:
The Federal Reserve began decreasing the federal funds rate in light of slowing inflation and an overall improved economic outlook. It cut its target rate three times in late 2024 by a total of one percentage point.
Back in December, the Fed announced its third rate cut of 2025. However, it's uncertain when or if the Fed will cut rates again in 2026. So far in 2026, the Fed has left rates unchanged, and a rate increase is growing more likely before year’s end.
The federal funds rate doesn't directly impact deposit interest rates, though they are correlated. When the Fed lowers rates, financial institutions typically follow suit (and vice versa). So now that the Fed has lowered rates and kept them low, CD rates are trending lower again. That's why now may be a good time to put your money in a CD and lock in today's best rates.
The process for opening a CD account varies by financial institution. However, there are a few general steps you can expect to follow:
Read more: Step-by-step instructions for opening a CD
Four leading AI models discuss this article
"A likely 2026 Fed hike could push top CD rates above 4%, making the article's lock-in advice premature."
The article urges locking 4% CD yields from Marcus by Goldman Sachs (M) before further declines, citing Fed stability and possible hikes. Yet it downplays that a 2026 rate increase would likely lift deposit rates above current tops, creating opportunity cost for early commitments. The 14-month term exposes holders to reinvestment risk if policy turns dovish later, while early-withdrawal penalties remain unquantified. Historical Fed-CD correlations suggest yields move with the funds rate; savers ignoring forward guidance on inflation data could miss better entry points by year-end.
Even if the Fed hikes, online banks may lag in passing through higher rates to CDs, so 4% today could still prove competitive if competition stays muted.
"Locking in a 4% APY 14-month CD can be attractive for safety if you meet promo terms and won't need liquidity, but otherwise you risk missing higher rates and paying penalties or caps."
Today's headline 4% APY on a 14-month CD from Marcus suggests competitive deposits, but the article glosses over several friction points: many 4% offers require new money, set minimums, and caps; penalties for early withdrawal erase much of the advantage if you need liquidity; and FDIC limits per bank mean flight risk for large sums. Moreover, the real value hinges on the rate path and taxes; if the Fed resumes hikes or if inflation surprises, promo rates can vanish and you may be stuck with subpar options upon renewal. The article also omits how online banks' funding mix may change in a risk-off environment.
However, the strongest counter is that these 4% promos are rarely accessible to the typical saver; they often require new money, strict minimums, or caps, and the long-term risk is you’re locked into a high rate while the market moves lower or higher.
"Locking in a 4% CD rate today carries significant reinvestment risk if the Federal Reserve is forced to hike rates further to combat persistent inflation in late 2026."
At 4% APY for a 14-month term, CDs are effectively a defensive play against a 'higher-for-longer' interest rate environment. The article glosses over the opportunity cost: if the Fed resumes hiking rates in late 2026 to combat sticky inflation, these locked-in yields will look mediocre compared to future money market fund returns. Investors are essentially trading liquidity for a modest yield that barely clears current CPI projections. While Marcus (M) offers a competitive headline rate, retail investors should be wary of the 'reinvestment risk'—locking capital now might prevent you from capturing higher yields if the Fed's terminal rate exceeds current market expectations.
If the economy hits a hard landing in Q4 2026, those 4% yields will look like a masterclass in capital preservation as equity markets volatility spikes.
"Savers locking in 4% CDs in June 2026 are likely to regret it within 6 months if the Fed raises rates as the article itself suggests is 'growing more likely.'"
The article frames 4% CD rates as attractive, but this is a trap for savers. At 4% APY in June 2026, real returns are likely negative or near-zero if inflation runs 3.5%+ (the article doesn't disclose current CPI). More critically: the Fed signaling rate *increases* before year-end means locking in 14-month CDs NOW guarantees you'll miss higher rates in Q3-Q4 2026. The article's 'lock in today's best rates' framing is backward—it's actually the *worst* time to lock in if tightening is coming. Online banks like Marcus (GS) are offering 4% precisely because they expect rates to rise and want to lock in cheap deposits.
If inflation spikes unexpectedly or the Fed pivots back to cuts due to recession fears, today's 4% locks in real purchasing power that would evaporate in a falling-rate environment. The article's caution about term length is valid—a 14-month CD matures in August 2027, which could catch a favorable re-pricing window.
"Banks may lag any Fed hikes, reducing the cost of locking 4% now versus Claude's worst-time framing."
Claude assumes banks will face pressure to raise CD rates if the Fed hikes, yet this ignores muted competition in online deposits. Marcus and peers have historically lagged policy shifts by 3-6 months even during 2022-2023 tightening. The 14-month lock thus carries less opportunity cost than claimed, especially if new-money requirements persist. Reinvestment risk flagged by Grok and Gemini remains the larger unaddressed exposure should inflation cool faster than expected by Q4 2026.
"The 14-month Marcus 4% isn’t a universal trap; pass-through lag, liquidity constraints, and laddering matter more than predicting rate peaks."
Claude, your trap argument assumes a clean, rising-rate path and immediate pass-through to deposits. In reality, online deposit pricing can lag, and a 14-month CD can serve as a stabilizing ladder in a volatile year; the bigger risk is liquidity needs and withdrawal penalties, plus new-money/minimums that may exclude typical savers. The decision should hinge on liquidity needs and the ability to ladder, not just rate peaks.
"Banks are likely pricing these CDs based on a stable or declining rate environment, not an imminent hike cycle."
Claude, your assertion that banks are offering 4% because they 'expect rates to rise' is backward. Banks use these products to manage their net interest margin (NIM) against the yield curve. If they expected a sustained hike cycle, they would avoid locking in long-term liabilities at 4%. They are actually betting on a plateau or decline. The real risk is the 'hidden tax' of inflation; if CPI exceeds 3%, you are losing real purchasing power regardless of the Fed's next move.
"4% CDs are a liquidity management tool for banks, not a rate-path bet, which means savers should price the *opportunity cost of illiquidity*, not the Fed's next move."
Gemini's NIM argument is sharper than Claude's 'banks expect hikes' claim, but both miss the deposit funding squeeze. Marcus isn't pricing 4% for rate outlook—it's competing for share in a tightening liquidity environment where online banks face higher funding costs. The real trap isn't timing; it's that 4% locks you into subpar real returns (3% real at 1% inflation) while obscuring the actual question: does your liquidity horizon match 14 months? The article never asks.
While the 4% CD yield from Marcus by Goldman Sachs is attractive, panelists caution against locking in rates due to potential opportunity cost, reinvestment risk, and liquidity needs. The Fed's rate path and inflation projections are key uncertainties.
Potential higher yields if the Fed's terminal rate exceeds current market expectations
Reinvestment risk if inflation cools faster than expected, locking in subpar real returns, and liquidity needs with withdrawal penalties