Top certificates of deposit are offering as much as 4.50% APY (annual percentage yield) as of Aug. 7, 2026, with Popular Direct holding the leading rates on 3-year, 4-year, and 5-year terms in Fortune’s list compiled with financial data company Curinos. The ranking spans CDs from 1 month to 10 years and comes as banks have trimmed some CD and savings yields after the Federal Reserve delivered three federal funds rate cuts in 2025. The article argues that locking in a CD while rates remain relatively attractive may make sense, especially because CDs fix returns for a set term while savings account yields can change at a bank’s discretion. It also highlights how much rate shopping can matter: on a $5,000 deposit with monthly compounding, a 1-year CD at 4.00% would earn an estimated $203.71 in interest versus $82.62 at 1.64%, while a 5-year CD at 3.80% would generate about $1,044.43 compared with $346.28 at 1.34%. The piece places current returns in historical context, noting double-digit CD rates in the 1980s, five-year CDs a little above 3.00% in 2019, and rates above 5.00% in the early 2020s as the economy recovered from the Covid-19 crisis. It says the federal funds rate now stands at 3.50%-3.75%, with the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) (Fed rate-setting panel) next due to meet on Sept. 15-16, and explains that CD yields typically follow the Fed’s policy path. The report also outlines practical factors for choosing a CD, including term length, minimum deposit, early withdrawal penalties, and FDIC (U.S. bank deposit insurer) or NCUA (U.S. credit union deposit insurer) coverage, while noting that online banks often post better rates because they have lower branch costs.