Investing - Theory, News & General • Re: Any Thoughts On What Maturity Brokerage CD to Buy Now

My crystal ball is cloudy.

So instead of trying to guess which maturity offers the best expected performance, I'd pick the maturity that matches my intended need for the money.

E.g., if I need to start spending $X of money in 5 years, I'd put $X into a 5 year CD or Treasury or TIPS (to me, all of those have effectively zero credit risk. I might even buy a MYGA).

I wouldn't buy a 2 or 3 year term just because their yields currently have a better yield-to-term ratio -- there's a risk that rates will be lower in 2 or 3 years, and I would've been better off with the 5 year all along. I'd rather not take that risk. That said, I appreciate that some people would like to take that risk and they'll try to time the market.

P.s. I asked my magic 8 ball which maturity to use and it said "cannot predict now."

Statistics: Posted by sycamore — Sat Sep 05, 2026 10:38 am