If you are cash heavy and sitting on the sidelines because of the current stock market volatility, you might as well put some of that money to work in some safe certificates of deposits. To get yields that are better than the national average, you may want to bid on it through an online auction at zionsdirect.com.
Investors with winning bids for various maturities are getting some yields that are worth mentioning. Some examples are 3.26% for three-month CDs and 3.40% for six-month CDs. There are also one-month and one-year CDs up for bids as well. Currently, there are some one-month CDs priced to yield between 3.1 - 3.60%.
If one-month certificates are offered every month, it does not take a whole lot of math to figure out that if one is successful in winning a bid for them each month, one can make double digit yields over the course of 12 months.
One-month CDs is probably the way to go if you are concerned about not having cash tied up and available to get back into the stock market. Another strategy is staggering the CDs with a combination of one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year maturities. That way, as the CDs mature you will have some cash on hand to move back into the stock market or reinvest in better yielding CDs. Do you due and good luck in your biddings.
Here is the complete press release from Zions First National Bank:
CD Auction Winners at zionsdirect.com Get Great Rates
Wednesday February 20, 8:00 am ET
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Winning bids in last week’s zionsdirect.com online auctions for FDIC-insured certificates of deposit (CDs) received higher yields than national averages. Similar to popular Internet auction platforms, zionsdirect.com auctions allow individual investors to bid on the yield of CDs of various maturities.
During the week of Feb. 13 to Feb. 20, winning bidders obtained three-month CDs at a yield of 3.26%, compared to the national average annual percentage yield of 2.41%; six-month CDs at a yield of 3.40%, compared to an APY of 2.82%; and one-year CDs at a yield of 3.30%, compared to the national average of 3.94%. One-month CDs were priced to yield 3.45%. (Source: Informa Research Services).*
The online CD auctions are administered by Zions Direct, member FINRA/SIPC, a nonbanking subsidiary of Zions First National Bank. There are no fees, and the only requirement to participate in an auction is to register to bid, a process that is easily completed in a few minutes. Since February 2007, Zions Direct has successfully held in excess of 250 successful CD auctions totaling approximately $325 million. Nearly 2,000 investors have purchased CDs in these auctions.
CD auctions allow private investors to obtain yields previously available only to large institutional investors. Yields can be further enhanced by purchasing a discounted gift certificate from the Zions Direct eBay® store and then using the gift certificate to purchase a CD in an auction. CDs of varying maturities are available in amounts as small as $1,000. Investors can effectively increase the level of FDIC insurance by purchasing CDs from multiple banks, conveniently offered at zionsdirect.com. Currently, CDs are being offered from Amegy Bank of Texas, Vectra Bank Colorado, Nevada State Bank, National Bank of Arizona and Zions First National Bank. Investors not wanting to participate in the auctions can purchase CDs by using the “Buy Today” feature.
To participate in a CD auction, go to zionsdirect.com, click on “CD Auctions” and “Register for Auctions.” The registration process takes only a few minutes. Current auctions, as well as the results of previous auctions, can be accessed at zionsdirect.com.
Zions First National Bank is a subsidiary of Zions Bancorporation
(Nasdaq: ZION - News), one of the nation’s premier financial services companies, consisting of a collection of great banks in select high-growth markets. Zions operates its banking businesses under local management teams and community identities with more than 500 offices and 600 ATMs in eight banks: Amegy Bank of Texas, California Bank & Trust, Commerce Bank of Oregon, Commerce Bank of Washington, National Bank of Arizona, Nevada State Bank, Vectra Bank of Colorado and Zions Bank. The company is a national leader in Small Business Administration lending and public finance advisory services. In addition, Zions is included in the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Financial 100 indices. Investor information and links to subsidiary banks can be accessed at http://www.zionsbancorporation.com.
* Past auction performance does not guarantee future results. Source: Informa Research Services, Inc., Calabasas, CA. http://www.informars.com. Although the information has been obtained from the various institutions themselves, the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Investment Products: not FDIC insured, no bank guarantee, may lose value. Certificates of Deposit (CDs) are FDIC insured up to applicable limits.
Source: Zions First National Bank
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