A CD account is referred to as a certificate of deposit account and is used when a client of the bank or financial institution makes a deposit into the bank or lending institution that is secured for a certain period of time, with the highest possible interest rates. The individual that has deposited this money into the account with the promise within the certificate that the money is going to be paid back to the individual, in a set amount of time, with interest and therefore in essences, the bank or lending institution is paying the individual to gain access to these funds through this time.
This is the most effective way to make the most of your funds in a safe investment. Through this type of account, the money is guaranteed; as is the interest which is to be accumulated through the account and therefore the risk is minimum. While the minimum risk exists, there are certain amounts of other techniques which are used.
In the case that you are thinking about opening a CD account it is important to compare CD rates between banks and credit unions to ensure that the most is being made from the funds which are being deposited. This can become the difference of hundreds of dollars through the life of the account, depending on the amount which has been secured.