New Delhi, July 24 -- NEW YORK - Seven dollars. That is the difference between the best 1-year certificate of deposit rate and the top high-yield savings account return on $10,000 over a full year in July 2026. One account pays 4.17%, the other 4.10%. The $7 is almost beside the point.

The more useful comparison is between those rates and the national average. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation tracks the average interest rate on traditional savings accounts at American banks, and as of July 2026, that average sits at 0.38%, according to CBS News. A saver leaving $10,000 in a conventional account at that rate earns $38 in a year. The same $10,000 in the top high-yield savings account earns $410. The decision between a 1-year CD an...