Certificates

FMFCU certificates offer a great way to save for short- and long-term needs. Terms vary from 3 months to 5 years* and our certificate products offer high yields. Unlike some other investment options, your funds are insured by NCUA.

• Membership eligibility applies
• Minimum deposit is $500 for consumers and $1,000 for business/organizational certificates. For members under the age of 18, the minimum is $250.
• Monthly, quarterly, or annual automatic distribution of dividends
• View rates and terms

Certificates available for IRA Investments. Penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. Fees and other conditions could reduce earnings.

• Certificate Ladder Strategy

  A certificate ladder can help you earn an even higher return on your savings. A ladder consists of multiple, sequential certificates all opened at the same time. Each “rung of the ladder” is a certificate with a different term and your ladder can contain as few or as many rungs as you like.   A ladder could consist of 12-, 24-, 36-, 48-, and 60-month certificates. Or for a less aggressive certificate ladder you could choose shorter terms, such as a 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, and 36-month ladder, which will keep your money more readily available.

• An Example of Certificate Laddering

  Instead of opening one 60-month certificate for $25,000, open five certificates for $5,000 each for the following terms: 12 months 24 months 36 months 48 months 60 months   As each certificate matures, you can either use the funds you need or renew into another 60-month term like in the table below.

   

  ORIGINAL TERM	ORIGINAL MATURITY DATE	RENEW INTO	NEXT MATURITY DATE
  12-Month	9/11/2018	60-Month	9/11/2023
  24-Month	9/11/2019	60-Month	9/11/2024
  36-Month	9/11/2020	60-Month	9/11/2025
  48-Month	9/11/2021	60-Month	9/11/2026
  60-Month	9/11/2022	60-Month	9/11/2027

• Why Ladder Certificates?

  When you ladder certificate accounts, you will have 20% of your certificate savings available each year. And, when you renew each maturing certificate into a new 60-month certificate, you will be earning a higher rate compared to simply continuing with another 12- or 24-month certificate.   The strategy works to your advantage because after several of your certificates have matured and have been renewed into additional 60-month certificates, you will be earning the highest rate and have a 60-month certificate maturing every year.   This strategy can be applied to shorter- and longer-term examples. Laddering can provide you with a more steady and stable source of savings than a single-certificate investment. The best part is, you can always add funds to your certificate at maturity and watch your savings grow!

* Two-year term and rate only available on personal certificates.