Banks are offering decent CD rates if you can find them. When trying to find the best CD rates, it pays to Do your homework. We all know that credit cards often have terms and conditions that aren’t stated clearly when you sign up for the card, well CDs have a few items you want to make sure you know about before signing up. The most important item is the early withdrawal penalty. Make sure you know what the penalty for withdrawing funds out of your CD early for all the banks you look at. It’s not always stated clearly and is often put inside the terms and conditions of the CD agreement