Opening a CD is generally no more difficult than opening a savings or checking account. You'll have to provide personal information and be able to identify yourself, but almost all of the certificates in our rankings of the top nationally available CD rates can be opened online within 10 or 15 minutes. You’ll also need to specify how you’ll fund the new CD. The most common approach is with an electronic transfer from another financial institution. But options to send a check or wire money may be available, depending on the bank or credit union where you’re opening the CD. Note that if you are funding the new certificate with a very large deposit, you’ll want to check with the institution on any external transfer limits that could be an obstacle.  After opening the certificate, you'll be provided with the written terms of your agreement, which will stipulate the interest rate you'll be paid, the date of the CD's maturity, the frequency with which your interest will be paid and compounded, and the specific penalty calculation that will be used if you request to withdraw your funds before maturity. After that, CDs are ideally a "set it and forget it" product. You'll receive monthly or quarterly statements showing your certificate's growth, but hopefully you can leave the funds untouched until the maturity date rolls around. Although the bank or credit union will notify you in advance of the CD maturing, it's wise to set your own calendar reminder sometime well ahead of that, so you can be ready with a decision on what to do with the funds when the CD expires.