Aside from higher deposit requirements, jumbo CDs function in the same way as regular CDs. The depositor chooses a CD term based on how long they are willing to commit their funds and decides how much to deposit. The bank or credit union then provides an agreement documenting how much interest they will pay on the CD, what the compounding period will be, and what the penalty policy is for any withdrawals made prior to the CD's maturity date. An important factor for CD shoppers to consider is that almost any CD can function as a jumbo CD whether or not that terminology appears in the certificate's name. For instance, a regular CD with a minimum deposit requirement of only $1,000 doesn't prevent the consumer from making a large deposit into that CD. That's because most CDs either don't have a maximum deposit cap or the maximum is set at a high of $250,000, or even $1 million. The main difference to consider, therefore, between most conventional and jumbo CDs is the rate you can earn. Though institutions are in theory willing to pay higher interest on larger deposits than smaller ones, in practice the premium earned for depositing $100,000 into a CD vs. just $1,000 is often quite marginal. For that reason, CD shoppers are wise to research the top current rates for both jumbo and regular CDs to determine which institution's product will provide the highest return for their deposit amount. As for IRA CDs, these are certificates that behave in all the same ways as regular or jumbo CDs except that they are tax-sheltered according to the IRS' rules for IRA accounts. They are simply another type of retirement account or vehicle, and they often are used for funds a saver wants to be invested more conservatively than a securities investment offers and with a focus on capital preservation since CD balances generally do not lose principal. As tax-favored retirement products, IRA CDs involve an additional penalty policy for any withdrawals made before retirement age, along the same lines as an early withdrawal from any other kind of IRA account. You'll find that some banks and credit unions lump their regular and IRA CDs together in the same product menu, while others will have a separate menu—and possibly rates—for their IRA-eligible CD accounts.