One additional option for Patty – do an early withdrawal from your existing CD at PSECU to get $500.
180 days EWP for 36mo CD: 500 x 0.0325 / 365 * 180 = $8.01
90 days EWP for 24mo CD: 500 x 0.03 / 365 * 90 = $3.70
The early withdrawal penalty is about $8 if your existing CD is 36mo. This penalty could be less since part of the withdrawal would come from the interest which was credited on 9/30.
This assumes that the money withdrawn will be available for use immediately to start a new CD.
Scanchain I like the way you think!
You’re way ahead of me, I can tell you that. We are fortunate to have you here!
GTE epilogue
It’s over for now and we have a reprieve . . . for now.
Those of us hoping to use GTE, in future, to protect our yields on CDs maturing in future need to consider a few things:
If funds from a maturing CD become available when our add-on CDs remain unimpaired we just move the funds to the add-on CD. This is the most straightforward situation.
If we receive the required 30 day notice that add-on terms have changed, we need to be ready possibly to close out another CD early and make the add on deposit before the 30 day notice period expires. To know the advisability of such a course you must of course do the math. But it does not hurt to survey your holdings and think about such an outcome in advance.
Finally, and I see this as worst case, we have to consider the financial institution holding our add-on could just up and fail . . . without any notice. Another FI in this case could take over our accounts and not honor the add-on provision. Or, possibly even worse, we might end up getting our money back and being thrust unwillingly into a very unfavorable interest rate environment.
Bottom line I think the lesson from this week’s GTE scare is that “stuff happens” and we need to consider our options and escape routes in advance.
I do admire your consistency in implying a bank has the choice to follow their own rules or not… GTE didnt reverse course 'cause they felt sorry for us. The CD terms are the CD terms, the only question is how far you’re willing to go to make them follow the terms, if the bank decides to try to play dirty.
Thanks. I appreciate that. And I am respectful of your strong feelings that financial institutions should be held to account for their errors and failures of judgement even to the point of their own demise.
I well remember with fondness a time when such as that was the rule. Sadly, that was then. This is now. Rest assured I don’t like it any more than you do. But I have no choice except to live in the world as it is, not as we together know for certain it should be.
I too rarely have the motivation to go to the extents necessary to force them to do as they’re required. The older I get, there are fewer and fewer battles that seem worth fighting… 
Thank you. We are all here trying to find the best deals. LOL.
This post is for GTE members
About two years ago GTE had a great deal going on a 30 month CD paying 2.75%. If you have that CD as I do, and/or possibly other GTE CDs paying less than the interest rate of the more recent GTE promo special CDs, be on notice:
GTE allows penalty-free withdrawal of your CD dividends.
If you need cash this would not be for you. But otherwise you have the option to withdraw and move the dividends from your older lower yielding GTE CD accounts into your higher yielding 5 year promo add-on account, which is paying at least 3% APR or even 3.25% APR if you have the jumbo. Unless you need cash, there is no sense allowing those dividends to compound at the lower interest rate when you have a higher yielding account at hand and readily available. 
I agree that was a good suggestion of how to get that PSECU CD. I also tried a couple ideas & none are really going to work for me.
lst, bright & early this morning I tried the wire idea. It would take a week to do all the requirements to get the money out of Grow.
Next, I called PSECU to see about them ACH pulling the funds out of Grow. No go… I never tried early withdrawal of existing CD. But thanks for those helpful ideas. 
While on the phone with Grow, I asked some other questions. What happens when our year of the Promo Money Market ends. She said, they will send us a letter with various rates. Mostly based on the amount of money in the account. Also they will give us 8-10 days to decide.
Extended again!
These rates are valid from Monday, October 07, 2019 to Sunday, October 13, 2019. A minimum balance of $500 is required to open a certificate account.
Thank you, scanchain, for posting. That is truly amazing stuff, a ray of sunshine on an otherwise stormy day.
If I had money available today to invest, that three year is where I would put it. I do not, but I will be evaluating possibility, cost/benefit, of paying penalty and closing a CD early in order to access funds right now. This gift horse cannot endure forever.
I’m now on the move!
Moving funds out of Grow into Alliant & tomorrow on to PSECU.
Yes unbelievable! 
Anyone considered accumulation annuities instead of CDs? Here’s one company that offers annuities of 3-10 years up to 4%. You can withdraw up to 10% of the account value annually. Earnings are tax-deferred which allows for larger interest compounding.
If anyone is still looking to join PSECU for the CD rates, they are offering a checking bonus as well if you join by using this link:
Thanks for posting this. I had not heard of fixed deferred annuities before. Still trying to figure out how they can offer much higher yields than CDs while allowing 10% annual withdrawals.
Taxation wise, can you withdraw say the amount of interest you earned that year but specify that you’re withdrawing principal money only to defer taxation on the interest earned?
Otherwise, it seems close to a CD, just not FDIC/NCUA insured but with a bit more flexibility on withdrawals and a higher yield. What am I missing in this picture?
Feels a lot more like an unsecured 10-year bond, than a CD. But it is intriguing.
They generate returns higher than they pay you.
from https://www.gainbridge.life/ On 10-9-19 I saw
just curious , was it 4% when you posted or do I need to click something to see 4% ? tia
after further reading, is it 3.75% for 5 yr & 4% for 10 year?
It varies with the years you select.
3-4 years 3.75%, 5 years $3.85%, 6-10 years 4%.
The insurer is rated B++ by A.M. Best. See this rating guide http://www.ambest.com/ratings/guide.pdf
Does anyone know if the state insurance guaranty association will cover these annuities if the company goes belly up? What are the limits?