Hedge Against Future Rate Cuts with Add-On CDs

I've been watching the rates on Fidelity brokered CDs drop as signs point to a September rate cut, so I decided it was time to use some add-on CDs as a hedging strategy against future rate cuts:

My thought is to lock in current rates with Navy Federal EasyStart Cds that can be opened with a low minimum purchase ($50) while allowing you to add additional money at any time. Current offerings are 4.75% APY for 12 months, 4.45% APY for 18 months, and 4.15% APY for 24 months, which are pretty competitive with the current Fidelity brokered CDs shown above:

My plan is to have these in my back pocket as a potential destination for future cash in the event CD rates fall back below 4% over the next couple of years. I certainly remember how attractive it was when Penfed offered 3.5% APY CDs in 2018 (Ha!), so it never fails to be prepared. With any luck I won't need them, but it's unclear how low rates could potentially get over the next year or two.

August 2024 Financial Asset Roundup

Here are my current financial assets as of the market close on August 12th, 2024:

Asset	Jul 2024	Aug 2024	Change
Checking	2,491	1,399	-1,092
Money Market	83,661	74,346	-9,315
Savings Bonds	241,966	242,768	802
Treasurys	90,000	100,000	10,000
CDs	51,313	51,495	182
Brokerage	469,988	441,526	-28,462
401k	415,863	400,822	-15,041
Roth IRA	311,207	300,729	-10,478
IRA	1,499,923	1,466,791	-33,132
529 Savings	179,011	180,297	1,286
Total Assets	$3,345,423	$3,260,173	-$85,250
			-2.55 %

The S&P 500 has been volatile of late, falling 5.14% (+12.05% YTD) since the last update:

(chart courtesy of nasdaq.com)

On the jobs front, the unemployment rate for July rose to 4.3%. A less-than-expected 114,000 new jobs were added, which (along with a Bank of Japan rate hike) helped fuel a stock market decline over fears of an economic slowdown. Similarly, Home Depot reported that people were spending less on home improvement projects, a potential sign of a slowing housing market. Oil prices fell to the $79 level (from $82), with that $79 price reflected in a local unleaded regular gasoline price of $3.19 at my last fill-up.

On the financial front, I did the usual Fidelity 401k transaction (FSKAX) and Vanguard VTI purchase in my taxable brokerage account. I also took an S Corp distribution and my 13 week T-Bills (5.395%) matured and were rolled into new ones at 5.212%. That lower T-Bill yield seems to be consistent across maturities, with even the yield on a 3 year T-Note dropping from the 4.399% I received at the auction last month to 3.810% a week ago.

As for the non-financial, we recently returned from a really enjoyable family vacation in Canada. The weather, scenery, culture, and food were amazing and there were so many other tourists enjoying themselves that it's hard to imagine the economy is slowing down. It was wonderful that our children were able to join us on our trip, they're adults now and I'm not sure how often they'll be able to do so in the years to come.