Tesouro Direto or CDB: which investment offers better returns and safety?


If you're thinking about investing and want to better understand the options between Tesouro Direto and CDB, you're in the right place. Many investors look for an investment that combines good returns and security. In this article, we'll explain what each one is, how they work, and help you decide which may be the best choice for your money.

What it is / How it works

Tesouro Direto is a federal government program that allows individuals to buy public bonds. These bonds are a kind of loan to the government, which in return pays interest to the investor. CDB (Bank Deposit Certificate), on the other hand, is a security issued by banks to raise funds. When you buy a CDB, you are lending money to a bank and receive interest agreed in advance.

While Tesouro Direto offers bonds with fixed returns, linked to inflation or the Selic rate, CDBs can offer fixed, post-fixed or hybrid rates, depending on the financial institution. Both investments can be purchased at digital banks, such as Banco Inter, or fintechs like PicPay.

Advantages and benefits

Tesouro Direto is very safe because it is backed by the federal government. This means the risk of default is very low. In addition, it offers diversification across types of bonds, allowing you to invest according to your profile and goal.

CDB is also protected by the Credit Guarantee Fund (FGC), up to a limit of R$ 250 thousand per financial institution. This provides good security for investors of different profiles. Another advantage of CDBs is the possibility of finding competitive interest rates at digital banks like Neon or fintechs like Ame Digital.

Precautions and points of attention

With Tesouro Direto, it's important to pay attention to liquidity, since some bonds have longer maturities and selling before the due date may result in price fluctuations and possible losses. In addition, income tax and B3 custody fees apply.

With CDBs, check the issuing institution and whether the investment is protected by the FGC. Some finance companies, such as Agibank, may offer higher returns, but with greater risks. Also pay attention to taxation, which varies according to the investment term.

How to apply / get started

To invest in Tesouro Direto, you need to open an account with a brokerage registered in the Treasury system. Brokerages such as XP or Rico are excellent options for this. Then, simply transfer the money and choose the most suitable bond.

To invest in CDBs, you can open an account at traditional banks such as Bradesco, digital banks such as C6 Bank, or even fintechs such as PicPay. After opening the account, check the available investments, compare the rates and choose the CDB that best fits your goals.

Conclusion

If you're torn between Tesouro Direto or CDB to ensure security and returns, know that both are reliable investments, but each has its own characteristics. Tesouro Direto is safer, as it has government backing, and is ideal for medium- to long-term goals. CDBs can offer higher short-term returns, especially at digital banks, but require attention to the risk of the institution.

Therefore, assess your profile, goal and liquidity needs before choosing. Diversifying between the two can also be a good strategy to balance security and returns in your portfolio.

Disclaimer

Under no circumstance will we require you to pay in order to release any type of product, including credit cards, loans or any other offer. If this happens, please contact us immediately. Always read the terms and conditions of the service provider you are reaching out to. We make money from advertising and referrals for some but not all products displayed on this website. Everything published here is based on quantitative and qualitative research, and our team strives to be as fair as possible when comparing competing options.

Advertiser Disclosure

We are an independent, objective, advertising-supported content publisher website. In order to support our ability to provide free content to our users, the recommendations that appear on our site might be from companies from which we receive affiliate compensation. Such compensation may impact how, where and in which order offers appear on our site. Other factors such as our own proprietary algorithms and first party data may also affect how and where products/offers are placed. We do not include all currently available financial or credit offers in the market on our website.

Editorial Note

Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. That said, the compensation we receive from our affiliate partners does not influence the recommendations or advice our team of writers provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the content on this website. While we work hard to provide accurate and up-to-date information that we believe our users will find relevant, we cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and make no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor as to the accuracy or applicability thereof.