Many people depend on certificates of deposit (CDs) to provide extra income. Yet CD rates have been fairly low for a while. In recent months, in fact, one-year CDs were paying about 0.5 percent, two-year CDs topped out at around 1%, and five-year CDs paid in the 2 percent to 2. 3 percent range. Those rates are scanty enough, but they can seem even lower in an economic environment marked by rising food and gas prices.