Savings bonds are an easy way for individuals to loan money directly to the government and receive a return on their investment. The bonds are sold at their face value. So if you want to invest $50, you buy a $50 bond, and then you will begin accruing interest on that amount.
The U.S. Treasury Department gives you a guarantee that your EE bonds will reach maturity in 20 years.
Bonds are a handy way for the government to generate income to help pay off debts. Most savings bonds are purchased at half of the face value. So, if you have a $200 bond, it was purchased for $100. It should reach its face value of $200 after 20-or-30 years, depending on the type of bond you have.
You can buy EE savings bonds through banks and other financial institutions, or through the US Treasury's TreasuryDirect website. The bonds, which are now issued in electronic form, are sold at half the face value; for instance, you pay $50 for a $100 bond.
Series EE bonds are a type of zero-coupon bond, which means you never receive interest income. 7 Instead, the bonds are issued at deep discounts to face value and have been calculated to compound to the point that they are worth the face value of the bond on the maturity date, which is guaranteed by the Treasury.
Rather, they have a final maturity of 30 years. This means that the bond will continue earning interest for 30 years after you bought it, regardless of whether it reaches its value after 20 years with a special Treasury payment or earlier.
Savings bonds are free from state and local taxes. You don't collect your interest until you redeem your bonds, which allows you to postpone taxes until redemption, though you can choose to pay taxes every year on the interest accrued. The government taxes bond interest at your marginal tax rate.
Savings bonds are not the best investment, even for college. ... If you already have the bonds and will need them for college soon, it may be easiest to just cash them out as you need them. Other tips: The bonds are often not worth face value until 20 years after they are issued.
All U.S. savings bonds have a final maturity date when they stop earning interest. Investors often lose track of this date because the U.S. Treasury Department has extended the original maturity of some bonds up to 30 years. The length of time savings bonds earn interest depends on the bond series and the issue date.
When should you cash in a savings bond? You can cash in a savings bond once you've owned it for a minimum of one year. But if you want to avoid penalties, you'll need to wait five years. Otherwise, you'll lose the last three months of interest earned.
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