Some key risks to consider when investing in bonds are interest rate risk, credit risk and liquidity risk.
I Bond Cons
The initial rate is only guaranteed for the first six months of ownership. After that, the rate can fall, even to zero. One-year lockup. You can't get your money back at all the first year, so you shouldn't invest any funds you'll absolutely need anytime soon.
Special Considerations. Series I bonds are considered low risk since they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and their redemption value cannot decline. But with this safety comes a low return, comparable to that of a high-interest savings account or certificate of deposit (CD).
I bonds are safe investments issued by the U.S. Treasury to protect your money from losing value due to inflation. Interest rates on I bonds are adjusted regularly to keep pace with rising prices.
I bonds earn interest for 30 years, as long as you don't cash them in before then. You need to hold them for at least one year, and if you redeem them after less than five years, you forfeit the previous three months of interest.
Series I savings bonds are government-backed securities that are connected to the inflation rate. Because the government backs it, it is considered a relatively safe, conservative investment with no chance of losing its principal value.
I bonds can be a safe immediate-term savings vehicle, especially in inflationary times. I bonds offer benefits such as the security of being backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, state and local tax-exemptions and federal tax exemptions when used to fund educational expenses.
If your paper savings bond is lost, stolen, destroyed, mutilated, or you never received it, you can ask for replacement.
Another disadvantage is I bonds can't be purchased and held in a traditional or Roth IRA. The I bonds have to be held in a taxable account. A final disadvantage of I bonds is there is an interest penalty if the bonds are redeemed in the first five years.
Bonds, especially bonds from governments and major companies, also tend to be a safe investment. They can also offer much higher return than savings accounts. In exchange for the higher return, you give up flexibility because you cannot redeem bonds at any time.
inflation rate can vary. You can count on a Series I bond to hold its value; that is, the bond's redemption value will not decline.
Once in your TreasuryDirect account, the bond will be registered in your name alone. You can then add either a secondary owner or beneficiary. Once you have a TreasuryDirect account, you can convert other paper bonds you own to electronic bonds.
You can cash in (redeem) your I bond after 12 months. However, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest. For example, if you cash in the bond after 18 months, you get the first 15 months of interest.
People who were able to purchase I bonds before Oct. 28, 2022 will get the 9.62% rate on those I bonds until April 2023. The lag in interest rates lets you earn money for six months on an inflation rate from several months ago.
It has been a long time coming, but 2023 looks to be the year that bonds will be back in fashion with investors. After years of low yields followed by a brutal drop in prices during 2022, returns in the fixed income markets appear poised to rebound.
Effective today, Series EE savings bonds issued May 2022 through October 2022 will earn an annual fixed rate of . 10% and Series I savings bonds will earn a composite rate of 9.62%, a portion of which is indexed to inflation every six months.
November 1, 2022. Effective today, Series EE savings bonds issued November 2022 through April 2023 will earn an annual fixed rate of 2.10% and Series I savings bonds will earn a composite rate of 6.89%, a portion of which is indexed to inflation every six months.
Bonds are safer for a reason⎯ you can expect a lower return on your investment. Stocks, on the other hand, typically combine a certain amount of unpredictability in the short-term, with the potential for a better return on your investment.
Backed by the U.S. government, I bonds don't lose value and earn monthly interest with two parts: a fixed rate and a variable rate. The fixed rate may change every six months for new purchases but stays the same after buying, and the variable rate shifts every six months based on inflation.
Normally, you're limited to purchasing $10,000 per person on electronic Series I bonds per year. However, the government allows those with a federal tax refund to invest up to $5,000 of that refund into paper I bonds.
The composite rate for I bonds issued from November 2022 through April 2023 is 6.89%.
2022 Annual Purchase Limits
As of October 2022, each individual entity can purchase up to $10,000 worth of Series I bonds in a year. All bonds must be registered electronically through TreasuryDirect.
$10,000 limit: Up to $10,000 of I bonds can be purchased, per person (or entity), per year. A married couple can each purchase $10,000 per year ($20,000 per year total).
Each trust can purchase an additional $10,000 in bonds, so couples with individual trusts can buy up to $40,000 of I bonds per year, whereas the maximum amount couples with a joint trust can purchase is $30,000. Each trust must open its Entity Account on the Treasury Direct website.
Individuals, organizations, fiduciaries, and corporate investors may buy Treasury securities through a bank, broker, or dealer.