The biggest red flag for short-term investors: You can't redeem these bonds for a year after you purchase them, and you'll owe a penalty equal to three months' interest if you cash out any time over the first five years of owning the bond.
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.
There are several ownership caveats with series I bonds: I bonds cannot be cashed for one year after purchase. If a bond is cashed in year two through five after purchase, the prior three months of interest are forfeited. There is no interest penalty for cashing in the bonds after five years.
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.
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. So most investors think their annual investment tops out at $15,000.
I bonds can be excellent options for retirees to build up the conservative bucket of their retirement income plan. As low-risk investments, they are a way for risk-averse investors to beat inflation without putting more resources into the stock market.
I bonds have never been popular due to low interest and low inflation rates. However, inflation has increased, making these safe bonds more attractive. The cap at $10,000 and the annual interest of $689 might not be worth the hassle of owning and keeping up with a separate account.
Generally speaking, if you want to earn more interest, you'll need to take on more risk — and for many retirees, that's not a good option, either. You can safely earn far more with I Bonds, a type of savings bond issued by the U.S. Treasury, and protect against future high inflation.
Inflation sucks, but there is one upside: It's still a great time to buy a government-backed I bond. Series I savings bonds are conservative, safe investments that rise and fall with inflation, and they're earning far more than the best high-yield savings account or certificate of deposit.
You can count on a Series I bond to hold its value; that is, the bond's redemption value will not decline. Question: What is the inflation rate? November 1 of each year. For example, the earnings rate announced on May 1 reflects an inflation rate from the previous October through March.
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.
Cons of Buying I Bonds
I bonds are meant for longer-term investors. If you don't hold on to your I bond for a full year, you will not receive any interest. You must create an account at TreasuryDirect to buy I bonds; they cannot be purchased through your custodian, online investment account, or local bank.
Sitting in cash also presents an opportunity cost as it forgoes potentially better investments. Bonds provide interest income that often meets or exceeds the rate of inflation, and with the potential for capital gains if bought at a discount.
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.
Why Are Bond Funds Losing Money? From the start of this year, bond funds sold off as investors anticipated the Fed would need to boost interest rates for the first time in years to combat rising inflation. And as the Fed has followed through and raised interest rates multiple times, bond funds have piled up losses.
Declining interest rates make bond prices rise and bond yields fall. Conversely, rising interest rates cause bond prices to fall, and bond yields to rise. Over the past few months, interest rates have risen, and bond process have fallen. This is the reason why bond portfolios have experienced a decline in market value.
$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). 7.12% interest: The yield on I bonds has two components—a fixed rate and an inflation rate.
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.
It's not as strong as the 9.62% rate I bond owners enjoyed from April 2022 until the end of October 2022, but it's tough to find a guaranteed rate approaching 7%, and that's what you'll get for your first 6 months if you buy I Bonds between November 2022 until the end of March 2023.
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.
You can buy I bonds as often as you'd like! However, you can't buy more or be gifted more than a total of $15,000 in I bonds per year.
Current Interest Rate
For savings bonds issued November 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. You know the fixed rate of interest that you will get for your bond when you buy the bond. The fixed rate never changes.
The “I” stands for inflation. The interest rate on I Bonds is directly correlated with inflation. If inflation is high, the interest rate is high. If inflation is low, the rate is low.