Anyone with a Social Security number can buy up to $10,000 in I bonds per calendar year, though you could buy an additional $5,000 per year with a tax refund of that amount.
Cons of I Bonds
Purchase limits: Investors are limited to purchasing a maximum of $10,000 in electronic I Bonds per year, with an additional $5,000 available in paper I Bonds if purchased using tax refunds. This cap makes I Bonds unsuitable for those looking to invest larger sums.
This composite rate of 3.11% applied to $10,000 in I bonds, would earn a guaranteed $155.50 in interest over the next six months (not $311, that's because it's an annualized rate) — but you cannot cash in your bond until you've held it for a year. So why even mention the six-month take?
November 1, 2024. Series EE savings bonds issued November 2024 through April 2025 will earn an annual fixed rate of 2.60% and Series I savings bonds will earn a composite rate of 3.11%, a portion of which is indexed to inflation every six months. The EE bond fixed rate applies to a bond's 20-year original maturity.
The 4.28% composite rate for I bonds issued from May 2024 through October 2024 applies for the first six months after the issue date. The composite rate combines a 1.30% fixed rate of return with the 2.96% annualized rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U).
If you hold the bond for less than five years at the time when you cash it in, you will lose the last three months of accrued interest. On the other hand, you can avoid the I Bond withdrawal penalty by holding onto your bonds for the long haul.
If you want to keep all your good interest and get the most out of your I Bonds you should cash out: after earning 3 months of lower interest and. just after the 1st of the month.
The yield on a 1.75 percent, $1,000, 10-year Treasury bond if the market price of the bond were $1,000 is 1.75%. Since the bond is trading at par value (its face value), the yield is equal to the coupon rate.
I-bonds are also attractive because investors bear almost no risk of losing their principal. The composite rate can never be less than 0%, even during deflationary periods when the inflation rate is negative.
Unlike I-bonds, TIPS are marketable securities and can be resold on the secondary market before maturity. When the TIPS matures, if the principal is higher than the original amount, you get the higher amount. If the principal is equal to or lower than the original amount, you get the higher original amount.
Must I pay tax on what the bond earns? You choose whether to report each year's earnings or wait to report all the earnings when you get the money for the bond. If you use the money for qualified higher education expenses, you may not have to pay tax on the earnings.
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 – one of the key I bond myths.
Treasury bills function more like cash in your portfolio and can be a safe harbor during turbulent economic times. Treasury bonds can provide a dependable stream of income, but can suffer a loss of value on secondary markets if interest rates go up.
The limit for purchasing I bonds is per person, so a married couple can each put up to $10,000 in the investment annually, or up to $15,000 each if they both also elect to get tax refunds in paper I bonds. Families with kids can also invest up to the annual limit on behalf of each child.
You can get your cash for an EE or I savings bond any time after you have owned it for 1 year. However, the longer you hold the bond, the more it earns for you (for up to 30 years for an EE or I bond). Also, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest.
Use the Education Exclusion
With that in mind, you have one option for avoiding taxes on savings bonds: the education exclusion. You can skip paying taxes on interest earned with Series EE and Series I savings bonds if you're using the money to pay for qualified higher education costs.
Series EE bonds issued today will mature in 20 years, and they are guaranteed to double in value over that time. You can let the bond continue to accumulate interest for an additional 10 years after maturity.
For example, a bond trading at $900 with a $1,000 face value and a $60 coupon has a 6% coupon rate and a current yield of 6.7%.
TreasuryDirect.gov is the one and only place to buy and redeem U.S. savings bonds and other securities directly from the U.S. Treasury! Your investments are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.
Question: Can you determine what the value of a Series I bond will be in future years? 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.
There is generally a $10,000 limit per year for purchasing I Bonds, but there are a few ways to get around this limit. For more help working I bonds into your financial strategy, consider working with a financial advisor.