United States Savings Bonds are debt securities issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to help pay for the U.S. government's borrowing needs. They are considered one of the safest investments because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. [1] The savings bonds are nonmarketable treasury securities issued to the public, which means they cannot be traded on secondary markets or otherwise transferred. They are redeemable only by the original purchaser, a recipient (for bonds purchased as gifts) or a beneficiary in case of the original holder's death.
On February 1, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation that allowed the U.S. Department of the Treasury to sell a new type of security, called the savings bond, to encourage saving during the Great Depression. The first Series A savings bond was issued a month later, with a face value of $25. They were marketed as a safe investment that was accessible to everyone. Series B, C, and D bonds followed over the next few years.
Series E bonds, referred to as Defense Bonds, were a major source of financing in the period just before U.S. entry into World War II. On April 30, 1941, Roosevelt purchased the first Series E bond from Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr.; the next day, they were made available to the public. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Defense Bonds became known as War Bonds. Stamps featuring a Minuteman statue design in denominations of 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1, and $5 were also sold to be collected in booklets which, when filled, could be exchanged to purchase interest-bearing Series E bonds. All the revenue received from the bonds went directly to support the war effort.
After the war ended, savings bonds became popular with families, with purchasers waiting to redeem them so the bonds would grow in value. To help sustain post-war sales, they were advertised on television, films, and commercials. When John F. Kennedy was president, he encouraged Americans to purchase them, which stimulated a large enrollment in savings bonds. By 1976, President Ford helped celebrate the 35th anniversary of the U.S. savings bond program.
In 1990, Congress created the Education Savings Bond program which helped Americans finance a college education. A bond purchased on or after January 1, 1990, is tax-free (subject to income limitations) if used to pay tuition and fees at an eligible institution.
In 2002, the Treasury Department started changing the savings bond program by lowering interest rates and closing its marketing offices. [2] As of January 1, 2012, financial institutions no longer sell paper savings bonds. [3] That year, the Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Public Debt made savings bonds available for purchasing and redeeming online. U.S. savings bonds are now only sold in electronic form at a Department of the Treasury website, [4] TreasuryDirect, with the exception that paper Series I savings bonds can be purchased with a portion of a federal income tax refund using Form 8888. [5]
As of 2023, redeeming savings bonds is very difficult, as most banks decline to do so. The New York Times reported that the reasons banks gave for this were "the equivalent of 'sorry, we just don’t feel like it.'" [6] Where bonds are accepted, redeeming them can be a very onerous and time-consuming process. [6]
There are two types of savings bonds currently offered by the Treasury, Series EE and Series I.
Series EE bonds are guaranteed to double in value over the purchase price when they mature 20 years from issuance, though they continue to earn interest for a total of 30 years. Interest accrues monthly, and is compounded semiannually, that is, becomes part of the principal for future interest earning calculations. If a bond's compounded interest does not meet the guaranteed doubling of the purchase price, Treasury will make a one-time adjustment to the maturity value at 20 years, giving it an effective rate of 3.5%. The bond will continue to earn the fixed rate for 10 more years. All interest is paid when the holder cashes the bond.
For bonds issued before May 2005, the interest rate was an adjustable rate recomputed every six months at 90% of the average five-year Treasury yield for the preceding six months. Bonds issued in May 2005 or later pay a fixed interest rate for the life of the bond. [7] [8] Paper EE bonds, last sold in 2011, could be purchased for half their face value; for example, a $100 bond could be purchased for $50, but would only reach its full $100 value at maturity.
In 1998, the Treasury introduced the Series I bonds which have a variable yield based on inflation. [9] [10] [11] The Treasury currently issues Series I bonds electronically in any denomination down to the penny, with a minimum purchase of $25. Paper bonds continue to be issued as well, but only as an option for receiving an individual's federal income tax refund using IRS Form 8888. [12] The paper bonds are currently issued in denominations of $50, $100, $200, $500, and $1,000, featuring portraits of Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Chief Joseph, George C. Marshall, and Albert Einstein, respectively. Three additional denominations were previously issued but discontinued: $75, $5,000, and $10,000 featuring Hector P. Garcia, Marian Anderson, and Spark Matsunaga. [13] Gulf Coast Recovery Bonds are a special issue of I series issued from March 29, 2006, through September 30, 2007, in order to encourage public support for hurricane recovery, including Katrina, in the affected states. [14]
The interest rate for Series I bonds consists of two components. The first is a fixed rate which will remain constant over the life of the bond; the second component is a variable rate adjusted every six months from the time the bond is purchased based on the current inflation rate. The fixed rate is determined by the Treasury Department; the variable component is based on the non-seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index for urban areas (CPI-U) for a six-month period ending one month prior to the rate adjustment. Specifically the variable rate is calculated by looking at the percent change over the previous six months of available data, and multiplying the percent change by two to annualize the rate. New rates are published on May 1 and November 1 of each year. [15] [7] For example, on November 1, 2021, the most recent CPI-U data that was available was from September 2021, where the non-seasonally adjusted CPI-U was 274.310. Six months earlier, in March 2021 the CPI-U was 264.877. Thus, the percent change was 3.56%. Multiplying this by 2 yields the variable component of 7.12%.
As an example, if someone purchases a bond in February, the fixed portion of the rate will remain the same throughout the life of the bond, but the inflation-indexed component will be based on the rate published the previous November. In August, six months after the purchase month, the inflation component will change to the rate that was published in May. During times of deflation, the negative inflation-indexed portion can drop the combined rate below the fixed portion, but the combined rate cannot go below 0% and the bond can not lose value. [15] Like Series EE bonds, interest accrues monthly and is compounded to the principal semiannually. Also like Series EE bonds, Series I bonds have a life of 30 years, and cease accruing interest after maturity.
For both types, bonds must be held for 12 months, but Treasury has the authority to waive the holding period for bondholders residing in areas of natural disaster. [16] There is a penalty of three months' interest if they are redeemed before five years. Tax on the interest can be deferred until the bond is redeemed. [17]
The annual purchase limit for electronic Series EE and Series I savings bonds is $10,000 for each series; this limit applies to both purchases and bonds received as gifts (except that bonds received as a beneficiary do not count against the limit). For paper Series I Savings Bonds purchased through IRS tax refunds the purchase limit is $5,000, which is in addition to the online purchase limit. [18]
Individuals who own either type of bond must have a Social Security number and be either a United States citizen, a legal United States resident, or a civilian employee of the United States regardless of country of residence. [19] [20] Trusts, estates, corporations, partnerships, and other entities may own Series EE bonds if they have a Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number. Trusts and estates may own Series I bonds in some cases. [20]
The U.S. Treasury previously issued bonds in a variety of series, some of which still earn interest today. Series A was issued only during 1935, Series B during 1936, Series C from 1937 to 1938, Series D from 1939 to 1941, Series E from 1941 to 1980, Series F and G from 1941 to 1952, Series H from 1952 to 1979 when it was replaced by Series HH (itself discontinued in 2004), Series J and K from 1952 to 1957, and "Freedom Shares" Savings Notes from 1967 to 1970. In addition, there were special designs for some paper bonds issued during their lifetimes, notably a version of the Series E bonds issued from 1975 to 1976 labeled as a "Bicentennial Bond" and Series EE bonds sold from December 2001 to 2011 labeled as a "Patriot Bond." [21]
The Treasury began issuing savings bonds in March 1935, with each of the first four series released sequentially without overlap and under similar terms. These bonds were purchased at 75% of their face value and would mature after 10 years. The interest earned would not be taxed for Series A, B, and C, as well as Series D bonds issued before March 1941. The bonds were issued in denominations of $25, $50, $100, $500, and $1,000, and can still be redeemed for face value today. [22]
Series E bonds were introduced in 1941 as war bonds but continued to be a retail investment long after the end of World War II. Issued at a discount of the face value, the bonds could be redeemed for the full face value when the bond matured after a number of years that varied with the interest rate at the time of issuance. If not redeemed at maturity, the bonds would continue earning interest for a total of 40 years if issued before December 1965, or for 30 years if issued in December 1965 or later. Series E was replaced by Series EE bonds in 1980, and the last issued Series E bonds ceased earning interest in 2010.
Introduced around the same time as Series E in 1941, the Series F and G bonds offered alternative investment strategies until both were discontinued in April 1952. Series F could be purchased at 74% of the face value and would mature in 12 years with no further interest. Series G bonds were sold at face value and would earn interest paid by check every six months until maturity after 12 years. Both series were issued in denominations of $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000, with Series F also available as $25. [22]
Introduced in May and June 1952 to replace Series F and G, the next three series were H, J, and K (skipping the letter I). Series H was issued at face value and earned interest that was paid every six months until maturity approximately 30 years later. Series J was sold at 72% of face value and matured after 12 years with no further interest. Series K was sold at face value and would earn interest paid every six months until maturity 12 years later. Series J and K were discontinued in April 1957 while Series H lasted until December 1979, with a replacement Series HH introduced in January 1980. [22]
Series HH bonds were sold from 1980 to 2004, and served as a "current income" bond replacing the older Series H. Unlike Series EE and I bonds, they did not increase in value but instead paid earned interest every six months for 20 years directly to the holder. The interest rate of a Series HH bond was set at purchase and remained that rate for 10 years. After 10 years the rate could change, with the new rate for the remaining 10 year life of the bond. [23] After 20 years, the bond would be redeemed for its original purchase price. Issuance of Series HH bonds ended August 31, 2004. [23] [24] Although no longer sold, Series HH bonds continue to earn interest for 20 years after sale, meaning the last bonds will not mature until August 31, 2024.
From 1991 through 2000, the Treasury's Bureau of Public Debt announced an Annual U.S. Savings Bonds Student Poster Contest each fall to promote the sale of bonds with a specified theme. Each spring, nearly $100,000 was distributed to winners in grades 4 through 6 across all fifty states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Winners were chosen by state art councils, the news media, sponsors, and volunteers based on criteria of originality, poster design, and visual appeal. The first-place winning artwork from each state was exhibited in Washington D.C., and photographs of the winning posters with names of the artists and their schools were displayed in major airports across the country and the treasury website. [25]
In finance, a bond is a type of security under which the issuer (debtor) owes the holder (creditor) a debt, and is obliged – depending on the terms – to provide cash flow to the creditor. The timing and the amount of cash flow provided varies, depending on the economic value that is emphasized upon, thus giving rise to different types of bonds. The interest is usually payable at fixed intervals: semiannual, annual, and less often at other periods. Thus, a bond is a form of loan or IOU. Bonds provide the borrower with external funds to finance long-term investments or, in the case of government bonds, to finance current expenditure.
A zero-coupon bond is a bond in which the face value is repaid at the time of maturity. Unlike regular bonds, it does not make periodic interest payments or have so-called coupons, hence the term zero-coupon bond. When the bond reaches maturity, its investor receives its par value. Examples of zero-coupon bonds include US Treasury bills, US savings bonds, long-term zero-coupon bonds, and any type of coupon bond that has been stripped of its coupons. Zero coupon and deep discount bonds are terms that are used interchangeably.
A government bond or sovereign bond is a form of bond issued by a government to support public spending. It generally includes a commitment to pay periodic interest, called coupon payments, and to repay the face value on the maturity date.
An interest rate is the amount of interest due per period, as a proportion of the amount lent, deposited, or borrowed. The total interest on an amount lent or borrowed depends on the principal sum, the interest rate, the compounding frequency, and the length of time over which it is lent, deposited, or borrowed.
War bonds are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are also a means to control inflation by removing money from circulation in a stimulated wartime economy. War bonds are either retail bonds marketed directly to the public or wholesale bonds traded on a stock market. Exhortations to buy war bonds have often been accompanied by appeals to patriotism and conscience. Retail war bonds, like other retail bonds, tend to have a yield which is below that offered by the market and are often made available in a wide range of denominations to make them affordable for all citizens.
United States Treasury securities, also called Treasuries or Treasurys, are government debt instruments issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to finance government spending, in addition to taxation. Since 2012, the U.S. government debt has been managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, succeeding the Bureau of the Public Debt.
Fixed income refers to any type of investment under which the borrower or issuer is obliged to make payments of a fixed amount on a fixed schedule. For example, the borrower may have to pay interest at a fixed rate once a year and repay the principal amount on maturity. Fixed-income securities can be contrasted with equity securities that create no obligation to pay dividends or any other form of income. Bonds carry a level of legal protections for investors that equity securities do not: in the event of a bankruptcy, bond holders would be repaid after liquidation of assets, whereas shareholders with stock often receive nothing.
Cash and cash equivalents (CCE) are the most liquid current assets found on a business's balance sheet. Cash equivalents are short-term commitments "with temporarily idle cash and easily convertible into a known cash amount". An investment normally counts as a cash equivalent when it has a short maturity period of 90 days or less, and can be included in the cash and cash equivalents balance from the date of acquisition when it carries an insignificant risk of changes in the asset value. If it has a maturity of more than 90 days, it is not considered a cash equivalent. Equity investments mostly are excluded from cash equivalents, unless they are essentially cash equivalents.
A liberty bond or liberty loan was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financial securities to many citizens for the first time.
A corporate bond is a bond issued by a corporation in order to raise financing for a variety of reasons such as to ongoing operations, mergers & acquisitions, or to expand business. It is a longer-term debt instrument indicating that a corporation has borrowed a certain amount of money and promises to repay it in the future under specific terms. Corporate debt instruments with maturity shorter than one year are referred to as commercial paper.
Daily inflation-indexed bonds are bonds where the principal is indexed to inflation or deflation on a daily basis. They are thus designed to hedge the inflation risk of a bond. The first known inflation-indexed bond was issued by the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1780. The market has grown dramatically since the British government began issuing inflation-linked Gilts in 1981. As of 2019, government-issued inflation-linked bonds comprise over $3.1 trillion of the international debt market. The inflation-linked market primarily consists of sovereign bonds, with privately issued inflation-linked bonds constituting a small portion of the market.
The Canada Savings Bond was an investment instrument offered by the Government of Canada from 1945 to 2017, sold between early October and December 1 of every year. It was issued by the Bank of Canada and was intended to offer a competitive interest rate, and had a guaranteed minimum interest rate.
War savings stamps were issued by the United States Treasury Department to help fund participation in World War I and World War II. Although these stamps were distinct from the postal savings stamps issued by the United States Post Office Department, the Post Office nevertheless played a major role in promoting and distributing war savings stamps. In contrast to Liberty Bonds, which were purchased primarily by financial institutions, war savings stamps were principally aimed at common citizens. During World War I, 25-cent Thrift stamps were offered to allow individuals to accumulate enough over time to purchase the standard 5-dollar War Savings Certificate stamp. When the Treasury began issuing war savings stamps during World War II, the lowest denomination was a 10-cent stamp, enabling ordinary citizens to purchase them. In many cases, collections of war savings stamps could be redeemed for Treasury Certificates or War Bonds.
The real interest rate is the rate of interest an investor, saver or lender receives after allowing for inflation. It can be described more formally by the Fisher equation, which states that the real interest rate is approximately the nominal interest rate minus the inflation rate.
TreasuryDirect is a website run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service under the United States Department of the Treasury that allows US individual investors to purchase treasury securities, such as savings bonds, directly from the US government. It enables people to manage their investments online, including connecting their TreasuryDirect account to a bank account for deposits and withdrawals.
Series E United States Savings Bonds were government bonds marketed by the United States Department of the Treasury as war bonds during World War II from 1941 to 1945. After the war, they continued to be offered as retail investments until 1980, when they were replaced by other savings bonds.
Lottery bonds are a type of government bond in which some randomly selected bonds within the issue are redeemed at a higher value than the face value of the bond. Lottery bonds have been issued by public authorities in Belgium, Ireland, Pakistan, Sweden, New Zealand, the UK and other nations.
Land bonds are financial bonds used in many countries to satisfy, in whole or in part, the compensation payable by the government for compulsory acquisition of any land from private landowners.
Singapore Savings Bonds (SSBs) are a type of Singapore Government Securities that are issued for investors who want to participate in the Singapore Government Securities (SGS) market but in smaller denominations.