The Money Farm Team

Unlike stocks, most bonds are traded over the counter, which means you’ll need to utilize a broker to buy and sell them. Treasury bonds, on the other hand, are an exception: you can buy them straight from the US government, bypassing the middlemen. The difficulty with this arrangement is that investors have a tougher time […]

Until they mature, Treasury bonds pay a fixed rate of interest every six months. They are available with a 20-year or 30-year term. TreasuryDirect is where you may buy Treasury bonds from us. You can also acquire them via a bank or a broker. (In Legacy Treasury Direct, which is being phased out, we no

If all other factors are equal, a longer-term bond will typically pay a greater interest rate than a shorter-term bond. 30-year Treasury bonds, for example, often pay a whole percentage point or two more interest than five-year Treasury notes. The rationale for this is because a longer-term bond involves a bigger risk of higher inflation

Treasury bonds can be an useful investment for people seeking security and a fixed rate of interest paid semiannually until the bond’s maturity date. Bonds are an important part of an investing portfolio’s asset allocation since their consistent returns serve to counter the volatility of stock prices. Bonds make up a bigger part of the

Paper savings bonds are no longer marketed by financial institutions as of January 1, 2012. Treasury’s goal of increasing the number of electronic transactions with citizens and businesses is being furthered by this measure. SeriesEE savings bonds are low-risk savings instruments that yield interest until 30 years have passed or you cash them in, whichever

Tax-Free Yield/(1 – Tax Rate) = Tax Equivalent Yield. Municipal bonds are likely to benefit higher-income investors (with theoretically greater tax bills) more than persons in other tax categories. Who buys municipal bonds and why? Municipal bonds (munis) are issued by state, county, and local governments to support public works projects such as road maintenance

Although the current 2.2 percent interest rate on Series I savings bonds is appealing, purchasing the bonds has grown more difficult. Paper Series I and EE savings bonds—those handy envelope stuffer gifts—can no longer be purchased in banks or credit unions; instead, you must purchase electronic bonds through TreasuryDirect, the Treasury Department’s Web-based system. Our

Use the services of a municipal securities dealer, such as a broker-dealer or a bank department. A private client broker is a broker who primarily deals with individual investors at a full-service broker-dealer, though they may also be referred to as “financial consultant” or “financial adviser.” The investor must make an explicit order to buy

Until they mature, Treasury bonds pay a fixed rate of interest every six months. They are available with a 20-year or 30-year term. TreasuryDirect is where you may buy Treasury bonds from us. You can also acquire them via a bank or a broker. (In Legacy Treasury Direct, which is being phased out, we no

The cost of a surety bond is typically between 1% and 15% of the bond amount. That implies a $10,000 bond policy might cost you anywhere from $100 to $1,500. The majority of premium amounts are determined by your application and credit score, while other bond plans are made at will. These bonds can be