Here’s the highest 10 from our mailbag filled with questions about I-bonds. 

I bought my first I-bond in June 2022. Can I purchase my second I-bond now or do I have to wait one full yr (June 2023) to purchase my second? 

Wayne

You should purchase up to $10,000 price of I-bonds per particular person every calendar yr, so the brand new calendar yr reset on Jan. 1, opening up purchases once more. The one-year time-frame comes into play solely as soon as you buy. You should maintain the I-bonds you got in June 2022 till at the very least June 2023 earlier than you might money them in, however notice that when you do redeem them earlier than 5 years, you lose the final three months of curiosity. 

Last yr I opened a TreasuryDirect account and deposited $10,000 in I-bonds. Can I deposit for this yr in the identical account? 

Anand

Yes, you possibly can log in to TreasuryDirect.gov and buy new I-bonds this yr in the identical account. You’ll see all of your holdings displayed in your account abstract. 

Is it attainable to buy and/or maintain these bonds by way of a dealer comparable to Vanguard or are we restricted to buying by way of TreasuryDirect.gov? 

Mike

While you should buy Treasury bonds and TIPS by way of a brokerage, you may have to have an account at TreasuryDirect.gov for I-bonds and buy and redeem them immediately from the federal government. The web site generally is a little onerous to use, so have persistence. 

I purchased a $10,000 I-bond in November 2021. What rate of interest does this I-bond earn if I don’t redeem it this yr and presumably won’t redeem it for a number of extra years? Where does one discover this info?

Lily 

The I-bond rate of interest might be complicated, as a result of it adjustments each six months, in November and May. The fee consists of two components, an inflation-adjusted fee and a hard and fast fee, and the listed fee is a mixture of the 2 for a full yr. So the speed in November 2021 would have been listed as 7.12%, however you truly solely get half of that. So your I-bond began out incomes 3.56% for six months, then 4.81% for the subsequent six months, then 3.24%. No matter what month you purchase in, you retain the preliminary fee for a full six months, then the next charges every final six months too. All of this info shall be listed on your account abstract on TreasuryDirect.gov. 

I am questioning what I have to do when my present I-bonds mature after 5 years? What occurs if I do nothing? 

Duane

Your I-bonds will keep in your TreasuryDirect.gov account and proceed to earn curiosity till you redeem them, up to 30 years, and the tax shall be deferred till you money in. So when you do nothing, the account will simply proceed to develop. After 5 years, you’ll not lose three months of curiosity when you redeem. 

Can I purchase I-bonds with my tax refund if I’ve met the $10k annual restrict? 

Michael

There are a number of methods to transcend the $10,000 per particular person/per yr restrict on I-bonds. If you’ve bought a refund coming, you possibly can request that it’s paid in paper I-bonds, up to $5,000. You can even present I-bonds to others comparable to youngsters, grandchildren and nonfamily members, so long as you may have their Social Security quantity. Spouses may even give items to one another. Recipients can redeem in any yr they haven’t already met their very own annual restrict, so the items can sit unclaimed and accrue curiosity till the recipient is prepared. 

Is curiosity on I-bonds exempt from state and native taxes just like the curiosity on different Treasury debt?

Michael

Yes, curiosity on I-bonds is exempt from state and native taxes, and the tax on the curiosity is deferred from federal taxes till you redeem the bond. If you redeem the bond for certified instructional functions, chances are you’ll be exempt from federal taxes as properly. 

How, precisely, is I-bond curiosity calculated and when is it paid?

Lynne

The authorities has a sophisticated formulation for calculating I-bond curiosity, nevertheless it successfully compounds in your account each six months, ranging from the primary day of the month you purchase them. You’ll see the present worth of your holdings in your account abstract, however notice that in case you are inside the five-year window, the quantity proven doesn’t embrace the final three months of curiosity, which might be the penalty for cashing out early. 

Between now and the subsequent fee change in May, when is the most effective time to buy my subsequent I-bond?

David

How are you feeling about inflation? If you need to await knowledge, then it’s your decision to wait till the center of April, when the final inflation report that components into the subsequent I-bond fee shall be obtainable and also you’ll have a higher sense of what will probably be. Given the best way issues are going, it’s possible that the subsequent fee shall be decrease than the present annualized 6.89% fee. 

The focus is normally on the most effective time to purchase…is there a finest time to promote?

Jerry

The finest time to promote is de facto up to you. I-bonds maintain incomes curiosity up to 30 years, so you possibly can simply maintain on to them and use them as an inflation-protected money equal. After 5 years, they’re absolutely liquid and you’ll simply redeem any portion of your holdings by visiting your account at TreasuryDirect.gov and have the funds despatched to your checking account.