You may have never thought of it this way, but your savings bond holdings have a spread of interest rates. Savings bond rates have ranged from a low of 0% to a high of more than 8% over the last 24 months.
Banks make money by borrowing at low rates such as .05% on our savings accounts, and lending at higher rates like 6% or more on a car loan. The difference is the spread between the cost of what they borrow and the income from what they lend. If I can borrow $10 million dollars at 1% and lend it at 6% I will make $500,000 a year in interest. All my lending, of course, would need to be without default, and that is another story, but the concept is making money on the spread.
Wise savings bond owners can do the same. Suppose you are going to cash $10,000 of savings bonds a year for the next three years while holding others. Wouldn’t it make sense to cash the worst performers and hold the best? How do you know which is which? An analysis of your savings bonds investment will determine the exact rate for each bond and how long that rate will last. While the government data is useful, it does not address some of the analytical questions necessary to maximize your overall return. A savings bond statement (see example) provides the detail needed to maximize your savings bond investment. Whether you like banks or not, this is one strategy that can be borrowed from the big guys and applied to the way you manage your savings bonds.
Filed under: banks, EE Bonds, I Bonds, interest rates, managing savings bonds, Redeeming Savings Bonds, U.S. Savings Bonds | Leave a comment »
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