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Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

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Re: Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

#101

Post by mNovak »

adabyron wrote: post #79
mNovak wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it easiest right-click>inspect the password field in chrome, and paste my password directly into the html value field. Another thing to note, if you're particularly trying to load up, is you can buy I-bonds as a 'gift', separate of your individual limit. Specifically you and your spouse can buy $10k each directly, plus each buy $10k as a gift to the other (thus $40k total). You can actually buy >$10k as a gift…

If I recall the right click & enter password as HTML didn't work. Neither did selecting the input element & modifying the value. Those are my first 2 I usually try. I'm assuming they're doing some crazy silly state/event tracking with their virtual keyboard elsewhere. I didn't dig into it that close. I just grumbled & shook my head.

It works for me in any case, I've done it several times. Not sure what's different

Re: Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

#102

Post by nopzor »

dragontamer wrote: post #49
medvezhenok wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 3.9% you get from a 6M treasury is annualized (so only 1.95% in 6 months), and the 3% for 6 months (from I-bonds) is actually >6% annualized. So I-bonds will still beat the 6M treasury bond unless the rates on the latter keep going up.

Uggh, its always annoying trying to compare apples to apples. Thanks for annualizing (or in this case, 6Month-izing) the rates for an actual apples-to-apples comparison.

generally interest rates are always annualized.

Re: Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

#103

Post by mNovak »

mister_tee wrote: post #75
mNovak wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it easiest right-click>inspect the password field in chrome, and paste my password directly into the html value field. Another thing to note, if you're particularly trying to load up, is you can buy I-bonds as a 'gift', separate of your individual limit. Specifically you and your spouse can buy $10k each directly, plus each buy $10k as a gift to the other (thus $40k total). You can actually buy >$10k as a gift…

I might be wrong but don't gifts count against the recipient's annual $10k limit? That is, you could only give $2k to someone who has purchased $8k for themselves, all within the same year? Though, here is a Bogleheads thread where people suggest buying gift bonds even beyond 10k as you mention, to get higher interest rates now, storing them in the TreasuryDirect "gift box" until a year where the recipient comes in u…

Yes, but buying and 'delivering' the gift are two separate actions. So I can buy $30k in bonds for you today (which benefit from the current rates), held in the gift box until I transfer them to you. But as you said, I can only transfer $10k/year less any purchases you make that same year.

In the 1 year hold case (buying direct + gifts for 1 year only) you can transfer and immediately sell the gifts alongside the original bonds, in the new year.

Re: Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

#104

Post by HWR_14 »

freediver wrote: post #8

The cap of $10,000 makes it not very interesting from an investment standpoint. And while the yield is great on paper, it merely lets you keep up with inflation in practice. There are probably better ways to use $10,000 if that is all you have and you are interested in growing money - online courses come to mind.

It's kinda of like Social Security. It's supposed to allow an individual to have a limited nest egg subsidized by the government. It's not supposed to be a primary investment for wealthy people.

Re: Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

#105

Post by gilch »

adabyron wrote: post #25

Things I wish I knew earlier. When you buy them, you lock in the current rate for 6 months from the date you purchase & then you get the next rate for 6 months after that. So today you get 9.62% for 6 months, so you'll technically earn 4.81% interest on your money after 6 months from the date of purchase. You'll then get the next rate which is most likely 3% for 6 months (often quoted as 6% annually). This site does…

I think a trust can also buy $10,000. You can also gift I-bonds (say to family). I think they can only receive up to the $10k worth of gifts per year, less what they've bought themselves, but (and this is important) the bond itself starts earning interest immediately, when they are gifted, not when they are received. So the family member can just take it next year, after it's already started earning at this year's higher rate. I'm not a CPA or financial advisor, so please double-check me on this.

Re: Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

#106

Post by timr »

kevinventullo wrote: post #80
timr wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I-bonds are a bit of a meme right now, and IMO, overhyped. The other important things to note are that your money is locked for a year from purchase , you incur a penalty (3 months of interest) if you sell before 5 years, and the APY values being quoted are not indexed to inflation. I-bonds issued today yield essentially zero percent after inflation, and this will be true for as long as you hold them. Do not buy…

4.081% is close to 5%?

No, I should have said "approaching 5%".

Re: Ask HN: Have you bought I bonds yet? Why not?

#107

Post by hnkiran »

bombcar wrote: post #85
giantg2 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you get a physical bond? I thought they went all virtual these days.

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/using-your-income-tax-refund-to-... You can still get them if you get them as part of your tax return. Overpay estimated tax or increase your withholding. 10. Will I get actual paper bond certificates? Yes. Savings bonds purchased with a tax refund will be issued as paper bond certificates in your name. If you are married and filed a joint return, the savings bonds will be issued in your n…

Would we be able to request after the refund has processed and deposited into bank account?
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