Summary
- I Bond investors have entered 2017’s limbo period: Buy now, or wait until November?
- If you view I Bonds as a short-term investment, buying now seems to be the wisest decision.
- Investors longing for a higher fixed rate than zero will want to wait until November 1 to see the Treasury’s fixed-rate reset.
Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities 
In the ‘old days’ I would have said to buy I Bonds in January as long as the fixed rate looks good. But now my thinking is to buy I Bonds later in the year in the ‘limbo’ periods – after mid-April or mid-October once you know the next variable rate. Then you can buy before or after the next rate reset.
As to 2018, would you buy your annual allotment of I Bonds early in January, or wait until the next rates are published?