Author Archives: Tipswatch

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About Tipswatch

Author of Tipswatch.com blog, David Enna is a long-time journalist based in Charlotte, N.C. A past winner of two Society of American Business Editors and Writers awards, he has written on real estate and home finance, and was a founding editor of The Charlotte Observer's website.

Deciphering TreasuryDirect’s mysterious gift-box email

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Tipswatch

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Update, Jan 31, 2025: I noted in this article that I was going to make a “test” I Bond purchase in January 2025 to see if it would trigger a purchase limit because of gift box … Continue reading →

Posted in I Bond, Inflation, Savings Bond, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , | 85 Comments

What about Thursday’s auction of a new 5-year TIPS?

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Tipswatch

Real yields are holding up, but the curve is widening. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The October auction of a new 5-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Security is always a baffler. The auctioned real yield is highly likely to be lower than many … Continue reading →

Posted in Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

The one key rule for using TreasuryDirect …

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Tipswatch

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com TreasuryDirect gets a lot of bad press, mostly deserved, for presenting a clunky website with a bureaucratic mess of rules and usually lousy customer service. I’ve been using TreasuryDirect services for at least 32 years, even … Continue reading →

Posted in Cash alternatives, I Bond, Investing in TIPS, Savings Bond, Treasury Bills, TreasuryDirect | 59 Comments

September inflation sets I Bond’s new variable rate at 1.90%

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Tipswatch

Social Security COLA will be 2.5% for payments beginning in January. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The September inflation report, just released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, gives the final pieces of data to determine 1) the new variable … Continue reading →

Posted in Cash alternatives, Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, Savings Bond, Social Security | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

Forecast: The next I Bond fixed rate should be 1.20%

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Tipswatch

But there is danger of an ‘outlier’ decision by the Treasury. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com It’s already Oct. 7 and we are closing in on Treasury’s November reset of the fixed and variable rates for U.S. Series I Savings Bonds. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cash alternatives, Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, Savings Bond, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , , | 20 Comments