Author Archives: Tipswatch

Unknown's avatar

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.

TreasuryDirect, ditch the ‘gift box’ and raise the I Bond purchase cap

Posted on April 26, 2026 by Tipswatch

My solution: Double the purchase cap to at least $20,000 a year. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Last week, TreasuryDirect again sent emails asking holders of savings bonds in gift boxes to deliver them as quickly as possible. I have written … Continue reading →

Posted in Cash alternatives, EE Bonds, I Bond, Inflation, Retirement, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , , | 81 Comments

5-year TIPS auction gets a real yield of 1.367%

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Tipswatch

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com On a day when real and nominal yields were creeping higher, the Treasury’s auction of $26 billion in a new 5-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Security got a real yield to maturity of 1.367%, a good result for … Continue reading →

Posted in Federal Reserve, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

Here comes a rather unexciting 5-year TIPS auction

Posted on April 19, 2026 by Tipswatch

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Unexciting? These days, maybe that’s a good thing. The U.S. Treasury on Thursday will auction $26 billion of a new 5-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Security — CUSIP 91282CQP9. The real yield to maturity and coupon rate will … Continue reading →

Posted in Bank CDs, Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, Savings Bond, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

I Bond dilemma: Buy in April or just keep waiting?

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Tipswatch

I am buying in April. A lot of you will disagree. There is no wrong answer. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Let’s take a moment to ponder what happened in March: The United States went to war in the Mideast, gas … Continue reading →

Posted in Cash alternatives, Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Savings Bond, TreasuryDirect | 69 Comments

March inflation sets I Bond’s new variable rate at 3.34%

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Tipswatch

U.S. all-items inflation rose 0.9% in March to an annual rate of 3.3%. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The March inflation report — a stunner, but not a surprise — showed that non-seasonally-adjusted all-items inflation rose 0.9% for the month, matching … Continue reading →

Posted in Cash alternatives, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, TreasuryDirect | 18 Comments