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.

Get ready: This week’s 5-year TIPS auction is a ‘unicorn’

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Tipswatch

Rarely seen: High real yield, high coupon rate, discount to par value. Update: New 5-year TIPS auctions with a real yield of 1.732%, highest in 15 years By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The U.S. Treasury on Thursday will offer $21 billion in … Continue reading →

Posted in I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS | 77 Comments

Ignore the fixed-rate drama; buy I Bonds in October

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Tipswatch

The 9.62% annualized rate for six months is a huge advantage. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Here we are, in the U.S. Series I Savings Bond’s “limbo fortnight,” a period when we know the current composite rate (9.62% annualized, good for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cash alternatives, I Bond, Inflation, Savings Bond | 49 Comments

September inflation report sets I Bond variable rate at 6.48%; Social Security COLA rises to 8.7%

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Tipswatch

Annual core inflation hits 6.6%, a 40-year high. This isn’t good news for financial markets. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com Here is it, the most important Inflation Day of the year, setting in stone the inflation-adjusted variable rate on U.S. Series … Continue reading →

Posted in Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, Savings Bond, Social Security | 30 Comments

Good news: Medicare costs are going down for 2023

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Tipswatch

Why? The Medicare system is making amends for an ill-advised increase of 14.6% in 2022. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com One year after Medicare costs jumped 14.6% because of uncertainty over an Alzheimer’s drug, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services … Continue reading →

Posted in Medicare, Retirement, Social Security | 14 Comments

A nostalgic look back at TreasuryDirect’s ‘decoder ring’ login system

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Tipswatch

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com After I posted an article on TreasuryDirect’s new look, I got comments from several readers reminiscing about the site’s “decoder ring” login system, which launched in 2007. Well, it wasn’t actually a decoder ring — it … Continue reading →

Posted in TreasuryDirect | 11 Comments