Category Archives: Cash alternatives

TreasuryDirect provides more guidance on ID.me transition

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The Treasury sent an updated email over the weekend again alerting investors that TreasuryDirect will soon require using ID.me for login verification. This change has become quite contentious, accelerating since my August 17 post on this … Continue reading

Posted in Cash alternatives, Estate planning, I Bond, Savings Bond, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , , , , , | 87 Comments

Wise advice: ‘Don’t die with I Bonds’

Avoid creating a complex, frustrating estate process. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com TreasuryDirect, the only source for buying and holding Series I Savings Bonds, is having quite a moment: Its customers, after years of contending with mediocre service, are enraged by … Continue reading

Posted in Cash alternatives, EE Bonds, Estate planning, I Bond, Taxes | 100 Comments

A 10-year TIPS is maturing July 15. How did it do as an investment?

A multi-year surge in inflation made CUSIP 912828S50 a winner. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The summer of 2016 was a dark time for investors in Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. By June of that year, 5-year real yields had gone deeply negative … Continue reading

Posted in Cash alternatives, ETFs, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

TIPS vs. I Bonds: Right now, it’s ‘advantage TIPS’

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com While on holiday in France, I got an email from reporter Susan Tompor asking about the current attractiveness of Series I Savings Bonds. Are these investments drawing more attention as inflation rises? My immediate reaction was, … Continue reading

Posted in Cash alternatives, Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Investing in TIPS, Savings Bond, TreasuryDirect | Tagged , , , , , | 33 Comments

Academic study: I Bonds out-perform high-yield savings accounts

By David Enna, Tipswatch.com A new research paper by a Marquette University professor found that Series I Savings Bonds created annual returns substantially higher than high-yield savings accounts (HYSAs) between 1999 and April 2026. The emeritus professor, Dr. David Krause, … Continue reading

Posted in Cash alternatives, Federal Reserve, I Bond, Inflation, Retirement, Savings Bond, Treasury Bills | Tagged , , | 35 Comments