Category Archives: Cash alternatives

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

Treasury holds I Bond fixed rate at 0.90%; composite rate rises to 4.26%

I Bonds remain an attractive investment for capital preservation. By David Enna, Tipswatch.com The Treasury announced this morning it is holding the fixed rate of the U.S. Series I Savings Bond at 0.90%, the rate in effect since since November … Continue reading

Posted in Cash alternatives, I Bond, Inflation, Savings Bond, Treasury Bills, TreasuryDirect | 37 Comments

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

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