Book Notes for Savings Bond Advisor: Fifth Edition

Introduction – Is this book for you?

• I-1 – Figure updated monthly: Value of equal monthly investments in I Bonds and the stock market

Chapter 1 – An Introduction to Savings Bonds

• 1-1 – Savings Bond disaster relief programs
• 1-2 – How the Treasury calculates Savings Bond interest payments

Chapter 2 – Why Savings Bonds?

• 2-1 – Amazon link to The Coming Generational Storm, by Lawrence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns
• 2-2 – Link to Kotlikoff’s ESPlanner web site
• 2-3 – Today’s interest rate quotes
• 2-4 – Current Series I Savings Bond rate
• 2-5 – Current open market rates for TIPS at 5-, 7-, and 10-year maturities.
• 2-6 – Other ways to invest in Treasury securities: Vanguard | iShares
• 2-7 – Open a TreasuryDirect account for marketable Treasury securities.
• 2-8 – Treasury web site for T-Bills, T-Notes, and TIPS.
• 2-9 – Tentative schedule of upcoming Treasury auctions.

Chapter 3 – Today’s choices – Series I and Series EE

• 3-1 – S&P report positing central bank inflation shock scenario
• 3-2 – Series I bond fixed base-rate component update
• 3-3 – Historical interest rate tables, updated daily by the Federal Reserve
• 3-4 – Series I bond inflation component update
• 3-5 – Series EE fixed interest rates
• 3-6 – Amazon link to The Wisdom of Crowds, by James Surowiecki
• 3-7 – Figure updated monthly: Amount invested in Savings Bonds.

Chapter 4 – How to invest in Savings Bonds

• 4-1 – The Treasury’s list of banks that offer Savings Bonds online has been discontinued
• 4-2 – The Treasury’s list of restricted countries
• 4-3 – Public Debt Form 3062-4 – Claim for United States Savings Bond not received
• 4-4 – Savings Bond gift certificates

Chapter 5 – Whose name goes on the bond?

Chapter 6 – All about TreasuryDirect

• 6-1 – Use this form to send an email to TreasuryDirect.
• 6-2 – Treasury Direct; terms and conditions.
• 6-3 – Treasury Direct; privacy and security notices.
• 6-4 – Treasury Direct; open a new account.
• 6-5 – The latest version of the Internet Explorer browser for Windows | Macintosh
• 6-6 – The latest version of the Firefox (Mozilla) browser for Windows | Macintosh | Linux
• 6-7 – The latest version of the Opera browser for Windows | Macintosh | Linux | more
• 6-8 – Entrust’s list of supported browsers
• 6-9 – Treasury Direct; access your account.

Chapter 7 – Savings Bond A, B, Cs

• 7-1 – Direct deposit sign up form – Public Debt Form 5396
• 7-2 – H/HH Internet Services – View your accounts, change your address, get tax information

Chapter 8 – How much are my Savings Bonds worth?

• 8-1 – Savings Bond Advisor rate and value tables – the current version of our tables.
• 8-2 – GBonds – a Savings Bond calculator for GNOME/Linux.
• 8-3 – The Treasury’s Savings Bond Calculator
• 8-4 – Right-click on the following link and select Save Target As from the menu that appears on your screen US Savings Bond Wizard. If you have trouble downloading the file, try a normal click. If that doesn’t work either, the Treasury has additional download tips here.

Chapter 9 – Keeping track of your Savings Bond inventory

• 9-1 – Download Savings Bond Inventory template for Microsoft Excel (Don’t Open this file immediately, first Save it on your own computer, then open it.)

Chapter 10 – Savings Bonds and estate planning

• 10-1 – New York Attorney General’s page on Living Trusts

Chapter 11 – Inheriting Savings Bonds

• 11-1 – Public Debt Form 4000 – Request to reissue United States Savings Bonds
• 11-2 – Public Debt Form 1455 – Request by Fiduciary for Reissue or Distribution of United States Savings Bonds
• 11-3 – Public Debt Form 2513 – Application by Voluntary Guardian of Incapacitated Owner of United States Bonds or Notes
• 11-4 – Public Debt Form 1522 – Special Form for Request of Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities Where Use of a Detached Request is Authorized
• 11-5 – Public Debt Form 5394 – Agreement and Request for Disposition of a Decedent’s Treasury Securities
• 11-6 – Public Debt Form 5336 – Disposition of Securities Belonging to a Decedent’s Estate Being Settled without Administration

Chapter 12 – Changing the registration

• 12-1 – Public Debt Form 1851 – Request to reissue United States Savings Bonds to a personal trust
• 12-2 – Public Debt Form 4000 – Request to reissue United States Savings Bonds
• 12-3 – IRS Publication 550 – Investment Income and Expenses

Chapter 13 – Lost and stolen Savings Bonds

• 13-1 – Treasury Hunt
• 13-2 – Public Debt Form 3062-4 – Claim for United States Savings Bond not received
• 13-3 – Military safekeeping contact list
• 13-4 – Public Debt Form 1048 – Claim for lost, stolen, or destroyed United States Savings Bonds
• 13-5 – State lost property database – Search the unclaimed property databases kept by state attorney general offices

Chapter 14 – Managing the deferred-tax time bomb

• 14-1 – The most current US Tax Rate table
• 14-2 – IRS Publication 17
• 14-3 – Form to reinstate tax-deferral – If you’ve been granted permission to pay interest on your Savings Bonds every year, use this form to get automatic permission from the IRS to switch back to deferring interest. But beware: you are setting a double-taxation trap.

Chapter 15 – Is tax-deferral better than higher rates?

Chapter 16 – Basics of Savings Bond redemption

• 16-1 – Public Debt Form 1522 – Special Form for Request of Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities Where Use of a Detached Request is Authorized
• 16-2 – Public Debt Form 5188 – Durable Power of Attorney for Securities and Savings Bonds Transactions
• 16-3 – Savings Bond disaster relief – Counties eligible for lifting of the one-year holding period
• 16-4 – IRS Form 1040-ES – Estimated tax payments
• 16-5 – Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)
• 16-6 – Public Debt Form 5396 – Direct Deposit Sign Up Form

Chapter 17 – How to minimize the income tax bite

• 17-1 – IRS Publication 970 – Tax Benefits for Education.
• 17-2 – Income limits for the Savings Bond education deduction.
• 17-3 – IRS Form 8815 – calculates the two phase outs for the Savings Bond education deduction; IRS Form 8818 – an optional form for recording the data on the bonds you cashed in.
• 17-4 – IRS Publication 526 – Charitable Contributions.

Appendix

• 18-1 – Online forms to contact the Treasury about: Series H, HH, G, or K Savings Bonds – all other paper Savings Bonds – electronic Savings Bonds at TreasuryDirect
• 18-2 – Savings Bonds Forms Ordering – An online order form you can use to receive free paper copies of Savings Bond forms in the mail
• 18-3 – Public Debt Form 1522 – Special Form for Request of Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities Where Use of a Detached Request is Authorized