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 , 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 , 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