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Book Notes Nov 2006: US Savings Bonds

Book Notes for Savings Bond Advisor: November 2006 Edition

Update: On May 17, 2006, President Bush signed a new tax law that in its fine print raised the age of the kiddie tax to 18 from 14. Please take a pencil to pages 165 and 166 of this edition and change "14" to "18" in the five places it occurs. For more information, see Tax law change impacts kiddie tax and Roth IRAs. The change is retroactive to January 1, 2006.

Introduction - Is this book for you?

Chapter 1 - An Introduction to Savings Bonds

Chapter 2 - Why Savings Bonds?

Chapter 3 - Today's choices - Series I and Series EE

Chapter 4 - How to invest in Savings Bonds

Chapter 5 - Whose name goes on the bond?

Chapter 6 - All about TreasuryDirect

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 - GBonds - a Savings Bond calculator for GNOME/Linux.
  • 8-2 - The Treasury's Savings Bond Calculator
  • 8-3 - 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 - [As of Aug 1, 2006, Form 5387 has been discontinued, use Form 4000]
  • 11-2 - Public Debt Form 4000 - Request to reissue United States Savings Bonds
  • 11-3 - Public Debt Form 1455 - Request by Fiduciary for Reissue or Distribution of United States Savings Bonds
  • 11-4 - Public Debt Form 2513 - Application by Voluntary Guardian of Incapacitated Owner of United States Bonds or Notes
  • 11-5 - 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
  • 11-6 - Public Debt Form 5394 - Agreement and Request for Disposition of a Decedent's Treasury Securities
  • 11-7 - Public Debt Form 5336 - Disposition of Securities Belonging to a Decedent's Estate Being Settled without Administration

Chapter 12 - Changing the registration

Chapter 13 - Lost and stolen Savings Bonds

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

Chapter 17 - How to minimize the income tax bite

Appendix - How to obtain the forms you need

  • 18-1 - Savings Bonds Forms Ordering - An online order form you can use to receive free paper copies of Savings Bond forms in the mail
  • 18-2 - 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