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Two Letters Re: U.S. Treasury Bonds
James Wesley:
I recently inherited several U.S. Savings Bonds, Series EE. Do
you recommend that I keep them, or cash them in so I can get better prepared?
(We only have about
two months of storage food here at our house.) How do I find out if the
bonds are still earning interest, and what they are currently worth? Thank
you,
- C.C.
JWR Replies: You are right about recognizing priorities.
You can't eat bonds. If the bonds have fully matured, then
by all means cash them in.
You can
check
of the status of most bonds at the Treasury
Direct web site.
Mr. Rawles,
You once mentioned Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS).
Do you still recommend them? Assuming they are still a good investment,
which
brokerage house
should I use to minimize the fees? - Robert L. in Michigan
JWR Replies: Since further inflation of the U.S. dollar is
inevitable, and significantly higher levels of inflation are likely n coming
years, I still consider TIPS
a great investment for any extra cash that you have on hand. That
is, after getting your food storage squared away, after investing
25% of your portfolio in precious metals, and after investing as
much as 50% in a productive retreat property. (By that iI mean farm or ranching
land in a lightly populated
area that is well
removed
from major
population centers and away from likely refugee lines of drift.)
It is
probably best to buy TIPS directly
from the U.S. Treasury.
