bonds

This book should not be sold any longer. Since it was published back in 1999 - and is now close to 5 years old - it contains a lot of mis-information. The U S Treasury Department has changed many of the rules and regulations concerning savings bonds - most notably over the past 18 months. A person purchasing this book to learn more about U S Savings Bonds will get good information, and bad information. The problem is that he/she will not know what information is good, and what information is bad. Thus, by not buying the book, the savings bond owner is probably better off. I do not challenge the idea that it is important for savings bond owners to learn all about their own collection of savings bonds. They need to know the rules and regulations, so that they can make informed, intelligent decisions about keeping or cashing in bonds - and the proper time to do it. But any printed book is not the place to find it: the information becomes obsolete too quickly. The internet is the place to find accurate, up-to-date information about savings bonds. Because any web site can be updated quickly and easily, the information presented there is more likely to be current. Because it takes the author so long to prepare the book, and then the time it takes to get it printed (published) and then put into the distribution piepline, I suggest that any book about savings bonds is already obsolete the day it becomes available for sale to the public. Furthermore, according to reliable sources who work for the Savings Bond Division of the U S Treasury Department, numerous additional changes will be forthcoming during the next 2 years. For my money, the internet is the ONLY place to find all the information that you could possibly need to know about U S Savings Bonds. Just type in "savings bonds" in any search engine.

Surprisingly,this book is enjoyable and easy to read. It contains information, I have not found anywhere else, that is vital to know before investing in savings bonds. If you already own savings bonds, you will benefit from reading this book before you sell them. Savings bonds are not the simple investment most people believe they are. I checked this book out from the library, but found it so valuable I am purchasing a copy for myself.

This book contains more in-depth information than theinformation available from government publications or the website. Use that information and thatwebsite, but also get this book. I use the free downloadable SavingsBond Wizard from the government website, and also set up an Excelspreadsheet to keep up bond statements as outlined in this book--whichis a more effective statement to aid decision-making. Some of theissues covered in this book: don't trust your bank to know whatthey're doing / understanding interest rates / timing issues re:redemption and maturity / organizing your bonds and keeping records /recovering lost bonds / tracking your investment (using the wizardand/or a statement you develop yourself or purchase from a service) /deciding to hold or fold -- evaluating performance of your bonds /comparing savings bonds to other investment options / taxation issuesinluding estate/gift/inheritance tax issues / using savings bonds forretirement / exchanging for HH current-income bonds / purchasing /reissuing / redeeming / tax-free for higher education feature / bondsas gifts / the new I bond / forms of ownership / bonds for minors /resources. Highly recommend. END