On a fixed rate and a variable rate that fluctuates in line with inflation, interest rates on I bonds are determined twice a year, on May 1 and November 1. I bonds paid as much as 9.62% last year as inflation reached a 40-year high peaking at 9.1% in June. Americans flocked to them because they promised a return that was far higher than the losses experienced by investors in the bond and stock markets last year as well as the comparatively meager interest rates that banks gave for deposits.
Financial advisors reported that since then, inflation has decreased below 5%, lowering the rate on May’s I bond to 4.3%, below the short-term benchmark Fed funds rate of 5% to 5.25% and the 5%+ investors may obtain on riskless short-term Treasury bills.
Right now, you can receive better short-term rates, according to 1650 Wealth Management advisor Tom Balcom. A high yield money market fund that pays close to 5% is available even at most brokerages.
Money market funds generate income for investors in the form of dividends by investing in short-term debt assets including commercial paper and U.S. Treasury bills.
Interest is compounded every two years. As a result, a new interest rate is applied to a new principal amount every six months that is equal to the previous principal plus the interest gained in the previous six months.
The bond’s value increases as a result of interest accrual and rising principal.
You can spend $5,000 of your tax refund and $10,000 from the Treasury to make purchases.
Can bond rates increase once more?
If inflation picks up speed again, it’s possible that bond rates may increase once again, but it’s unlikely that they would approach the highs of 2022. The Fed and the majority of experts anticipate continued low inflation.
When the Treasury announces its next I bond rate in November, the 4.3% rate could decrease further if inflation continues to decelerate as anticipated.
What will happen if I continue to hold my I bonds?
Holding an I bond till maturity won’t ever cause you to lose money. Your I bond’s redemption value cannot decrease and the interest rate cannot fall below zero.
“You can continue keeping them to see how it goes,” “If you don’t sure if inflation has really gone off because there are still difficulties – like wages and gas are still high… Nevertheless, he issued a warning: “If the rate is ultimately reevaluated and drops 2 or 3 (percentage) scores, then at that point, it may not be worth it.”
What would be a better investment at this time than I bonds?
Many investments today, in contrast to last year, offer a higher return than I bonds.Online savings accounts give interest rates between 4% and 5%; over 5% is offered on short-term Treasury notes; and this year, the stock market, as represented by the S&P 500 index, has returned around 11%.
Particularly appealing are Treasury bills that pay on par with or higher than I bonds. They are entirely liquid, Bergquist declared. “You wouldn’t have to hold onto them for a year or more; you could sell them today.”
Also recommended by advisors are exchange-traded funds that invest in short-term bonds with variable interest rates and have dividends that rise with interest rates.Since payout variations offset rising rates, the values of variable rate bonds remain largely steady.
In contrast, the prices of fixed-rate bonds typically decline in order to bring their yield closer to the higher market interest rates. Fixed-rate bond prices and yields are inversely correlated.
To the contrary, variable rate ETFs “can enable you to remain invested in the bond market, rewarded investors with higher income distributions as the Fed hikes rates, rather than attempting to predict the market and waiting for the “perfect” time to invest in bonds,” noted brokerage company Charles Schwab in a study.
Balcom, who favors the JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF and Wisdom Tree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, advised against taking the risk while investing in short-term cash.