Preparing for Retirement: Savings Bonds
Many people find savings bonds to be a confusing topic. The younger generations often don’t completely understand what they do or why they are useful. Unless they go for a degree in finance, they may not even know until the term retirement comes up. Some companies don’t offer 401k’s, nor do they provide retirement plans. However, a savings bond could be just what you need to help prepare for your retirement.
Savings bonds have been one of the most popular investments that the United States created. The system was designed to give small investors a way to earn more profits on their money. The United States Treasury uses savings bonds to finance its day-to-day operations of the government. The U.S. has a large amount of debt, even today, and savings bonds help to minimize extra costs for the government and its employees.
Savings Bonds
The big question here is, what are savings bonds? A savings bond is a bond that is issued by the government and then sold to the general public. Furthermore, a bond is thought of as debt security. Debt security means that the issuers (in this case, the government) owe the bondholder debt. This method of investment is one of the safest systems in the industry. A fantastic aspect of savings bonds is that they are very negotiable, and the terms are set to suit every situation. Although, some individuals despise the system because they aren’t too fond of what the government has evolved into.
While the U.S. government’s other departments oversee the terms and conditions, the Treasury Department takes care of the fixed rates and other components. These bonds were created to be marketed to help cover the borrowing needs of the United States. The Treasury Department handles almost all of the expenses the government has. Congress sometimes steps in to handle the adjustments of specific bills and laws.
Unique History of Bonds
The term bond was created in the period of the Revolutionary War. During this period, the U.S had to borrow money from England just to keep the country afloat. Many people during this time were struggling to keep food on the table, and the Founding Fathers didn’t want to see that happen.
A significant aspect that sets the original bonds apart from bonds today was that these bonds are marketable. This means that anyone from small investors to big-time firms can invest in a bond. Those who loan money to the government then receive a bond that pays an interest rate and can later be sold to another investor at a later date.
How high the interest rate is determines how much the bond can be sold for. If the price is high, the holder must place a discount on the bond to make up for the lack of profit coming in on this investment. When a holder puts a premium on their bond, they create competitive rates to stay on the same level as any other bonds that may be bringing in more earnings. This method ensures that their bond has an equal probability of being sold as opposed to other obligations on the market. Some investors prefer discounted savings bonds because the earnings typically rise within seven days after being purchased, due to the constant shifts within the market.
What other factors affect the price of a bond? While there are many determining factors, the most vital factor is the maturity of a bond. In this case, the term maturity means when the bond is due to be paid back in full and there are no more interest payments to be made. Depending on how the long the maturity phase has been in play, price of a bond will be altered. Prices typically become more aggressive in the system and may be hard to purchase. Many small investors struggle around this time.
A small investor is often seen as someone who falls within the middle or lower classes. The scale for large investors ranges from the upper-middle level to a higher rank in society. Typical careers in the middle class are people who work in education, agriculture, and so many more. Let’s say a teacher wanted to invest in a bond that has had a long duration in the maturity stage. This is great until it comes time to pay for the expenses like a child’s college, wedding, or a new vehicle. The fluctuation of bond prices makes certain life events challenging.
The Creation of Savings Bonds
Thankfully, the system hit a few road bumps when it came to the first development of bonds. Even though that doesn’t always mean things get better, in this case, they did. The savings bond program took a huge turn. Savings bonds were then non-marketable, meaning whoever buys the bond gets to keep it. When a savings bond was purchased, it created a contract between the buyer and the U.S government. Just like any other contract, this one could not be altered or transferred once everything was finalized. Likewise, this new method ensured investors that the value of the bond would never change, no matter any situations either side may face.
Once the savings bond meets its maturity stage, the holder receives the original investment amount and any interest that was placed on the bond. If there is any loss in the duration of the savings bond, then it is repaid or replaced. This specific aspect made the savings bond famous.
The Main Benefits of Savings Bonds
People invest in savings bonds for all sorts of reasons. Everyone’s situation and life, in general, are different. The most common reason for investing in savings bonds is for retirement. This may be confusing for some, but savings bonds are the safest investment for your retirement plans. As stated before, some companies don’t offer retirement plans or a 401k. Even if you have a retirement plan in play, consider a savings bond for an additional source of income. Many benefits come with using a savings bond for a source of retirement income including the following:
Increase in Tax Contributions
Most retirement plans have contribution limits. Annually, you may only be able to access a certain amount of money. However, a savings bond has no limitations and doubles your differed taxes each quarter. An aspect like this makes sure that you continue to grow your investments to ensure there are no profits lost. The limits that are set on a savings bond are there to make sure you and your family won’t run short on money.
No Taxes
A downfall about most retirement plans is that you still must pay taxes on the money you have been saving all your life. That is quite unfair to the public. The government saw this as a problem and decided to fix it. When savings bonds were created, they had to consider the fact of taxes. They thought it was unfair to borrow money from the public and make them pay taxes. Therefore, there are no state or federal taxes on savings bonds. Therefore, there are no taxes when you cash-in on your bond.
No Withdrawal Penalties
It is about time the government made minimal limitations. Most retirement plans include an age limitation when cashing in or pulling some money out. However, you must hold on to your savings bond for at least ten years before it can be cashed in.
The Safest Method of All
Every investor has named this method the safest one of all. As crazy as it may seem, the government has made sure that there are no fall throughs with the system they created. The federal government wholly backs savings bonds, and they are responsible for any issues that may arise in the contract.
Disadvantages of Using Savings Bonds for Retirement
While savings bonds come with many advantages, there are some problems and flaws with the system. Likewise, there is no flexibility when it comes to investments. Once the contract is signed, there is no way to change your investment limits. Some people see this as a problem, but the government operates the same way for every system they make.
For example, any bill that has been made cannot be altered unless another bill is passed. Therefore, savings bonds were made the same way. The government wants to keep the playing field equal to everything they do.
All in all, everyone has high hopes for their retirement and prays they won’t have to deal with any financial issues. Even if your company doesn’t offer a retirement plan, there are always other options. Savings bonds are backed by the government, which gives investors a peace of mind that there won’t be any significant issues with their money. By using savings bonds, an individual does not have to worry about keeping up with current events like the stock market.
Savings bonds are a safer investment for you and your loved ones because of the restrictions, and the government fully backs it. The use of savings bonds helps not only the general public, but the U.S. government. The system allows the government to borrow money from investors and then pay them back later. Speculators see this method as a lesson to the public to understand what the global community stands for.
Everyone has debt in some way, shape, or form, even the government. Savings bonds are a great tool to contribute to both sides of society. Whether you’re a small investor or a large firm, savings bonds can be used for everything from extra cash in your pocket, to an addition to your retirement funds.
