About — TreasuryDirect (2024)

FAQs

About — TreasuryDirect? ›

About TreasuryDirect

TreasuryDirect.gov is the one and only place to buy and redeem U.S. savings bonds and other securities directly from the U.S. Treasury!

Securities purchased through TreasuryDirect cannot be sold in the secondary market before they mature. This lack of liquidity could be a disadvantage for investors who may need to access their investment capital before the securities' maturity.

A TreasuryDirect account gives you the ability to buy, manage, and redeem eligible Treasury securities via the Internet. By accessing your account with your unique account number and password, you can perform transactions on securities of which you have control. Minor accounts are not available in entity accounts.

TreasuryDirect is free. There are no fees, no matter how much or how little you invest. You may hold both savings bonds and Treasury marketable securities in TreasuryDirect. Your securities in TreasuryDirect are electronic, so you don't have to worry about them getting lost, stolen, or damaged.

Variable interest rates are a risk you can't discount when you buy an I bond, and it's not like you can just sell the bond when the rate falls. You're locked in for the first year, unable to sell at all. Even after that, there's a penalty of three months' interest if you sell before five years.

Information dealing with the purchase, redemption, replacement, forms, and valuation of Treasury savings bonds and securities is located on the TreasuryDirect.gov website which is managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

There are several ways to buy Treasuries. For many people, TreasuryDirect is a good option; however, retirement savers and investors who already have brokerage accounts are often better off buying bonds on the secondary market or with exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

But while they are lauded for their security and reliability, potential drawbacks such as interest rate risk, low returns and inflation risk must be carefully considered. If you're interested in investing in Treasury bonds or have other questions about your portfolio, consider speaking with a financial advisor.

Treasury securities are considered a safe and secure investment option because the full faith and credit of the U.S. government guarantees that interest and principal payments will be paid on time. Also, most Treasury securities are liquid, which means they can easily be sold for cash.

What is the 45 day rule for TreasuryDirect? ›

4-Week Bills bought at original issue in TreasuryDirect may not be transferred at all because the term of the security is less than 45 days. The mandatory holding period also applies to securities issued through reinvestment which were not fully funded from the maturing security.

You just bought a security from the U.S. Treasury. Securities are generally issued to your account within two business days of the purchase date for savings bonds or within one week of the auction date for Bills, Notes, Bonds, FRNs, and TIPS.

To calculate the price, take 180 days and multiply by 1.5 to get 270. Then, divide by 360 to get 0.75, and subtract 100 minus 0.75. The answer is 99.25. Because you're buying a $1,000 Treasury bill instead of one for $100, multiply 99.25 by 10 to get the final price of $992.50.

You fund your TreasuryDirect account through your bank account or by payroll deduction. Securities you buy in TreasuryDirect are electronic, not paper. If you hold savings bonds in paper form, you can convert them to electronic securities in TreasuryDirect.

When the bill matures, you are paid its face value. You can hold a bill until it matures or sell it before it matures.

For many people, TreasuryDirect is a good option; however, retirement savers and investors who already have brokerage accounts are often better off buying bonds on the secondary market or with exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

U.S. Treasury bonds are fixed-income securities. They're considered low-risk investments and are generally risk-free when held to maturity. That's because Treasury bonds are issued with the full faith and credit of the federal government.

Key Takeaways. Treasury bonds can be a good investment for those looking for safety and a fixed rate of interest that's paid semiannually until the bond's maturity.