Search found 755 matches

by jhogue
Thu May 12, 2022 10:13 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Inflation - What are you doing different
Replies: 58
Views: 8424

Re: Inflation - What are you doing different

@ barrett: I understand your desire to keep things as simple as possible. I won't make a decision on when to deliver 2022 gifted I bonds until after the November 1, 2022 interest rate re-set. The option to choose when to deliver gifted I-bonds is an attractive feature, but sooner is usually better t...
by jhogue
Wed May 11, 2022 11:53 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Inflation - What are you doing different
Replies: 58
Views: 8424

Re: Inflation - What are you doing different

Gifting I-bonds is a strategy to buy more than the $10K per person limit by buying I-bonds as gifts. Gifting is a two part operation. For instance, you and your wife could each buy your quota of $10K I-bonds in 2022, and then each buy another $10K as gifts for each other. The gifted I-bonds are then...
by jhogue
Mon May 09, 2022 8:50 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Inflation - What are you doing different
Replies: 58
Views: 8424

Re: Inflation - What are you doing different

Like Kbg, I noted that the Fed has aggressively promoted a series of interest rate raises in a vain attempt to beat down a burst of 1970s-style inflation they helped to create. At the beginning of 2022 we got an interest rate lock for a 3.9% 30 year mortgage on a new house plus a HELOC on our curren...
by jhogue
Thu Apr 28, 2022 12:00 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: Sucks to Be An I-Bond Hater
Replies: 54
Views: 20724

Re: Sucks to Be An I-Bond Hater

Sorry, I could be wrong about secondary market T-bills on auto-roll.

I know I used the auto-roll feature for Treasurys at Fidelity, but eventually emptied it out when I decided to max out my I-bond quota. Others on this forum did it too (Kriegsspiel?)

BTW, welcome to the forum joypog.
by jhogue
Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:52 pm
Forum: Cash
Topic: I Bonds’s new variable rate will rise to 9.62% with the May reset
Replies: 20
Views: 7345

Re: I Bonds’s new variable rate will rise to 9.62% with the May reset

FYI, US Savings bonds investors: I logged into my TreasuryDirect account this morning, ordered my pre-May 1 quota of I-bonds, hit the submit button, and was informed (after several minutes wait) that TreasuryDirect was "unavailable" and I should try again later. Speculation on a thread over at bogel...
by jhogue
Mon Apr 25, 2022 12:59 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: Sucks to Be An I-Bond Hater
Replies: 54
Views: 20724

Re: Sucks to Be An I-Bond Hater

Jason Zweig recently penned a column about I-bonds, so he is certainly aware of them.
by jhogue
Mon Apr 25, 2022 7:25 am
Forum: Bonds
Topic: Sucks to Be An I-Bond Hater
Replies: 54
Views: 20724

Re: Sucks to Be An I-Bond Hater

it is somewhat surprising that Jason Zweig did not mention that there is a simple alternative to using TreasuryDirect to buy T-bills. You can buy and sell secondary market T-bills for 0.00% at Fidelity's bond desk and set your purchases to auto-roll. This allows investors to customize their T-bill m...
by jhogue
Thu Apr 21, 2022 2:07 pm
Forum: Cash
Topic: I Bonds’s new variable rate will rise to 9.62% with the May reset
Replies: 20
Views: 7345

Re: I Bonds’s new variable rate will rise to 9.62% with the May reset

Just bought my 2022 allotment of I-Bonds today. I wanted to lock in the 7.12% for six months before the annualized rate jumps to 9.62% on 5/1/22. Will let you all know in a few years if that was a good move. O0 Took me maybe five minutes to get this all done on Treasury Direct. I still don't like h...
by jhogue
Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:10 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Inflation - What are you doing different
Replies: 58
Views: 8424

Re: Inflation - What are you doing different

On changes... I like to earn interest and not pay it. The only exception is my mortgage which I was pretty darn sure that when I locked it at 2.25% for 15 it was going to end up being a great rate. Did I peg the mortgage low, absolutely not...but good enough. One can only get so lucky in these thin...
by jhogue
Mon Apr 04, 2022 8:38 pm
Forum: Gold
Topic: PHYS selling at a premium
Replies: 6
Views: 2947

Re: PHYS selling at a premium

Thanks for the information. I have some PHYS I would like to swap out for something with a lower expense ration.
by jhogue
Sun Apr 03, 2022 3:38 pm
Forum: Gold
Topic: PHYS selling at a premium
Replies: 6
Views: 2947

Re: PHYS selling at a premium

PHYS is, at this minute, trading at a premium of +0.20%. It usually trades at a discount (2020 was the last year where it meaningfully traded for several weeks at a premium), so now might be a good time to get out of it if anyone has been thinking of going to a less expensive ETF or physical. Just ...
by jhogue
Fri Apr 01, 2022 4:46 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: i-Bonds How-to Q&A as of 2021 November
Replies: 40
Views: 9007

Re: i-Bonds How-to Q&A as of 2021 November

@JHogue - What is most efficient way to purchase IBonds? My goal is 5K to 10K per year, but I am not sure of the best timing - all at once - every six months - purchase at the end of a month or wait and purchase at the beginning of the month. I see the TD website offers a direct payroll deduction o...
by jhogue
Tue Mar 29, 2022 10:30 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: 20 yr vs. 30 yr Yield Curve
Replies: 7
Views: 2526

Re: 20 yr vs. 30 yr Yield Curve

I like Fidelity’s pop-out Fixed Income and Bond Yield chart, which gives real-time quotes (when the markets are open) for broker CDs, Treasurys, Agencies, Corporates, and Municipals, in maturities from 3 months to 30 years +. Some observations: 1. Yield inversions are not particularly unusual or esp...
by jhogue
Thu Mar 17, 2022 11:16 am
Forum: Cash
Topic: How do you invest the Cash portion?
Replies: 243
Views: 168889

Re: How do you invest the Cash portion?

People have funny ideas about what to do with their cash. Some times not so funny. I wonder where Putin hides his personal stash. I am sure he has got at least one, but I am not sure if he can get to any of them. See: "Swiss banks count cost of Russia sanctions" https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-ba...
by jhogue
Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:59 pm
Forum: Cash
Topic: How do you invest the Cash portion?
Replies: 243
Views: 168889

Re: How do you invest the Cash portion?

For those of you who have been using a Treasury Only Money Market Fund for cash in the era of zero interest rates, are you now going back to laddering short term Treasuries? If so, of what length? Three months? One year? I realize that investors would still be locking in real losses with this strat...
by jhogue
Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:03 pm
Forum: Gold
Topic: GLDM expense ratio now .10%
Replies: 6
Views: 1962

Re: GLDM expense ratio now .10%

SGOL has a net expense ratio of 0.17%. All of the ETF's gold is stored in Switzerland. Will that make any difference? Hard to say, but it holds out the possibility of geopolitical diversification because it is a neutral country that is Western, but not a member of NATO (or any other military allianc...
by jhogue
Fri Mar 11, 2022 7:54 am
Forum: Bonds
Topic: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio
Replies: 61
Views: 12572

Re: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio

Good site: https://tipswatch.com/ And the front page article is something I have been hoping for. Will be very happy if there is enough pressure to increase the IBond purchase limit. Or they can just go to treasurydirect.gov and look at the rate. https://treasurydirect.gov/indiv/products/prod_ibond...
by jhogue
Mon Feb 28, 2022 6:02 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio
Replies: 61
Views: 12572

Re: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio

Go for it.
Right now, I-bonds beat everything on the Treasury interest rate curve from 11 months to 30 years. On top of that, you can change your mind 11 months from now (sort of like a 1 year CD) and get your principal and interest back.
by jhogue
Mon Feb 28, 2022 12:59 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio
Replies: 61
Views: 12572

Re: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio

I-bonds are tax deferred but can never be held in a tax deferred account. A Treasury money market fund can be held in a tax deferred account. Selling a big pile of I-bonds is therefore always a taxable event. Selling a Treasury money market fund inside a tax deferred account is never a taxable event...
by jhogue
Fri Feb 25, 2022 3:13 pm
Forum: Cash
Topic: Bank Bonuses
Replies: 36
Views: 10867

Re: Bank Bonuses

Big yawn until they start giving out Sony Trinitons again. I must be older than you are. Until inflation set in during the late 1960s, I recall that toasters and coffee pots were the "free" bank giveaway of choice. My folks got a Sony Trinitron TV from Crossland Savings Bank. It was very heavy! How...
by jhogue
Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:51 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio
Replies: 61
Views: 12572

Re: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio

There are a couple of scenarios: 1. The biggest caution in overbuying savings bonds is having a liquidity crunch and not being able to redeem your bonds because of the 1-year lock up. I think this would be more of a concern for young investors with smaller portfolios who might suddenly need to buy ...
by jhogue
Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:16 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio
Replies: 61
Views: 12572

Re: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio

There are a couple of scenarios: 1. The biggest caution in overbuying savings bonds is having a liquidity crunch and not being able to redeem your bonds because of the 1-year lock up. I think this would be more of a concern for young investors with smaller portfolios who might suddenly need to buy a...
by jhogue
Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:56 pm
Forum: Cash
Topic: Bank Bonuses
Replies: 36
Views: 10867

Re: Bank Bonuses

Don wrote:
Sat Feb 19, 2022 7:26 am
Big yawn until they start giving out Sony Trinitons again.
I must be older than you are. Until inflation set in during the late 1960s, I recall that toasters and coffee pots were the "free" bank giveaway of choice.
by jhogue
Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:48 pm
Forum: Bonds
Topic: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio
Replies: 61
Views: 12572

Re: I Bonds for Permanent Portfolio

@barrett, 1. Good for you! Buying I-bonds is not complicated or time-consuming for most investors. 2. I may not buy I-bonds this year either. More than 40% of my Cash is currently in savings bonds. That "feels" about right. Half of those are more than 5 years old, and would therefore not incur any p...