I-Bond.
In plain English
I-Bonds (Series I savings bonds) are U.S. Treasury savings bonds with an interest rate that adjusts every six months to track inflation. Each I-Bond rate is the sum of a fixed rate (set when you buy and locked for the bond's life) plus an inflation rate (reset every May and November). Must be held at least 12 months, redeemable any time after that, with a small interest penalty if cashed in within the first five years. Maximum purchase is $10,000 per person per year through TreasuryDirect.
01Why it matters
I-Bonds are one of the few investments that guarantees you keep up with inflation, by design. They are also exempt from state and local income tax. The annual cap and the TreasuryDirect website's quirky interface keep most people from using them, but for the first $10,000 of emergency-fund overflow, they are hard to beat.
02The math, step by step
I-Bonds bought in May 2022 carried a 9.62% annualized rate for the first six months as CPI spiked. A $10,000 purchase earned about $481 in that period. The same buyer's next six months earned 6.89%, and so on as inflation declined.
04Receipts
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