HomePC Magazine (July 1995):
*A HOMEPC BEST BUY WINNER!*
An issue of national interest
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Quick: What's that $100 U.S.
savings bond you bought in 1986 worth today? Should you cash it in now, or does it make
more sense to let it sit a bit longer and redeem the one you bought in 1983 instead?
If questions such as these pique your interest, try the United States
Savings Bond Consultant ($29.94,DOS). The program provides current redemption and total
interest earned on every U.S. savings bond ever issued, the next date interest will be
posted, the date when any bond's interest rate will change, final maturity date and the
interest rate each bond now earns.
The full program contains a year's worth of information. After the
first year, registered owners can receive updates for an annual fee of $24.95. |
Kiplinger's
Personal Finance Magazine (January 1997):
Sorting
out your Savings bond:
HERE'S WHERE
to get help
to guide you through the maze of savings-bonds rules:
The Bureau of the Public Debt. It's internet site, at
http://www.ustreas.gov /treasury/bureaus/pubdebt, is chock full of frequently asked questions, explanations,
redemption tables and more. You can download a free bond-management program, Savings
Bond Wizard, which makes keeping an inventory and valuing your savings-bond |
portfolio easier.
(You can also download redemption values, available free every six months, that work with
the program to update the value of your portfolio automatically.) This site links directly
to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's easy-to-use- online redemption-value calculator.
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BOND-Tracking
services. Tracking services provide statements that include redemption values and
total interest earned as well as current and past yields, when interest is posted, and
when bonds will stop earning interest. The U.S. Savings Bond Consultant
(800-717-2663), charges from $12 (for one to 20 bonds) to $90 (for 501 to
750). |
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'New Choices' Magazine
(September 1997):
SAVINGS BONDS
A Better Deal on an Ultra-Safe
Investment In
response to declining sales, the Treasury Department has made its new 30-year Series EE
savings bonds a much more attractive investment. A $10,000 bond bought before May 1 might
have paid about $450 a year; one purchased now will pay interest at an annual rate of 5.68
- $568 - until November 1. That's quite an improvement.
As of May 1, 1997, the interest rate on Series EE bonds
will be announced each May 1 and November 1; it will equal 90% of the average yield on
five-year Treasury securities for the previous six months. Better yet, the interest for
these bonds will be added each month. The pre-May 1 bonds add the interest every six
months, which means someone who wants to sell often has to choose between losing a
substantial interest payment and waiting several months to cash out. (One restriction on
the new bonds: If they are cashed within five years of purchase, the owner loses three
months' interest.)
Interest on the new bonds is exempt from state and local
tax. Federal tax can be deferred until the bond is cashed; even then, all or part of the
tax may be waived if the money is used to pay tuition and fees for post-secondary
education.
...get more detailed information, you can get a
complete printout on the status, including past and future interest, of up to 20 bonds for
$12 from Union Informational Services (800 / 717-2663).
...get more detailed information, you can get a
complete printout on the status, including past and future interest, of up to 20 bonds for
$12 from Union Informational Services [savingsbonds.com]
(800 / 717-2663). |
WORTH Magazine (May
1997):
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BRIEFS
The 55 million individuals with U.S.
savings bonds in safe-deposit boxes can use the Windows-based U.S. Savings
Bonds Consultant (800-717-2663; $59.95) software to calculate the current
cash value, current yield, and taxability of income from their holdings...
Look for a big increase in insider selling that involves recent initial public
offerings beginning the week of April 29. That's when revised SEC rules allow company
insiders to sell their holdings restricted stock within 12 months (the SEC formerly
required 24 months) of the company's IPO.
~MICHAEL PELTZ |
MODERN MATURITY
(March-April 1996):
Life
Lines
| Savings
Bond Software |
| Do you have a drawer full (or even a handful)
of savings bonds and wonder what they're worth but don't know who to ask? A new software
program takes the confusion out of those Treasury Department tables and also frees you
from the prospect of standing in long bank lines to get dubious information from an
uncertain bank employee. |
The United States Savings Bond Consultant is
a tiny DOS program that puts those tables into your computer and deciphers them for you.
Punch in your bond's issue date, series and denomination and, as fast as you can hit F1,
you get a printout that tells all: the bond's value, its accrued interest and current
interest rate, the next rate change and maturity dates, and the date after which it will
stop earning interest. The program will print out a one-page report for every bond you
enter, so it's easy to tell which are worth holding, which aren't, and when to sell the
bonds so you don't lose interest.
The program costs $29.95 and requires an IBM 386PC compatible or better. Union
Information Services, 1540 Route 138, Suite 307, Wall, NJ 07719, or by calling
800-717-BOND [2663] and charging to a major credit card. ~Linda Stern |
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Ladies'
Home Journal (February 1998):
|
BOND BASICS |
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O |
n a trip to the bank, you open your safe-deposit
box and discover a savings bond you received as a |
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high-school graduation gift. The buyer paid
half of its face value when he purchased it however many years ago, but what is it worth
today, and should you cash it in? A quick call to a bank will tell you the bond's current
worth, but for kind of detailed information you need to determine whether or not to hold
on to your asset - for instance, the rate of interest it's currently earning, the date
when interest rates will next be adjusted (this happens twice a year) and the date when
the bond will cease to mature (typically 30 to 40 years after its issue date) - you'll
need to do some serious sleuthing, or use a valuation service. The U.S. Savings Bond Consultant (800-717-2663) provide quick, easy-to-read
statements listing your bond's current worth, current interest rate, and the dates of the
next and the final interest payments. Fees begin at $12 for one to twenty bonds. All you
have to send is the bonds' series, face value and issue date. |
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-HEATHER CAMLOT |
COSMOPOLITAN
Magazine (April 1996):
If you've received
Series EE savings bonds as graduation or birthday gifts, you may already have learned that
redemption procedures can be pretty complicated. With each certificate earning a different
interest rate, how can you know what they're really worth or when to cash them in? A new
software program, The United States Savings Bond Consultant, will
supply the answers. Just enter your bond's purchase date and face value and the program
will tell you how much it's worth today, the interest it's earning, and when you should
cash it in to maximize profits. Order the program for $29.95 from Union
Information Services, 1540 Route 138, Suite 307, Wall, NJ, 07719; telephone (800)
717-BOND. |
PC NOVICE's
Software Review (June 1996):
Bond,
Savings
Bond.
One of the most difficult calculations to make is attempting to ascertain a
savings bond's value. Usually, your only option is to wait for someone to figure it for
you.
THE UNITED STATES SAVINGS BANK CONSULTANT from Union
Information Services Inc. makes it easy to obtain exact values of bonds before and
after maturity.
The process is simple. A bond owner chooses the series and denomination of the bond
and types in the date issued. The program figures the net worth of the bond, as well |
as the current rate of interest, the total interest
earned, the date the bond will next increase in value, and the final maturity date.
For example, we entered a $50 Series EE bond that was issued in December 1989 and
bought for $25. The bond currently is worth $35.66, has earned $10.66 in interest, will
next increase in value on June 1, and will stop earning interest in December 2019. So what
can you do with this information? By comparing interest rates, you can reinvest a bond at
a higher interest rate or avoid cashing in higher yielding bonds. |
Being aware of the maturity rate can keep
you from losing interest when you cash it in. And by knowing the final maturity date, you
can be sure to cash in the bond before it stops earning interest.
Although it's a bit pricey at $29.95, comes on DOS diskettes, and requires updates
each year (another $24.95), if you have a lot of money in savings bonds and are unsure
about calculating interest, this program may be worth the extra investment. |
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BCUG
Review (January 1997):
| A
REVIEW by Sandy
Rand
If you've purchased bonds using a payroll savings plan for
several years, you might have 50, 100, 150 or more bonds.
Calculating the value of so many is tedious and time
consuming. In addition, interest is credited every 6 months
from date of purchase, so every month, some of the bonds
will change in value, assuming bonds were bought every
month.
With the Bond Manager, you can take that
drawer full of bonds, build a database and wisely manage
your bond portfolios. Exact, current cash in values and
interest-earned amounts are displayed any time the bonds are
accessed. The real eye openers are the actual interest
rates, lifetime interest rates, next increase-in-value date
and date when the interest rate may change.
Entering your bond data is not
difficult. You'll see a picture of a bond where you can
enter information much as you would enter check information
into Quicken. After creating your first entry, you can copy
it and enter just the new purchase date and serial number
for additional bonds.
Once you've created a portfolio, you can
start to analyze it. Look at your portfolio on screen and
print it out as a report. you have a choice of views and
reports. The Quick Values screen shows a total of the number
of active bonds, their current total value and total
accumulated interest as of the current date.
You can display or print reports showing
All Bonds, Active Bonds, Bonds Beyond maturity, Bond
Performance, Full Bond Information and Redeemed Bonds. Sort
these reports by purchase date, interest rate, value and
other fields.
Whether you are planning on holding onto
your bonds or need to redeem some for cash, the program will
display, in order, the winners and the losers, helping you
to decide which to keep and which to redeem. There are
information screens showing legitimate tax strategies, Bonds
For Education, Retirement Planning, Reporting Taxes
Annually, and Tax Deferment Strategy. There is a table to
calculate "What If I Invest Monthly for X Years"
and "What If I Need X Amount in X Years". Go to
the Misc menu to see information on E, EE, H, HH bonds and
Savings Notes, Replacing Lost Bonds and Current Interest
Rates. |
PROS-
Easy to use. Gives you the information you
need. The company is easy to deal with. They answered the
phone and everyone is helpful. Located in Wall, NJ.
CONS- Doesn't
take advantage of the Windows interface. Can only look at
one Window at a time. Information screens can't be maximized
for easier reading.
VERDICT- If
you have a number of bonds, you need this program. Just by
helping you make better decisions, it pays for itself.
Union Information Services produces 3
versions of the program. The Bond Manager Family Level,
allows up to 8 different portfolios for $59.95. The
Professional Version Level I allows up to 75 portfolios for
$129.95. Professional Level II allows unlimited portfolios
for $229.95. Add $4.95 for s/h which includes one year of
free updates. For year 2 and after, anual updates are $24.95
for the Family version and $29.95 for the Professional
Levels. Free s/h on updates. To order call 800-717-BOND.
BCUG:
Brookdale
Computer
Users
Group |
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Savings Bond
