A new study out of the National Bureau of Economic Research shows what a train wreck do-it-yourself retirement is going to be.
Its survey of 1,500 Americans conducted during the summer of 2009 shows that many of us aren’t even saving for everyday emergencies, much less retirement.

It wasn’t that long ago that returns on the Treasury Department’s Series I Savings Bonds looked pretty good.
But then inflation fell to next to nothing, and rates on Series I Bonds plunged.
Through April 30, they’re set at 0.74%, about the same annual yield you’d see from the average 24-month CD.
That’s pretty weak. [...]

When you’re as old as I am, you focus on your own mortality. You also worry about protecting your nest egg.
That’s why I like “payable-on-death” accounts (sometimes called “in trust for” or “Totten trust” accounts).
These accounts are a way to pass on assets outside probate (but not tax laws).
They also have separate FDIC insurance, up [...]

I’d planned to buy a 5-year Treasury note recently using TreasuryDirect.
Just before the auction, however, I changed my mind and put my money into a 2-year bank CD instead.

Treasury yields are just too paltry.
When the financial crisis hit in 2008, I had virtually every penny I owned (outside of my IRA) invested in [...]

We couldn’t help but notice when the return on Series I Savings Bonds soared to 3.36% last fall.
These government bonds, with an interest rate that resets every six months to reflect inflation, were suddenly paying more than most CDs.
Back then, conservative politicians and economists were warning that all of the reckless spending in Washington would [...]

A recent comment asked why we don’t provide some indication of a bank’s financial health when we write about them.

The answer is simple: At one time we regularly included Bankrate’s “Safe & Sound” ratings in our posts. But we didn’t get much love from our readers.
They said that everyone knows that banks offering the best [...]

There’s a growing concern that the Federal Reserve’s fiscal policy is creating a bubble in the stock market.
Well, duh.
After the Dow flirted with 11,000 all week, it’s increasingly clear that stock prices simply can’t be justified by the lackluster recovery or the potential for future corporate earnings.
But with the Fed driving interest rates to [...]

“Let’s see if we can soothe some of the anxiety out there about converting traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs this year.
It’s a good move for younger savers who are a long way from retirement and might well expect to be making more in retirement than they are in their late ’20s or early 30s.
It’s not [...]

It’s come to this.
U.S. savings bonds — yeah, savings bonds — have become a better investment than most CDs.
Series I Bonds are paying 3.36%, which is more than you can earn with the best, nationally available 6-month, 12-month, 24-month and even 36-month certificates of deposit.
Although the interest rate resets every six months to reflect the [...]