Thread: Ask the Broker
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Old 05-16-2003, 04:51 AM   #35 (permalink)
bobmsmythe
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Location: NYC
Quote:
Originally posted by cheerios
'Nother broke college student here.. can you tell me more about treasury bills (what are they, min investments, time ranges, interest rates), and EE's? what IS an EE bond? it's really just 25 bucks? Is there some kind of fee that is involved w/ investing money like this? What do I have to do to buy bonds? I can't seem to get the couple hundred needed to open a savings acct. I know that paying off interest is high priority, but really, I'm living hand to mouth till I can finish my degree and get working full-time.
Sorry, I didn't see this one before. Treasury bills are short-to-mid term issues from the United States government. You invest a set amount up-front and are either (in some cases) paid interest along the way until the bill comes due and the principal is repaid, or you are (at the end of the term) paid the "face value" of the discount. You can make a bit of money with them if you can stash money away for a year, though you won't make the full amount. The EE bond is probably the simplest bond available-- it's called a "bond" because its a 30-year issue-- and yes, you can buy them at $25. Details are available here: http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/mar/martdeebond.htm . Again, though, if you've got interest-due credit, take care of that first, you're not going to make enough to compensate for your interest.

Bob
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