Personal Finance Blog By MoneyRates - Government & Municipal Securities
A bond market rebellion brings hope for savings accounts, money market rates
November 17, 2010
For now, the bond market seems to be rebelling against the Fed's quantitiative easing program -- find out what this means for deposit rates.
Will Your Retirement Savings Run Out?
July 20, 2010
Delaying retirement is sounding better and better -- or at least smarter and safer -- given the growing number of studies showing so many of us aren't saving enough for retirement. Among the latest are findings by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), which says a dramatic percentage of people -- even those in upper-income [...]
Dying or Running out of Savings: Which Scares You More?
July 13, 2010
Sure, death is scary. But even more frightening to most Baby Boomers is the prospect of running out of money. Roughly six in 10 people said they feared outliving their income more than dying, according to a new survey by Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America, which polled 3,200 people in May ranging in [...]
Bank Rates to Rise in 2011, Bank Economists Predict
June 22, 2010
Bank economists say we're on the path to a solid recovery, a double-dip recession is highly unlikely, and they expect the Fed will start raising interest rates next year. The prediction about rising interest rates was unanimous among the dozen members of the American Bankers Association Economic Advisory Committee, which recently released its views on [...]
When Will Inflation Expectations Lift CD Rates?
April 28, 2009
Recent economic releases have increased the optimism of some market analysts about the U.S. economy, although you may have to listen or read very carefully to find the good news. The glimmers of hope are hidden in phrases like, "the pace of declining home sales has slowed" or "growth was forecast to be worse than [...]
Rates on U.S. Savings Bonds Set to Go Down
April 22, 2009
The Treasury Department is scheduled to reset rates on the Series EE Savings Bond and the Series I Inflation Bond on May 1. It is safe to say that the new rates are not likely to generate a lot of interest from rate-savvy investors. That's because short-term interest rates and inflation are low right now, [...]
Where are the Banks Offering Inflation-Linked Deposits?
March 24, 2009
If you do a search for banks offering rates which are indexed to the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, or yields on U.S. Treasuries you can find various money market and CD products. Missing from the list of variable-rate offerings is anything tied to inflation. There are inflation-linked securities available, but surprisingly there are [...]
Why Tax-Exempt Investments Are No Longer So Exciting
March 4, 2009
It used to be that there was a difference between investments with taxable dividends and those which were not taxable. If your tax bracket was high enough, tax-exempt investments made real financial sense. For instance, back in the 1950s and 1960s the federal income tax rate was as high as 91 percent for earnings over $400,000. [...]
Uncle Sam Offers Huge Credit For First Time Home Buyers
February 26, 2009
The government will give a tax credit of up to $8,000 for many first-time home buyers in 2009. Is this a good deal? You bet.
Will Obama Administration Push Up Long-Term Interest Rates?
January 14, 2009
President-Elect Obama has outlined an ambitious economic stimulus program involving government spending on infrastructure and government hiring. This multi-billion dollar spending program will be on top of the billions to still be spent with the ongoing government bailout of financial companies. While a majority of economists have approved the plan as prudent, a number have [...]
