How safe are 6 month Treasury bills?
Treasury bills are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. If held to maturity, T-bills are considered virtually risk-free.
Since T-bills have fixed interest rates, inflation can erode the purchasing power of the returns earned from these investments. This means that investors may need help to keep up with inflation, resulting in a decline in real returns. T-bills are issued with maturities of only a few weeks to a few months.
6 Month Treasury Rate is at 5.39%, compared to 5.39% the previous market day and 5.06% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 2.83%. The 6 Month Treasury Bill Rate is the yield received for investing in a US government issued treasury security that has a maturity of 6 months.
T-bills pay a fixed rate of interest, which can provide a stable income. However, if interest rates rise, existing T-bills fall out of favor since their return is less than the market. T-bills have interest rate risk, which means there is a risk that existing bondholders might lose out on higher rates in the future.
Buy Treasury bills through a broker or financial advisor
Similar to banks, brokers and advisors can help you buy T-bills, but they may also provide additional services like financial advice or portfolio management.
The biggest downside of investing in T-bills is that you're going to get a lower rate of return compared to other investments, such as certificates of deposit, money market funds, corporate bonds or stocks. If you're looking to make some serious gains in your portfolio, T-bills aren't going to cut it.
Taxes: Treasury bills are exempt from state and local taxes but still subject to federal income taxes. That makes them less attractive holdings for taxable accounts. Investors in higher tax brackets might want to consider short-term municipal securities instead.
When the bill matures, you are paid its face value. You can hold a bill until it matures or sell it before it matures.
Interest income from Treasury securities is subject to federal income tax but exempt from state and local taxes. Income from Treasury bills is paid at maturity and, thus, tax-reportable in the year in which it is received.
Interest from Treasury bills (T-bills) is subject to federal income taxes but not state or local taxes. The interest income received in a year is recorded on Form 1099-INT. Investors can opt to have up to 50% of their Treasury bills' interest earnings automatically withheld.
Can Treasury bills lose value?
Like Treasury bonds and notes, T-bills have no default risk since they're backed by the U.S. government.
As with other government securities, investment income on Treasury bills is taxed federally by the Internal Revenue Service. Income earned from Treasury bills is not subject to state tax, and is not subject to local income taxes. Treasury bill income is, in other words, partially but not entirely tax-exempt.
To calculate the price, take 180 days and multiply by 1.5 to get 270. Then, divide by 360 to get 0.75, and subtract 100 minus 0.75. The answer is 99.25. Because you're buying a $1,000 Treasury bill instead of one for $100, multiply 99.25 by 10 to get the final price of $992.50.
If you live in a state with income taxes, and rates are similar for CDs and T-bills, then it makes sense to go with a T-bill. The amount you save on taxes will likely result in a higher payout from a T-bill than a CD. Another benefit of T-bills is their liquidity. You can buy and sell them on a secondary market.
Treasury bonds—also called T-bonds—are long-term debt obligations that mature in terms of 20 or 30 years. They're essentially the opposite of T-bills as they're the longest-term and typically the highest-yielding among T-bills, T-bonds, and Treasury notes.
| ETF | Expense Ratio | Yield to maturity |
|---|---|---|
| Global X 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (CLIP) | 0.07% | 5.5% |
| iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) | 0.15% | 4.4% |
| iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF (TLTW) | 0.35% | 4.4% |
| Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF (SCHP) | 0.03% | 4% |
Treasury bills can be a good choice for those looking for a low-risk, fixed-rate investment that doesn't require setting money aside for as long as a CD might call for. However, you still run the risk of losing out on higher rates and returns if the market is on the upswing while your money is locked in.
Treasury bonds are considered risk-free assets, meaning there is no risk that the investor will lose their principal. In other words, investors that hold the bond until maturity are guaranteed their principal or initial investment.
U.S. Treasuries are exempt from state and local income taxes. Most interest income earned on municipal bonds is exempt from federal income taxes.
Buffett takes an entirely different approach. Berkshire held more than $360 billion of stocks, $167 billion of cash (mostly Treasury bills), and just $24 billion of bonds at the end of 2023.
Should I buy Treasury bills directly?
For many people, TreasuryDirect is a good option; however, retirement savers and investors who already have brokerage accounts are often better off buying bonds on the secondary market or with exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Treasury money market accounts also offer more convenience and liquidity than TreasuryDirect.
If you're saving for a goal less than a year away: If you're saving money for a goal with a short-time horizon, T-bills can make more sense than CDs. They provide a higher APY than savings accounts, and they're more liquid than CDs.
3 Month Treasury Bill Rate is at 5.25%, compared to 5.25% the previous market day and 5.01% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 4.19%. The 3 Month Treasury Bill Rate is the yield received for investing in a government issued treasury security that has a maturity of 3 months.
When short term T bills mature, the interest income is mistakenly shown as capital gains in tax reports. The interest is taxable on Fed, tax exempt on most states. T bills are short term zero coupon purchased at a discount and paid at face vale at maturity.
Bills can be scheduled for reinvestment for up to two years; other eligible Treasury marketable securities can be scheduled to reinvest one time. When your bill matures, the proceeds will be reinvested or used to purchase the next available security of the same type and term as the original purchase.
