Which is better Treasury bills or notes?
Treasury bills have the shortest maturities, up to one year, making them the best choice for short-term investment. Treasury bonds, with maturities of 20 and 30 years, suit long-term investment needs. Treasury notes, with maturities ranging from 2 to 10 years, are suitable for intermediate-term investment.
If you'll need the money sooner, a Treasury bill with a shorter maturity might be best. If you have a longer time horizon, Treasury notes with maturities of up to 10 years might be better. Typically, the longer the maturity, the higher your return on investment.
While interest rates and inflation can affect Treasury bill rates, they're generally considered a lower-risk (but lower-reward) investment than other debt securities. 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.
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.
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.
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.
The federal government has never defaulted on an obligation, and it's universally believed it never will. Investors who hold T-bills can rest assured that they will not lose their investment. T-Bills are considered a zero-risk investment thanks also to Treasury market liquidity.
Treasury bills (T-bills) are short-term securities with maturities ranging from four weeks to 52 weeks. By buying directly from the U.S. Treasury, you can avoid paying any extra fees or commissions to your bank. The U.S. Treasury has a $100 minimum to purchase a T-Bill, which is a lower minimum than many banks.
3 Month Treasury Bill Rate is at 5.26%, compared to 5.26% the previous market day and 5.00% 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.
Key Takeaways
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.
What is the downside of buying treasuries?
Cons: Lower Returns: While treasuries are safe, their yields are generally lower than riskier assets like stocks or corporate bonds. Short-term investors may find their returns to be relatively modest.
1 Year Treasury Rate is at 5.21%, compared to 5.21% the previous market day and 4.78% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 2.95%. The 1 Year Treasury Rate is the yield received for investing in a US government issued treasury security that has a maturity of 1 year.
6 Month Treasury Rate is at 5.40%, compared to 5.41% the previous market day and 5.05% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 2.83%.
When the bill matures, you are paid its face value. You can hold a bill until it matures or sell it before it matures.
They are sold at a discount to face value, and the difference between the discounted price and face value is your return on investment. For example, if you buy a 12-week T-bill with a face value of $10,000 for $9,800, the difference of $200 is your return for holding the security for 12 weeks.
You can hold a bill until it matures or sell it before it matures. In a single auction, a bidder can buy up to $10 million in bills by non-competitive bidding or up to 35% of the initial offering amount by competitive bidding.
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. Nearly all those investments were held at its insurance unit.
Differences between investing in CDs and T-bills
T-bills have a key advantage over CDs: They're exempt from state income taxes. The same is true with Treasury notes and Treasury bonds.
As recently as two years ago, the yearly return for T-Bills was effectively zero. It was so low that a $10,000 T-Bill would have paid out $1 in profit over a full year. Interest rates, which were effectively zero at times in 2021, are now well over 5%.
However, income earned from Treasury bills is not subject to state tax or local income taxes. Are Treasury bills taxed as capital gains? Normally no. However, if you buy a T-bill in the secondary market and then achieve a profit, you may be liable for capital gains depending on your exact purchase price.
Can I sell my Treasury bills?
You can sell a T-Bill before its maturity date without penalty, although you will be charged a commission. (With CDs, you pay a sizeable penalty for early withdrawals.)
Each month, the T-bill ETF distributes taxable income to its shareholders, reflecting interest harvested from the short-term Treasuries it owns. Those earnings are taxable at the ordinary income tax rate that applies to salary, as much as 37%.
Where to buy Treasury bonds, notes or bills. While you can buy Treasurys like T-bonds directly from the source — the U.S. government — one of the most common ways people add them to their portfolio is by investing in Treasury exchange-traded funds or mutual funds through bank, brokerage or retirement accounts.
Individuals, organizations, fiduciaries, and corporate investors may buy Treasury securities through a bank, broker, or dealer.
If you make a noncompetitive bid, you're guaranteed to get the amount of T-bills you ask for. If you use TreasuryDirect, a free government website for buying Treasury securities without a broker, you'll need to make a noncompetitive bid. Find more on how to set up a TreasuryDirect account later in this article.
