What is the downside of T-Bill?
The Potential Downside
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.
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.
Cons: Interest Rate Risk: Long-term treasuries are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than short-term ones. If interest rates rise, the value of existing long-term bonds may decline, leading to potential capital losses.
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.
However, if interest rates are rising, existing T-bills fall out of favor since their rates are less attractive compared to the overall market. As a result, T-bills have interest rate risk, which means there is a risk that existing bondholders might lose out on higher rates in the future.
"Long-term Treasury bonds may have no default risk, but they have liquidity risk and interest rate risk — when selling the bond prior to maturity, the sales price is sometimes uncertain, especially in times of financial market stress," it said.
Treasury bills, or bills, are typically issued at a discount from the par amount (also called face value). For example, if you buy a $1,000 bill at a price per $100 of $99.986111, then you would pay $999.86 ($1,000 x . 99986111 = $999.86111).
When you buy T-bills through your bank, it may charge you additional fees and expenses such as sales commissions or transaction charges. These extra costs can add up over time and eat into your returns on your investment.
Unlike a debt-limit default, a shutdown does not affect the government's ability to pay its debt to bondholders and therefore does not have a direct impact on the government's borrowing costs or creditworthiness.
Are Treasuries riskier than CDs?
Additionally, Treasuries can have tax benefits when compared to CDs. However, CDs and Treasuries are fixed income investments and subject to similar risks as other fixed income investments.
US Treasury Bond/ Federal Bonds
Investors favor Treasury bonds during a recession because they're considered to be a safe investment.
Whether you invest in Treasury bonds or bills depends on your time horizon and risk tolerance. 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.
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.
The only interest payment to you occurs when your bill matures. At that time, you are paid the par amount (also called face value) of the bill.
CDs offer a fixed rate for locking up your money for a fixed period of time, but you'll only earn the highest returns if you choose longer terms. Treasury bills are shorter term and depending on the term you choose, you could lock your money up for as little as a few days or as long as one year.
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.
Examples of cash equivalents are money market mutual funds, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and Treasury bills. Some millionaires keep their cash in Treasury bills. They keep rolling them over to reinvest them and liquidate them when they need the cash.
3 Month Treasury Bill Rate is at 5.24%, compared to 5.23% the previous market day and 4.74% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 4.19%.
Inflation. The price of T-Bills can also be affected by the prevailing rate of inflation as inflation eats away at the real purchasing power of the T-Bill.
Can I sell my T-bills?
Unlike Savings Bonds, Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds, TIPS, and FRNs are transferable, so you can buy or sell them in the secondary market.
Where to put money during a recession. Putting money in savings accounts, money market accounts, and CDs keeps your money safe in an FDIC-insured bank account (or NCUA-insured credit union account). Alternatively, invest in the stock market with a broker.
4 Week Treasury Bill Rate is at 5.28%, compared to 5.30% the previous market day and 4.59% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 1.38%. The 4 Week Treasury Bill Rate is the yield received for investing in a US government issued treasury bill that has a maturity of 4 weeks.
1 Year Treasury Rate is at 4.94%, compared to 4.98% the previous market day and 5.05% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 2.94%. 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.
Basic Info
6 Month Treasury Bill Rate is at 5.11%, compared to 5.09% the previous market day and 4.94% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 4.49%.
