(Guest post from James, original founder of DINKS Finance :))

As many of you long time readers of personal finance blogs will know, the U.S. Treasury department recently issued a press release saying they were eliminating paper sales of savings bonds, effective January 1st, 2012.

This move comes as little surprise as some personal finance pundits noted it could be happening as early as 2008.  It is still possible to purchase bonds electronically, but as of the end of the year, you won’t be able to get paper versions any more.   This move is just the latest in a series of rulings by the Treasury department liming public sales of this investment.

In terms of what it means for your personal finances, the answer is probably very little.  The Treasury department has already limited the amount of bonds one can purchase, so the tax-deferred benefits of owning large amounts of these kinds of securities is already limited.   Savings bonds also don’t pay the best rates.  For example, while Series I bonds currently pay 2.6%, it is possible to get a better deal with 30 year treasury notes at 3.7%.

Since savings bonds have widespread ownership among the American population, one has to wonder why the Treasury is doing away with the program.   Part of the reason may be that annual bond sales are somewhere in the range of 200 million USD.  Given the huge financing needs of the Federal government, it’s likely that selling savings bonds is just no longer an important source of government funding.  It’s also the case that Washington is under huge pressure to cut back on spending, and it is possible that there isn’t a strong savings bond constituency to defend the cost of printing and mailing the paper securities.

So, the bottom line is that savings bonds are a dying investment class, however it may not matter for your pocketbook.

Happy  Investing.

James

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1) Collaborate: Meet regularly to talk about money, set goals together, track and monitor them.

2) Understand and respect your partner. Take time to understand your partners values about money.

3) Watch the numbers. Get a budget, monitor your spending and track your net worth.

4) Max your retirement. Maximize contributions to your tax deferred retirement accounts.

5) Invest in stock. Stocks perform better than bonds or cash.

6) Avoid high interest debt. Credit cards and title loans are financial cancer.

7) Diversify. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

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