# Series EE Savings Bonds - Maturity Period? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-ee-savings-bonds-maturity-period/408293 "2007-06-16T22:23:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-ee-savings-bonds-maturity-period/408293/1 "2007-06-16T22:23:11Z")
My mom is getting ready to move out of our old house, and she found a bunch of Series EE savings bonds that I got for my bat mitzvah (in 2001). She and my brother insist that I can cash them in for face value next year (seven years after issuance). [This calculator](http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools/tools_savingsbondcalc.htm) on the Treasury website indicates that (for example) my $100 bond is currently worth about $60 - which leads me to believe that it will not be worth $100 only 1 year from now. I googled, but I’ve only been able to figure out that (1) I would have been penalized if I cashed in the bond within the first five years after its issuance and (2) the bond will “continue to earn interest” for 30 years. So, my question is: can I get $100 next year? Do I get $100 in 2031? Or do I get more than $100 in 2031? I’m pretty broke right now, so I’m very interested in getting the straight dope on this … :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-ee-savings-bonds-maturity-period/408293/2 "2007-06-17T00:53:10Z")
You will not get $100 next year. You may get more than $100 in 2031, as the interest rate on your bond is variable. It is currently at [4.15%](http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ebonds/res_e_marketbonds.htm). These rates change every six months. Assuming it has been and will continue to earn an average rate of 3.5% , it should reach $100 around 2020, and be worth almost $150 in 2031. ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-ee-savings-bonds-maturity-period/408293/3 "2007-06-17T03:19:45Z")
Asked and answered - thanks, **aktep**! Follow up question: any idea why my family insists that bonds mature in seven years? Was this ever the case? The reason I posted this thread is that they are very, _very_ sure about the seven year thing (and they’re normally perfectly rational people!). Weird! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-ee-savings-bonds-maturity-period/408293/4 "2007-06-17T03:23:52Z")
Now, I could have sworn that EE bonds were guaranteed to be worth face value (assuming paper bonds) after 10 years. Was that never the case? ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-ee-savings-bonds-maturity-period/408293/5 "2007-06-17T03:51:24Z")
It was for bonds issued from 1982 to 1986. [May 2005 and later — TreasuryDirect](http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ebonds/res_e_bonds_eeratesandterms.htm) They are guaranteed now to be worth face value in 20 years. **shimmery** ’s bond is guaranteed to be worth face value in 17 years, so I guess they’ll tweak the interest rates to return a slightly higher yield than it’s been getting currently, so that it’ll meet that goal. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-ee-savings-bonds-maturity-period/408293/6 "2007-06-17T15:43:21Z")
[QUOTE=aktep] It was for bonds issued from 1982 to 1986. [May 2005 and later — TreasuryDirect](http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ebonds/res_e_bonds_eeratesandterms.htm) They are guaranteed now to be worth face value in 20 years. **shimmery** ’s bond is guaranteed to be worth face value in 17 years, so I guess they’ll tweak the interest rates to return a slightly higher yield than it’s been getting currently, so that it’ll meet that goal. [/QUOTE] Oh, okay. Most of the bonds I had in my name were ones my parents bought for me early in my life, so most were indeed issued between 1982 and 1986. That’s probably where I got that impression from.