Clark advised people last November to stop buying Series I savings bonds. For five years prior, he’d been recommending that you buy because they were such a great deal. But in November, they were not a deal. Now that it’s March, it’s time to review the situation again. There are two interest rates on I bonds – one is guaranteed and the other is based on the rate of inflation. Combined, I bonds are earning 3.39 percent right now. And, if inflation picks up you will make an even better return. If inflation does not pick up, you can dump the bonds after a year with a small fee. Basically, you drop the last 90 days of interest if you do that. But you’ll still have earned a decent amount in that year. If you have cash sitting idle in a bank, this could be a great deal to make a little more money. Unfortunately, you can no longer buy these I bonds online with a credit card. You have to tie them into your checking account. A close cousin to I bonds are TIPS – Treasury Inflation Protected Security. Clark has invested in TIPS since the ‘90s. They pay a higher return than savings bonds, but you need to put more in up front. And the best idea is to hold them inside a retirement account like an IRA.