NO-INTEREST BONDS

If Aunt Tillie gave you a US savingsbond when you were valedictorianof your high school class, there's agood chance that it's getting close tomaturity, if it hasn't already gottenthere. And once a savings bondreaches maturity, it no longer earnsinterest. Even though you may take atax hit when you cash maturedbonds, you're better off having thatmoney work toward building yournest egg in an interest-earning account.Buying new savings bonds,with their 2.66% interest rate, isn't abad idea. Or you can trade a minimumof $500 worth of E or EEbonds for HH bonds and earn 1.5%interest, tax-deferred, until you cashthem. To find out what your bondsare worth and whether any may havematured, use the savings bond calculatorat www.publicdebt.treas.gov.