Beneficiary
One way you can get a bond is to be the beneficiary on it. If the owner of a bond dies, the beneficiary becomes the owner.

Bond
A bond is a piece of paper that shows a person has agreed to loan money to the U.S. Government. The government uses the money to help pay its bills. Click here to see what a bond looks like.

Co-Owner
One way you can own a bond is to share it with someone else. If you share the bond, you can cash it and get the money, or the person you're sharing it with can cash it and get the money.

Current Income Bond
If you have a bond that pays you extra money (interest) every six months, you have a current income bond. For these bonds, the face amount always stays the same. For example, if the bond says $100 on it, then it's worth $100 when you decide you don't want it anymore. As long as you keep the bond, you'll get extra money (interest ) in your bank account twice a year. If you have one of these bonds, it probably says Series H, Series HH, Series G, or Series K on it.

Current Redemption Value
To find out how much money you can get for your bond right now, you need to check the current redemption value. Use the Online Calculator or Savings Bond Wizard to do this.

Denomination
The number in the upper left-hand or upper right-hand corner of the bond is the denomination. Bonds come in lots of different denominations and this makes them worth different amounts of money. Click here to see where you can find the denomination on a Series I bond.

Face Amount/Face Value
This is the same as the denomination. Bonds come in lots of different denominations and this makes them worth different amounts of money. Click here to see the face amount (or denomination) on a bond.

Gift Bond
When someone buys a bond for someone else, it's a gift bond. Lots of people buy gift bonds for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and other special times.

Inscription
The information on the bond that shows who it belongs to is called the inscription. Click here to see what this looks like on a bond.

Interest
When someone borrows money from you, they usually pay you back with that money, plus extra money for the favor of letting him borrow it. The extra money is called interest.

When you buy a bond, the government pays back the money it borrowed from you, then gives you extra money to thank you for letting the government borrow it.

Interest Rate
The number that tells you how much extra money you'll get when you buy a bond is the interest rate. When the interest rate is high, you get more extra money. When the interest rate is low, you don't get as much extra money.

Issue Date
When you buy a bond, the date you buy it is called the issue date. It's always the first day of the month you buy the bond. For example, if you buy a bond on May 15, your bond's issue date will be May 1. Click here to see where to find the issue date on a bond.

Issue Price
The amount of money you pay when you buy a bond is called the issue price.