Viewing value and amount of savings bonds?

Question

I'm currently fifteen years old and recently found many savings bonds certificates that were given to me by a relative that passed away. First of all, do all of these funds go into one account? If so, is there a way I can view how much I have saved?

Also, I know other relatives have been collecting savings bonds for me. Would these go into the same account as the said bonds?

Answer 1

First, some basic information:

Savings bonds are purchased for half the amount of the face value.  For example, a $50 bond costs $25 to buy.  The savings bonds will continue to earn interest for 30 years so it doesn't really matter when they "mature" (reach face value).

To find out the value of your bonds, go to this website.  

http://www.savingsbonds.gov/indiv/tools/...

You will need the actual bonds to do this because there are different types (called series).  You will need the series, face values and the date of purchase to determine what they are worth.

Each bond is individual and they don't get combined together unless you cash them and decide to put the cash into an account of some sort.

As for the other relatives who have savings bonds for you, unless you have the gift certificate with all the details (series, face value & date of purchase), you won't be able to determine their worth at this time.

Keep them in a safe place.