I thought you could input the numbers somewhere and get their value. We did that for some bonds we found when my MIL died.
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I see where you can input numbers and get their value, however, I donāt know if that tells you if the bonds are still uncashed. And the problem is, we just have copies of the bonds, not the actual bonds, so I need to find a way to see if they were cashed out already.
There is a form for lost or misplaced bonds, but do I really want to go through the paperwork jungle if the bonds have been cashed? Nope.
Iām guessing you already saw this, but figured Iād post it just in case
Can I find out if an EE or E bond has already been cashed or replaced?
Start with your local financial institution. It may be able to tell you if the bond is eligible for redemption. If the bank canāt help, you may contact us. If you are the owner or co-owner, send a signed request to the address below. Be sure to include the serial number of the bond.
If the owner or both co-owners have died, you must provide proof such as a copy of the death certificate for each deceased person. Send this with your request.
Send your request to:
Treasury Retail Securities Services
PO Box 9150
Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150
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Yeah, I think that is probably going to be the best way to go. I was hoping that they could just look up it under my grandpaās social security number that is on the bonds. The bank we talked to wasnāt of any help. But Iām thinking maybe the process is going to be to send the request to see if they were cashed or replaced, and if they werenāt, then to get them replaced. And then disperse it via the will. Itās a whole lot of paperwork!
I do have financial POA for my mother. She is so confused about financial matters, but I think she always has been. She looks at me with a blank stare when I try to explain something, no matter how simple I try to make it, incorrect things are stuck in her mind. Itās very hard not to be frustrated!
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prolly better in the politics forum since this is just a proposal (with zero chance of passing). Why would we exempt Warren Buffett & Bill Gates from paying income taxes on his SS?
(As a aside, the taxation starting at $25k makes little sense, also.)
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I didnāt go through to see that article/paywall situation - but looked via google - and that $2M is a āthemeā it seems. NML has some info with their site. Some of their article might be helpful.
I have some of NML products, and our agent does a lot as a financial advisor - but I donāt use her for that.
This particular web site with NML does link in to quite a bit of information - which does help people think about things and gives a lot of data points. For example āhow to make your money last in retirementā. Their web site has a lot of free information - whole money basics section with varying informative articles.
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You can also email Treasury Direct and eventually they will answer you. When I forgot my password the second time I tried to use it, I emailed them because the wait time was so long. I later tried calling first thing in the am and the wait time was like 1.5 hours but then I called back 2 hours later and the wait time was only 10 minutes. But they did eventually email me also. And the person I talked to was very nice. And now Iāve written down my password.
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Of course the biggest factor in ācan you retire on $X?ā is whether your retirement spending level $Y is low enough that $X and its investment income can cover $Y.
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Just an example of what is swirling around. Not trying to stir a political discussion here. 
Eventually, some sort of a reform will follow.
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I emailed them and got an auto response saying that they would not respond unless one had a case pending, as they were too busy.
I canāt understand why so many of those people sitting on 1-2 million still had mortgagesā¦.
Some believe they could get a better return for their money by investing it elsewhere than 2-3% they pay to the mortgage company.
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Yes, that was exactly what I was thinking. How does one woman manage to spend $110K without a mortgage? She needs to cut down further given the size of her net worth.
Here is a free link to the WSJ article.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/heres-what-a-2-million-retirement-looks-like-in-america-11661702455?st=0qq7oh5kri7eu0x&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
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From the article:
āMs. Hall spends more these days on food, gas for her Honda Accord, and airfare to Roanoke. But when she left New York, her spending declined to about $110,000 a year from $200,000. She receives $25,000 in Social Security and donates about $30,000 a year.
With two homes, Ms. Hall rarely travels, but she hopes to visit Ireland and Australia next year. Otherwise, she said, sheās more interested in downsizing than spending. āI donāt want more stuff,ā said Ms. Hall.ā
Looks like her $30k donation and taxes and upkeep of her two properties are her major spending buckets.
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Itās not clear she doesnāt have a mortgage. But she donates $30k a year. So she only spends 80k. She gets $25k SS, so that means she withdraws from somewhere $85k. That seems like about 4.7% from her investment.
The article reinforces the fact that every situation is different. I have absolutely nothing in common with the people in the article. My spending is completely different. I guess an article like this might be helpful if you can even sort of see yourself in the situations highlighted, but when you donāt ā¦ well, I found myself judging their choices. Iām pretty sure that wasnāt the point of the article, but that was my response.
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Perhaps a big variable is whether one has a paid-for house to live in.
$2 million + paid-for house can be a lot different from $2 million but paying rent or mortgage. Without rent or mortgage (though with property tax and homeowner insurance), the annual spending could be substantially lower than if paying rent or mortgage is necessary.
Of course, the spending levels in that WSJ page are likely considerably higher than that of typical retirees.
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Maybe I should have gone into law enforcement 
Retired at 58, deferred compensation of 1.7 million and a $6900/month pension. Pretty good! Oh and $350,000 in cash.
Iām still confused what deferred compensation is.
The pension has a value and once you add the $1.7 million in, his net worth is more than $2 million probably double based on his age and life expectancy. The WSJ should know that.
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