Bills, Notes, and Bonds

Fixed-income investments are essentialelements of a physician-investor'sdiversified portfolio. Don't be ashamed ifyou're not quite sure about the Treasurybasics; there's a lot more to them thanknowing when that Series EE reachesmaturity. There are a few different typesof US Treasury securities: bills, notes, andbonds, each with different time horizons.Bills are short-term investments (13, 26,or 52 weeks); notes have a longer timeframe(2, 5, and 10 years); and bonds (30years) are no longer issued by the government.Treasury securities require a minimuminvestment of $1000. Treasury in-flation-protected securities, which havetheir principal tied to the inflation rate,and Series EE and I savings bonds are soldin smaller denominations. You can purchaseTreasury securities from banks andbrokers, as well as through TreasuryDirect (800-722-2678; www.treasurydirect.gov). For additional information onbonds, visit www.investinginbonds.com.