In an uncertain economy, we tend to reach for the items that seem to be the ones to promise either comfort or instant pleasure. When it comes to protecting your financial future, you need to focus more on the items in life that are going to provide present as well as future comfort. Could that be Treasury bills? Definitely.

You see, Treasury bills are pretty interesting because they don’t yield any real interest up front, but they are purchased at a discount. The blocks usually start at 1,000 and go up from there. So let’s say that you bought a Treasury bill at 9,500.     Over a three month period, you’re actually yielding 5.24% on your money. Now, compared to other investments Treasury bills really aren’t mind blowing. However, when everything seems so uncertain, you can really benefit from having something solid in your portfolio. Also, the ease of picking up Treasury bills just can’t be beat — you can conduct the entire transaction online, which is really a nice touch. You even get to set the maturity period — one month, three months, and six months are all commonplace.

Of course, that doesn’t answer the central question — how much money do you really need to get started? You can start with as little as 1,000.  Remember that you’re going to be looking for the best discount possible — 995$ isn’t nearly as interesting as 950$. The gap between what you pay and the full face value of the Treasury bill is what you’re really trying to maximize. The bigger the gap, the bigger the payday is going to be. However, even if you don’t have a big “gap”, you can still get a lot done from an investing standpoint.

Some people like to purchase Treasury bills while they’re trying to save up for something short term. They don’t need the money right away, but it’s nice to have set aside and liquid when they really do need it. For example, if you really wanted to put a little extra cash in your pocket for when you’re ready to pick up a new car, you might turn to Treasury bonds. You can just time it for around the time that you’re ready to walk out to the car dealership — good way to boost your down payment without doing any extra work!

Overall, it’s a great time to really get excited about Treasury bills — why not get yourself a few today?