Redeem your stinkers

According to an article in a recent issue of the Christian Science Monitor, the Treasury has a five-person team trying to track down the owners of Savings Bonds that have stopped earning interest. Reportedly, seven out of ten of the people contacted don't want to cash their bonds because they'll have to pay income tax on the interest. Instead, they opt to give the government an interest-free loan until they need the money, or until their heirs pay the tax, or until the bonds are forgotten and the government gets the entire value, not just the tax. From a financial standpoint, keeping these stinkers is an appalling decision. If you have Saving Bonds that have stopped paying interest, cash them in, pay your tax with some of the money, and use the rest to buy new bonds that pay interest. You'll end up with far more money than you will by holding on to these dead and rotting stinkers.