Government bonds are debt securities issued by federal, state, and local governments to raise money for public projects and operations. When you buy a government bond, you're lending money to that government in exchange for regular interest payments and the return of your principal at maturity. This category covers how these bonds work, the different types available to individual investors, and what sets them apart from other fixed-income investments.
The articles here answer practical questions about government bonds: how interest rates and bond prices move together, what the difference is between Treasury bonds and municipal bonds, how to understand bond ratings and risk, and what happens to your bond when you hold it to maturity versus selling it early. You'll also learn how bonds fit into a diversified portfolio and how their tax treatment varies depending on the issuer.