Campaign to Promote Tax Time Savings Bonds Launches: Bonds are Simple, Safe Way for Individuals to Invest in their Future

An exciting opportunity is launching this tax season: individuals can now use their tax return to order savings bonds for themselves or loved ones, and pay for the order with their federal tax refund. For as little as $50, tax payers now have a simple, secure way to put a little money aside and watch it grow over time. Because tax time bonds are accessible, convenient and easily given as gifts, tens of thousands of taxpayers have already found them to be a great way to start saving and building financial security.

To help promote the value and benefit of savings bonds as a safe and secure way to set aside small amounts of money over the long term, the Doorways to Dreams (D2D) Fund, along with the Boston EITC Coalition, the Campaign for Working Families and other local and national partners, is launching the Tax Time Savings Bonds Campaign. D2D Fund is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to expand access to financial services for low-income families.

"Savings bonds are a secure and simple investment, which is why they are such a valuable tool to help people begin putting money away for the future," said Tim Flacke, Executive Director, D2D Fund. "We know that savings is extremely difficult for many working families, and these bonds enable people to invest for the long term, accumulate interest, and, if necessary, cash out and use that money for college education, retirement or other life cycle events."

The Campaign, which is national in scope, will, in two demonstration markets (Boston, MA and Philadelphia, PA) conduct outreach activities to promote the purchase of Series I savings bonds, via IRS Form 8888, during the 2011 tax season. The Campaign has a five year goal to help half a million tax filers save $25 million a year. National Campaign partners include AARP, America Saves, Intuit/Turbo Tax and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Along with local and national partners, the Tax Time Savings Bonds Campaign is supported by a number of local elected officials, including U.S. Representatives Niki Tsongas (Boston) and Chaka Fattah (Philadelphia).

For more information about the Tax Time Savings Bonds Campaign, visit www.bondsmakeiteasy.org.