If you only look at the rate your savings bonds are earning, they may not seem like a competitive investment at first.

The bonds will still earn the higher of the new minimum rate or an average market yield pegged to the five-year Treasury rates.

When sales resume, bonds issued in November will earn interest from the first of the month.

And, while both can be traded, bonds usually earn less money than stocks do.

Starting on May 1, the bonds will earn market-based interest rates.

How long bonds earn interest based on issue date:

The bonds earn $1.9 million yearly - about 14 percent of the operating budget.

Defer paying taxes on the interest that your bonds earn until you redeem them.

Find the interest your bonds have earned.

The key is the return on stocks beyond what bonds might earn, and that extra return is governed by the growth rate of earnings.