Thank you grandma and grandpa

[USCH]

Original war bonds were devalued and replaced with EE bonds in 1980.  They effectively stopped earning value at that time.  They were worth 3.6 times their face value at that time.   If you bought a bond a month through out the war you invested 18.75 per $25.00  bond, war bonds had a ten year term, you have to hold them for 10 years at least.  And the government max out the value you could earn in 1980 to 3.6 times the face value.  An investment of one 18.75 bond per month for the entire war 48 months = $900.00 with a face value of $1200.00 after 10 years, and the government shut that down in 1980 to a max of 3.6 times the face value or $4320.00.  Not really a great dealing.  If you have just put that  18.75 per week in a savings account and let that interest compound.  your initial investment of $900.00 would have doubled every ten years with no cap.  in 2015 that initial 900 would be worth $57,600.

intresting... She didn't say how much it all was, but she said they were much older than me. I'm 35. i said "from the war?" she said "Ya from sometime around then" she had 13,000 in interest alone, and split whatever the total was between 3 grandsons, and 2 great grandchildren.
I'm not doubting that they should have been cashed in a long time ago as your point states. Just funny how I'm sort of the same way. She forgot they even existed.. And I tell everyone I know, that if I die look thru all my books for cash lol.. All my fav WWII books have cash stashed in them when times are good. Lol

[2bighorn]

Original war bonds were devalued and replaced with EE bonds in 1980.  They effectively stopped earning value at that time.  They were worth 3.6 times their face value at that time.   If you bought a bond a month through out the war you invested 18.75 per $25.00  bond, war bonds had a ten year term, you have to hold them for 10 years at least.  And the government max out the value you could earn in 1980 to 3.6 times the face value.  An investment of one 18.75 bond per month for the entire war 48 months = $900.00 with a face value of $1200.00 after 10 years, and the government shut that down in 1980 to a max of 3.6 times the face value or $4320.00.  Not really a great deal.  If you have just put that  18.75 per week in a savings account and let that interest compound.  your initial investment of $900.00 would have doubled every ten years with no cap.  in 2015 that initial 900 would be worth $57,600.

Yep, damn be grandma and grandpa for not investing extra $20 for crystal ball purchase to see how things would turn out 70 years later. 

[Traveler]

Yep, damn be grandma and grandpa for not investing extra $20 for crystal ball purchase to see how things would turn out 70 years later. 

Not so, millions of citizens purchased bonds, but the biggest investors were the banks and investment firms.  They bought the bonds by the billions.  Interestingly in 1980 when the government devalued the original war bonds, the firms , Banks, and investment houses had their bonds automatically converted from war bonds to EE bonds and the EE bonds continued to earn interest, where as the citizens holding bonds, had to exchange the bonds at either a bank or investment house for a few.  Those grandma and grandpa that held the original war bonds got ripped off big time by their government.