$75 Series EE Savings Bond Certificate

As you learned in The Beginner's Guide to Investing in Series EE Savings Bonds, the United States Treasury Department issues both paper Series EE bonds and electronic Series EE bonds. The two types work very differently.

How the $75 Series EE Savings Bond Works

The paper bond, which you can see above, features a $75 face value with an image of John Adams, the nation's second President, against a watermark of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where the Declaration of Independence was signed by the founding fathers.

When you buy a paper Series EE bond (if you don't know how, read How Do I Buy Series EE Bonds?) you will pay 50% of the face value. In this case, you would pay $37.50 in cash today and receive the $75 savings bond within 15 business days to your address of record.

Depending upon the interest rate paid on your Series EE savings bonds (for more information, read How To Find Out the Interest Rate on Your Series EE Savings Bonds), your bond will reach face value at some point in the future. An important thing that most new investors don't understand: Your bond can continue to earn interest for up to 30 years. This means that it's possible for it to exceed the face value at some point in the future. This $75 bond, which cost you $37.50, could be worth $300, depending upon how long you hold it and the interest rate at which it was issued to you.