Purchasing treasury marketable securities through TreasuryViewer is straightforward once you know where everything lives. Below is a full rundown of the process.
Open the app and hit the Buy tab along the bottom of the home screen. You’ll get a list of purchasable security types, divided between marketable securities and savings bonds. The marketable options are:
Current rates appear in green beside each type. Tap whichever you’d like to buy.
Tapping a security type brings up the purchase screen. From there, tap the Security row to open the auction picker and choose a specific upcoming auction.
Some security types come in multiple terms — Notes, for instance, are available as 2-Year, 3-Year, 5-Year, and others. In that case, you’ll see a row of term options at the top of the picker. Select the term first, and the auctions available for that term will appear below, each showing its term length and issue date. For single-term securities like 30-Year Bonds, you’ll just see a straight list of upcoming auctions.
Type in your purchase amount using the on-screen number pad. The minimum for any marketable security is $100, and amounts must be in $100 increments. If the amount you’ve entered doesn’t qualify, a red error message will appear just below the amount field.
Tap Additional Options to expand a section of extra settings. For marketable securities, these rows typically cover:
Tapping a row opens a small pop-up with radio button options. Make your selection and it closes on its own.
Once you’ve entered a valid amount and picked an auction, the Buy button at the bottom activates. Tap it to submit the order to TreasuryDirect. A brief confirmation message will appear at the bottom of the screen, and the purchase screen will close.
To view your order, go to the Buy tab and tap Manage Orders in the top right corner, or navigate to Profile → Manage Orders. The order will sit as pending until TreasuryDirect settles it, after which it shows up in your portfolio. Your bank account won’t actually be debited until the security’s issue date, which is usually within a week of the auction.
Changed your mind? Head to the Manage Orders screen and tap the order card. As long as TreasuryDirect’s cutoff for that auction hasn’t passed, you’ll see a Cancel Order button at the bottom of the detail screen.
Purchasing Treasury marketable securities on TreasuryDirect runs through one feature: BuyDirect. Below is a walkthrough of the whole process from login to confirmation.
Log into your primary TreasuryDirect account and click the BuyDirect tab along the top. Pick the type of marketable security you’re after and click Submit.
The next page has a Registration Information section with a drop-down menu. Choose whichever registration you want tied to this purchase.
Don’t see the one you want? Click Add New Registration, set it up, and save it. You’ll be sent back to BuyDirect automatically, and the new registration will show up in the drop-down.
One thing worth knowing for entity accounts: they’re locked to a single registration. Every security in an entity account takes the entity account name as its registration, full stop.
The Purchase Information section lists the upcoming auctions available for the security type you selected. Pick the auction you want, then fill in two things:
Want the security rolled over automatically when it matures? Go to Schedule Reinvestment and select Yes. If you’re buying a bill specifically, you’ll also need to say how many times you want it reinvested.
The Payment Destination section is where you direct the final maturity payment once the security comes due.
Buying a Note, Bond, TIPS, or FRN? You’ll have an extra field here, since these pay interest periodically over the life of the security. You’ll need to set a separate destination for those interest payments in addition to the maturity payment.
Hit Submit and you’ll land on the Purchase Review page. Read through everything, including any statements at the bottom. If something’s wrong, click Edit to go back and fix it. When everything looks good, click Submit again to complete the purchase.
A Confirmation page will come up with a summary. Save or print it for your records.
Not right away. Your bank account or C of I is debited on the security’s issue date, which is generally within a week of the auction date.