IDme: /Tbill
We opened a TBill per your suggestion years ago. My husband did the paperwork.
I just opened an IDme: account, should my husband have a separate account.
Also I am trying to catch up with what he did in purchasing the Tbill. Our background, happily married, he is not technically adept, I am minimally qualified. Better getting to our Tbill from a IDme in his name. And can I combine all into one account.
Ps love you on wgn
Terry Says
Whew. Let’s start with the TreasuryDirect account. In whose name is it registered? That is the person who should open the ID.me account. But once you have the ID.me login info you can both use it!
Here are the rules, since there is no way to register a TreasuryDirect account in joint name — but I always think the best way to register an account is in the name of your Revocable Living Trust.
TreasuryDirect accounts cannot be opened in joint name. Per the official TreasuryDirect guidance, an individual account “may be established only in the name of a single person,” and the regulation (31 CFR § 363.10) describes the account as “maintained by us solely in your name”. A married couple must open two separate accounts if both want to purchase, for example, savings bonds.
However, there’s an important workaround for achieving joint-like ownership of the securities themselves:
Primary Owner WITH Secondary Owner: Each individual account can hold securities registered as “John Smith WITH Mary Smith.” The primary owner (named first) controls the bond and has the right to transact it, and upon the death of either owner, the survivor becomes sole owner — so it functions much like joint ownership with right of survivorship (TreasuryDirect FAQ).
Beneficiary: You can also register securities as “Owner POD Beneficiary,” where the beneficiary becomes sole owner only on death.
