text: could savings bond be better than 401k with limited income?   sure if you wanted some liquidity, guarantees and as a means to compliment a more aggressive retirement strategy, i.e. save 3 times as much with a savings bond and never quit working.  savings bonds are easier to get to, but i wouldn't necessarily put more than a few months to a couple years worth of expenses into one.  the problem with savings bonds is that over the long run they will 97% of the time not out perform a stock index.  stocks are based on companies making more and more money each year.  savings bonds are the gov'ts ability to print more money.  with that said, companies are still better at making profits than the gov't.