Six-month Treasury yield tops 5%. Here’s how you can put your idle cash to work

Published Thu, Feb 23 20232:42 PM EST

Rates on U.S. Treasurys have spurted even higher, and that means you don't have to look too far to safely grab some yield for your cash holdings. The yield on six-month Treasurys have surpassed 5%, and even 1-month bills tout rates of 4.5%. Those juicier yields are looking even more attractive for income-focused investors , considering Intel just slashed its dividend payment by more than 65% and blue-chip names such as Coca-Cola offer dividend yields of 3.1%. "The point is that rising interest rates are creating short-term opportunities to earn higher yields on liquid assets," said Michael Sonnenfeldt, founder and chairman of Tiger 21, a network for high net worth entrepreneurs and investors. US6M US1M,US3M 1Y line Yields on U.S. Treasury are looking attractive. "As an example, if you want to put money out for six months, there is relatively little risk in switching from cash to a T-bill that's paying 4% and change," he added, noting that members of the group are still putting money to work in the long term in real estate and equity. Laddering bonds – that is, building out a portfolio of issues with different maturities and then reinvesting the proceeds as the bonds mature – allows you to manage interest rate risk. Further, you can put the same concept to work with short-dated Treasurys to get a little more yield on your cash and do so safely. Risk management and ladders When interest rates are rising, you can reinvest the proceeds of the maturing bonds in your ladder into a longer-dated issue. In a falling rate environment, you can count on the bonds that have already locked in the higher yields. For investors playing the shorter end of the yield curve, it might make sense to do this with T-bills, going out as far as six months. Jordan Benold, a certified financial planner and partner with Benold Financial Planning, has used this strategy to help clients save for near-dated goals like a down payment on a home or a wedding fund. Older investors also like the strategy, as they prioritize income and safety over growth. Short-term ladders are also worth considering since the Federal Reserve has been resolute in its fight against inflation , leading investors to speculate on whether interest rates are likely to remain higher for longer. "[Investors] get income as the Fed raises rates, and they get safety and negative correlation to stocks," Benold said. "It's almost a slam dunk." Once the shorter end of your ladder matures, you can decide to plug the money back into another T-bill or use the proceeds to snap up stocks. You can also build a ladder out of certificates of deposit. Some banks are offering yields topping 4% on one-year CDs , according to Bankrate.com. Morgan Stanley recently predicted that bank CD rates could jump to 5.5% later this year . The trade-off with the CD ladder is that you're losing liquidity. That means you're subject to a penalty for early withdrawals. Be aware of your time horizon so that your ladder works the way you intend it to. "The best place to look for yields on short-term savings depends on your priorities and what they are," said Amy Arnott, portfolio strategist at Morningstar Research Services.