value of old savings bonds

I have an old savings bond. How do I figure out how much interest it's earning and what it's worth? -- G.Z., location withheld

Search for the savings bond calculator on the TreasuryDirect.gov website, then click on "Get Started."

Plug in your bond's face value and issue date. You'll find its current value, interest rate, and date of maturity. If you have lost the actual certificate, you can apply for a replacement or, if it has matured, track it by your Social Security number.

A bond less than 30 years old is still earning interest; you may want to hang on to it, says Tom Adams, publisher of savings-bond-advisor.com.

Related: Save your way to $1 million

A Series EE bond from August 1993, for example, yields 4%. That beats the recent yield on a 10-year Treasury note by 1.6 percentage points.