Bond Ladder Treasury Calculator
A Treasury bond ladder staggers maturities so part of your portfolio matures every year, providing predictable income and reinvestment opportunities. Build a 5- or 10-year ladder with this calculator and see the average yield, total annual income, and rollover schedule.
Why A Bond Ladder?
Bond ladders solve two problems: reinvestment risk (rates drop and you need to roll into lower yields) and duration risk (rates rise and existing bonds lose market value). By staggering maturities, you always have a bond maturing soon — providing predictable cash and natural rebalancing opportunities.
Treasury Auctions And Direct Buying
Build a ladder by buying Treasuries direct from TreasuryDirect.gov at auction (no fees) or in the secondary market through a brokerage. Available maturities: 4, 8, 13, 17, 26, 52-week bills; 2, 3, 5, 7, 10-year notes; 20, 30-year bonds. TIPS provide inflation-adjusted ladders.
State Tax Advantage
Treasury interest is federally taxable but state-tax-exempt. For a high-tax state resident (California 13.3%, New York 10.9%), a 4.5% Treasury yields ~5.2% on an after-tax-equivalent basis vs. a corporate bond. This makes Treasury ladders more attractive in high-tax states.
Source: TreasuryDirect.gov yield curve data, IRS Publication 550 on Treasury taxation, Wade Pfau bond ladder retirement income research. Last updated: May 2026.