Israel Bonds is also the more familiar name of the underwriter of the bonds in the United States. The company is officially known as Development Corporation for Israel (DCI). DCI is headquartered in New York City, and is a broker-dealer registered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
On October 31, 2011, Israel "Izzy" Tapoohi assumed responsibility as president and CEO of Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds. Highly regarded for his private sector expertise and insights, Tapoohi has served as a top executive for Israel’s most prominent companies, including chairman of the board of Africa-Israel Investments and executive chairman of the board of Bezeq, Israel’s telecommunications provider and largest corporation.
The sale of Israel bonds is global in scope. In addition to the United States, bonds are sold in Canada through Canada-Israel Securities, Ltd., and Latin America and Europe through Israel Bonds International. Sales have increased steadily since the initial Independence Issue, with total worldwide sales exceeding $36 billion. In 2013, U.S. Israel bond sales exceeded $1.12 billion, the first time domestic sales exceeded the $1 billion mark..
In the fall of 2011, Israel Bonds launched an eCommerce site to facilitate investing in Israel bonds online. Investments made via the online site have surpassed $50 million.
How do Israel Government Bonds work? Here is the website I was looking at: http://www.israelbonds.com/invest/investments-current-rates.aspx
For example a Mazal Tov Bond has a minimum subscription of $100.00 and it matures in 5 years. Does this mean that I can give $100.00 of my money and completely forget about my bond for 5 years and then after 5 years have passed, go and "cash in" my matured bond?
What does increments of $10.00 mean? From what I understand it means I can get up on any given day and give another $10.00 worth of bonds, as long as I made an initial $100.00 investment.
Are Israeli Government Bonds really as simple as they sound? Can I really make my initial investment and then forget about it until the bond matures? Stocks seem more confusing and you always have to be watching them, I get the impression that bonds don't have to be so closely watched. I also have very, little money to invest at this time so bonds seemed like a smart option.
I love Israel and I would like to buy a Israel Government Bond as a small way of practicing what I preach. I'm not overly concerned with profit, although I'm not opposed to making a profit, but it is the least of my concerns.
