I see that I can have my tax refund sent to Treasury Direct to buy U.S. savings bonds. How does this work and is there a fee for having an account with the Treasury?

You can use a Treasury Direct account to accept a tax refund and then use the funds to buy federal securities, including U.S. savings bonds. You must set up the account first so you can provide an account number and routing number on Form 8888. There no fee for setting up a Treasury Direct account. You can buy series I bonds in $50 multiples up to a $5.000 limit; any remaining portion of your tax refund can remain in the Treasury Direct account or be sent to you by direct deposit to your bank account or via a check. For details on a Treasury Direct account, go to http://go.usa.gov/3KvcP.