[Our_Benefactors]

This. The website for buying treasury products is straight out of the year 2002. The login is so bad I would never consider buying them there - the service fee charged by brokerages is absolutely worth it in this case.

[ryandrake]

Which brokerages charge fees for purchasing US Treasuries? Schwab definitely doesn't.

Really the only reason you need TreasuryDirect is for buying Series I bonds (and maybe a few other niche Treasury products), which are not available through brokerages.

[aianus]

Schwab folds their fees into their bid/ask spread, they're not doing it for free.

[PaulHoule]

Back when interest rates peaked around that period I bought a huge number of I bonds which were a great investment —- got fired by my broker because I interrupted a sales presentation with “why don’t I just buy I bonds?”

Back then I thought Treasury Direct was great.

[teiferer]

Makes it obvious which lobby has a hand in this, doesn't it?