The Biggest Owner is You!!!

The U.S has a debt of more than $19.8 trillion. Fewer people know that the Social Security Trust Fund owns most of the national debt. Most headlines focus on how much money we owe the Chinese. The U.S. Treasury manages the U.S. debt through its Bureau of the Public Debt. There are two categories: Intragovernmental Holdings, at $5.479 trillion, and Debt Held by the Public, at $14.409 trillion. Some agencies, like the Social Security Trust Fund, take in more revenue from taxes than they need right now. Rather than stick this cash under a giant mattress, they buy U.S. Treasuries with it. Social Security, by a long shot, owns the most Treasuries. Social Security (Social Security Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund) holds $2.786 trillion. Office of Personnel Management Retirement holds $873 billion. Military Retirement Fund holds $601 billion. Medicare (Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund) holds $267 billion. Nearly half of the nation’s public debt is held by foreign governments. One fourth is held by Federal Reserves and state and local governments. Mutual funds, private pension funds, saving bonds, and individual treasury notes hold fifteen percent. The rest is owned by businesses like banks, insurance companies, and a wide range of trusts. Foreign has $6.175 trillion. Federal Reserve has $2.461 trillion. Mutual Funds has $1.056 trillion. State and Local Government, including their pension funds have $803 billion. Private Pension Funds have $403 billion. Banks have $515 billion. Have Insurance Companies - $293 billion. U.S. Savings Bonds have $174 billion. This debt is not only in Treasury bills, notes, and bonds but also TIPS. TIPS are Treasury Inflation Protected Securities.