You can buy TIPS from auctions through TreasuryDirect or a brokerage account. Fees and minimum purchase amount vary.

How do you know when the Treasury Department will hold an auction and for what issues the auction will be? Right now the Treasury Department sells TIPS by auction only once a month. Their schedule looks like this:

A few days before the actual auction happens, the Treasury Department publishes an official auction announcement on their website. The announcement lists the key terms for the bond that will be auctioned. You should read the announcement before you decide to buy from the auction.

Say you decided to buy some TIPS from the auction. How do you place your order? It depends on which account you use.