I think you guys are all missing my intent. I do not want to start investing or anything. I have my own money and my own investments. What I want is to use the $50 I would normally spend on some xmas gift for my niece on something like a government bond. Something that can be purchased for $50, and can then be forgotten about until she is 18. I don't want to actively manage anything, nor am I out to make a huge profit. I just think it is retarded to buy a bond when the interest is so low. It will only gain 0.6% per year for the next 20 years. After 20 years it will be adjusted to the face value of the bond. So the value of the $100 bond (purchased for $50) will remain close to $50 for the entire 20 year maturation period. Again, this is retarded. She won't get the full value of the bond until she is almost 25 years old, at which point she shouldn't be in need of the money. She will be in need of it when she is 18 imo.
So a savings bond is out of the question. I would rather start her an actual savings account and put the money in that for her. That doesn't seem like a good option either as it won't even keep up with inflation.