It’s a common misconception to think of bonds as “plain-vanilla” investments that are appropriate only for certain types of people, such as financially conservative retirees. But in reality, bond investments may have the potential to add stability to a portfolio and help reduce overall investment risk — regardless of your age or financial outlook.
What Is a Bond?
Bonds are investment securities issued by corporations or governments to raise money for a particular purpose. Basically, bonds are the “IOUs” of the business world. There are different types of bond funds, each with varying levels of risk and return potential. Generally speaking, the higher the risk, the better the return potential. For example:
Government Bond Funds are mutual funds that invest in bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. For that reason, they tend to be among the safest types of bond investments. However, they typically offer lower returns than other bonds.
Corporate Bond Funds invest in bonds issued by private companies. They can range from “investment grade” (safer, lower return potential) to “below investment grade” (riskier, higher return potential).
Know the Risks
Bond funds are subject to several types of investment risk, including:
- Market risk — Like stock prices, bond prices move up and down. However, such fluctuations tend to be less severe in the bond market.
- Interest rate risk — when interest rates rise, bond prices may fall, and vice versa.
- Inflation risk — if the return on a bond fund does not outpace the rising cost of living, the purchasing power of your investment could decline over time.
Managing Risk
Despite these risks, investors may want to consider the potential benefits from putting some money in bond funds. Because bond funds tend to respond to market influences differently than stock funds, they may help balance out the risks associated with stock investing.
In addition, lower-risk bond funds, such as government and investment-grade corporate bond funds, may help protect some of your money from losses during turbulent times.
Government bonds and Treasury Bills are guaranteed by the US government and corporate bonds are guaranteed by their corporate issuers as to the timely payment of principal and interest and, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and fixed principal value.
The market value of bonds will fluctuate and are subject to availability. If the bond is sold prior to maturity, the investor’s yield may differ from the advertised yield.
Mutual funds are offered with a prospectus. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the investment company carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the investment company. You can obtain a prospectus from your financial representative. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.
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