Research & News
Find Bond Income In a Dicey Market
For a supposedly boring investment, bonds have shown their capricious side lately. The bond bull market, widely thought to be sputtering out last year, has roared on in 2014. This year’s rally has left even the most seasoned fixed-income investors scratching their heads—and older investors in a challenging spot. Read the article here >>>
Business Owners’ Exit Strategies Take a Charitable Turn
In this morning briefing on alternative investments in charitable plans, Kevin Noblet references Asset Dedication’s article that talks about how the three largest unconstrained bond funds haven’t kept up with the performance of the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index since the beginning of the year. Read the article here >>>
Unconstrained bond funds are constraining investors
Unconstrained bond funds are being pitched as a way around rising rates but they don’t seem to be holding up their end of the bargain very well; maybe it’s time to look at individual bonds. Read the article here >>>
Bond ladders for fans of portfolio safety
While it might be tempting to start finagling with fixed-income allocations as the next rising-interest-rate cycle draws nearer, proponents of bond ladders say the tried-and-true strategy works in all cycles if safety is your guide. Read the article here >>>
The bond party is over
The rise in interest rates since the historic low in 2012 has many bond fund investors running for cover, much to the consternation of Pacific Investment Management Co.’s chief executive Bill Gross. And if one looks at rates over the long term, run they should! Read the article here >>>
Defined-Maturity ETFs: Good Product, Bad Strategy?
For retirees hoping to sleep at night, “laddering” bonds ensures that each year a batch of individual bonds will mature, providing the income needed for that year. There’s another option: defined-maturity bond ETFs, which resemble individual bonds right up to their distributions and maturity dates. But laddering with either ETFs or individual bonds brings its own set of trade-offs. Read the article here >>>