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 >>>
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 >>>
In this interview, Jeff Benjamin of InvestmentNews sits down with Brent Burns of Asset Dedication to discuss how the impact of the Federal Reserve’s plan to start dialing back the five-year-long quantitative easing program will change the risk dynamics for bond fund investors and how now may be the right time to bail. Read the interview here >>>
For bond investors worried about what will happen to their principal when interest rates rise, a fixed-maturity bond fund is one solution.
These products, also called defined-maturity or end-date funds, offer the diversification of a bond fund with the known maturity date of an individual bond.
Each fund sets an end date and buys bonds that mature on or shortly before then. Any new money that comes into the fund is put into the same type of bond. Interest payments on the bonds are paid out monthly to shareholders. Read More…