Investing in Your 20s & 30s For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 9

Securing Investment Income and Principal with Bonds

IN THIS CHAPTER

Making sense of the various types of bonds

Finding ways to incorporate bonds in a portfolio

Choosing the best bonds for your situation

When you invest, it’s fun and rewarding to see your investments grow over the years. Riskier investments like stocks and real estate can produce generous long-term returns, well in excess of the rate of inflation. But lending investments like bonds make sense for a portion of your money if

• You expect to sell some of those investments within five years. Stocks and other growth-oriented investments can fluctuate too much in value to ensure you’re getting your principal back within five years.
• Investment volatility makes you nervous, or you just want to cushion some of the volatility of your other, riskier investments. High-quality and shorter-term bonds tend to provide investors a smoother ride.
• You need more current income from your investments. Bonds tend to produce more income in the short term. That said, you need to be aware that dividend-paying stocks may offer more income over the long term, as their dividends tend to increase over time.
• You don’t need to make your ...