BONDS-INVESTMENT
INVESTING IN THE BONDS MARKET
WHAT ARE BONDS
Have you ever borrowed money? Of course you have! Whether we hit our parents up for a few bucks to buy candy as children or asked the bank for a mortgage, most of us have borrowed money at some
point in our lives.


Just as people need money, so do companies and governments. A company needs funds to expand into new markets, while governments need money for everything from infrastructure to social
programs. The problem large organizations run into is that they typically need far more money than the average bank can provide. The solution is to raise money by issuing bonds (or other debt
instruments) to a public market. Thousands of investors then each lend a portion of the capital needed. Really, a bond is nothing more than a loan for which you are the lender. The organization that
sells a bond is known as the issuer. You can think of a bond as an IOU given by a borrower (the issuer) to a lender (the investor).

Of course, nobody would loan his or her hard-earned money for nothing. The issuer of a bond must pay the investor something extra for the privilege of using his or her money. This "extra" comes in the
form of interest payments, which are made at a predetermined rate and schedule. The interest rate is often referred to as the coupon. The date on which the issuer has to repay the amount borrowed
(known as face value) is called the maturity date. Bonds are known as fixed-income securities because you know the exact amount of cash you'll get back if you hold the security until maturity.

For example, say you buy a bond with a face value of $1,000, a coupon of 8%, and a maturity of 10 years. This means you'll receive a total of $80 ($1,000*8%) of interest per year for the next 10 years.
Actually, because most bonds pay interest semi-annually, you'll receive two payments of $40 a year for 10 years. When the bond matures after a decade, you'll get your $1,000 back.

Debt Versus Equity
Bonds are debt, whereas stocks are equity. This is the important distinction between the two securities. By purchasing equity (stock) an investor becomes an owner in a corporation. Ownership comes
with voting rights and the right to share in any future profits. By purchasing debt (bonds) an investor becomes a creditor to the corporation (or government). The primary advantage of being a creditor is
that you have a higher claim on assets than shareholders do: that is, in the case of bankruptcy, a bondholder will get paid before a shareholder. However, the bondholder does not share in the profits if
a company does well - he or she is entitled only to the principal plus interest.

To sum up, there is generally less risk in owning bonds than in owning stocks, but this comes at the cost of a lower return.
Why Bother With Bonds?
It's an investing axiom that stocks return more than bonds. In the past, this has generally been true for time periods of at least 10 years or more. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't invest in bonds.
Bonds are appropriate any time you cannot tolerate the short-term volatility of the stock market. Take two situations where this may be true:

1) Retirement - The easiest example to think of is an individual living off a fixed income. A retiree simply cannot afford to lose his/her principal as income for it is required to pay the bills.

2) Shorter time horizons - Say a young executive is planning to go back for an MBA in three years. It's true that the stock market provides the opportunity for higher growth, which is why his/her
retirement fund is mostly in stocks, but the executive cannot afford to take the chance of losing the money going towards his/her education. Because money is needed for a specific purpose in the
relatively near future, fixed-income securities are likely the best investment.

These two examples are clear cut, and they don't represent all investors. Most personal financial advisors advocate maintaining a diversified portfolio and changing the weightings of asset classes
throughout your life. For example, in your 20s and 30s a majority of wealth should be in equities. In your 40s and 50s the percentages shift out of stocks into bonds until retirement, when a majority of
your investments should be in the form of fixed income.
Bond Basics: Characteristics

Bonds have a number of characteristics of which you need to be aware. All of these factors play a role in determining the value of a bond and the extent to which it fits in your portfolio.


Face Value/Par Value
The face value (also known as the par value or principal) is the amount of money a holder will get back once a bond matures. A newly issued bond usually sells at the par value. Corporate bonds
normally have a par value of $1,000, but this amount can be much greater for government bonds.

What confuses many people is that the par value is not the price of the bond. A bond's price fluctuates throughout its life in response to a number of variables (more on this later). When a bond trades at
a price above the face value, it is said to be selling at a premium. When a bond sells below face value, it is said to be selling at a discount.

Coupon (The Interest Rate)
The coupon is the amount the bondholder will receive as interest payments. It's called a "coupon" because sometimes there are physical coupons on the bond that you tear off and redeem for interest.
However, this was more common in the past. Nowadays, records are more likely to be kept electronically.

As previously mentioned, most bonds pay interest every six months, but it's possible for them to pay monthly, quarterly or annually. The coupon is expressed as a percentage of the par value. If a bond
pays a coupon of 10% and its par value is $1,000, then it'll pay $100 of interest a year. A rate that stays as a fixed percentage of the par value like this is a fixed-rate bond. Another possibility is an
adjustable interest payment, known as a floating-rate bond. In this case the interest rate is tied to market rates through an index, such as the rate on Treasury bills.

You might think investors will pay more for a high coupon than for a low coupon. All things being equal, a lower coupon means that the price of the bond will fluctuate more.

Maturity
The maturity date is the date in the future on which the investor's principal will be repaid. Maturities can range from as little as one day to as long as 30 years (though terms of 100 years have been
issued).

A bond that matures in one year is much more predictable and thus less risky than a bond that matures in 20 years. Therefore, in general, the longer the time to maturity, the higher the interest rate.
Also, all things being equal, a longer term bond will fluctuate more than a shorter term bond.
Different Types Of Bonds

Government Bonds
In general, fixed-income securities are classified according to the length of time before maturity. These are the
three main categories:

Bills - debt securities maturing in less than one year.
Notes - debt securities maturing in one to 10 years.
Bonds - debt securities maturing in more than 10 years.

Marketable securities from the U.S. government - known collectively as Treasuries - follow this guideline and are
issued as Treasury bonds, Treasury notes and Treasury bills (T-bills). Technically speaking, T-bills aren't bonds
because of their short maturity. (You can read more about T-bills in our Money Market tutorial.) All debt issued by
Uncle Sam is regarded as extremely safe, as is the debt of any stable country. The debt of many developing
countries, however, does carry substantial risk. Like companies, countries can default on payments.


Municipal Bonds
Municipal bonds, known as "munis", are the next progression in terms of risk. Cities don't go bankrupt that often,
but it can happen. The major advantage to munis is that the returns are free from federal tax. Furthermore, local
governments will sometimes make their debt non-taxable for residents, thus making some municipal bonds
completely tax free. Because of these tax savings, the yield on a muni is usually lower than that of a taxable
bond. Depending on your personal situation, a muni can be a great investment on an after-tax basis.

Corporate Bonds
A company can issue bonds just as it can issue stock. Large corporations have a lot of flexibility as to how much
debt they can issue: the limit is whatever the market will bear. Generally, a short-term corporate bond is less than
five years; intermediate is five to 12 years, and long term is over 12 years.

Corporate bonds are characterized by higher yields because there is a higher risk of a company defaulting than a
government. The upside is that they can also be the most rewarding fixed-income investments because of the risk
the investor must take on. The company's credit quality is very important: the higher the quality, the lower the
interest rate the investor receives.

Other variations on corporate bonds include convertible bonds, which the holder can convert into stock, and
callable bonds, which allow the company to redeem an issue prior to maturity.
How Do I Buy Bonds?


Most bond transactions can be completed through a full service or discount brokerage. You can also open an
account with a bond broker, but be warned that most bond brokers require a minimum initial deposit of $5,000. If
you cannot afford this amount, we suggest looking at a mutual fund that specializes in bonds (or a bond fund).

Some financial institutions will provide their clients with the service of transacting government securities.
However, if your bank doesn't provide this service and you do not have a brokerage account, you can purchase
government bonds through a government agency (this is true in most countries). In the U.S. you can buy bonds
directly from the government through TreasuryDirect at http://www.treasurydirect.gov. The Bureau of the Public
Debt started TreasuryDirect so that individuals could buy bonds directly from the Treasury, thereby bypassing a
broker. All transactions and interest payments are done electronically.

If you do decide to purchase a bond through your broker, he or she may tell you that the trade is commission free.
Don't be fooled. What typically happens is that the broker will mark up the price slightly; this markup is really the
same as a commission. To make sure that you are not being taken advantage of, simply look up the latest quote
for the bond and determine whether the markup is acceptable.

Remember, you should research bonds just as you would stocks. We've gone over several factors you need to
consider before loaning money to a government or company, so do your homework
Conclusion of the bonds market

Now you know the basics of bonds. Not too complicated, is it? Here is a recap of what we discussed:

Bonds are just like IOUs. Buying a bond means you are lending out your money.
Bonds are also called fixed-income securities because the cash flow from them is fixed.
Stocks are equity; bonds are debt.
The key reason to purchase bonds is to diversify your portfolio.
The issuers of bonds are governments and corporations.
A bond is characterized by its face value, coupon rate, maturity and issuer.
Yield is the rate of return you get on a bond.
When price goes up, yield goes down, and vice versa.
When interest rates rise, the price of bonds in the market falls, and vice versa.
Bills, notes and bonds are all fixed-income securities classified by maturity.
Government bonds are the safest bonds, followed by municipal bonds, and then corporate bonds.
Bonds are not risk free. It's always possible - especially in the case of corporate bonds - for the borrower to default
on the debt payments.
High-risk/high-yield bonds are known as junk bonds.
You can purchase most bonds through a brokerage or bank. If you are a U.S. citizen, you can buy government
bonds through TreasuryDirect.
Often, brokers will not charge a commission to buy bonds but will mark up the price instead.
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BOND FUNDS, Bond Basics Characteristics. Bonds have a number of characteristics of which you need to be aware
GENERAL  INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, METHODS, AND
TECHNIQUES.  A BETTER WAY TO BUILD WEALTH! When it comes to
reliable investments, real estate investing is the best wealth-builder in
the world.

INVESTING /   METHOD AND TECHNIQUES TO INVEST IN TODAY'S
MARKET FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

STOCK MARKET:  A WAY TO INVEST AND MULTIPLY YOUR MONEY.  
THE MARKET HAS THOUSANDS OF COMPANIES TO BUY STOCKS,
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INVEST IN REAL ESTATE WITHOUT TAKING A MORTGAGE LOAN

FOREX MARKET: THE LARGEST MARKET IN THE WORLD TO INVEST
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LEARN ABOUT THE 5 INSURANCE POLICIES EVERYBODY NEEDS
AND THE 15 INSURANCE POLICIES YOU DON'T NEED.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT SECRETS REVEALED, REAL ESTATE
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WAY POSSIBLE. HOW TO GET PRE-QUALIFY FOR A HOME LOAN?
HOW DOES OWNER FINANCING REALLY WORKS

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Mortgage Loans Modification: SAVE YOUR HOME, SAVE YOUR
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HOME REFINANCE: 10 GREAT REASONS TO REFINANCE A
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SAVING: THE SECRETS OF SAVING; WAYS TO SAVE A LOT OF
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MONEY  MANAGEMENT: Ten Resolutions to Make Your Financial Life
Easier. 10 Ways to Avoid Overdraft and Bounced Check Fees

THE 16 DAYS THAT SHOOCK THE US ECONOMY IN SEPTEMBER,
2008. A shocking series of events that forever changed the financial
markets.

AMERICA’S MONEY CRISIS / Bailout 101: What new law says. Here's a
rundown of key provisions of the financial rescue plan that United State
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FORTUNE, CREATION AND INTRODUCTION: When you invest in
stock, you buy ownership shares in a company.  Before You Invest;
Before undertaking any investment program, it is critical that you
assess your current situation and form goals. Evaluating a Stock,
Creating an Emergency Fund

Trust Account: Definition of a Trust; Land Trust, Living Trust,
Revocable Trust. In general, a "trust" is a legal entity that is able to
own property and other assets.