Bond Investing for Dummies

Russell Wild, MBA, is the author or coauthor of many nonfiction books, including Exchange-Traded Funds For Dummies, Index Investing For Dummies, and One Year to an Organized Financial Life. He is a NAPFA-certified financial advisor, registered with the Pennsylvania Securities Commission.

Part I: Bond Appetit! 9

Chapter 1: So You Want to Be a Bondholder 11

Chapter 2: Developing Your Investment Game Plan 23

Chapter 3: The (Often, But Not Always) Heroic History of Bonds 35

Chapter 4: Sweet Interest Is the Name of the Game 49

Part II: Numerous and Varied Ways to Make

Money in Bonds 71

Chapter 5: “Risk-Free” Investing: U.S. Treasury Bonds  73

Chapter 6: Industrial Returns: Corporate Bonds  91

Chapter 7: Lots of Protection (and Just a Touch of Confusion): Agency Bonds 105

Chapter 8: (Almost) Tax-Free Havens: Municipal Bonds  117

Chapter 9: Le Bond du Jour: Global Bonds and Other Seemingly Exotic Offerings 131

Part III: Customizing and Optimizing Your Bond Portfolio 149

Chapter 10: Risk, Return, and Realistic Expectations  151

Chapter 11: The Science (and Pseudoscience) of Portfolio-Building 169

Chapter 12: Dividing Up the Pie: What Percentage Should Be in Bonds? 179

Chapter 13: Which Kinds of Bonds Make the Most Sense for You? 197

Part IV: Bonds Away! Navigating the Fixed-Income Marketplace 211

Chapter 14: Strategizing Your Bond Buys and Sells 213

Chapter 15: Investing (Carefully!) in Individual Bonds .229

Chapter 16: Picking a Bond Fund That Will Serve You for Life .245

Part V: Bonds As Replacements for the Old Paycheck... 271

Chapter 17: Fulfi lling the Need for Steady, Ready, Heady Cash 273

Chapter 18: Finding Comfort and Security in Old Age    291

Part VI: The Part of Tens  303

Chapter 19: Ten Most Common Misconceptions about Bonds 305

Chapter 20: Ten Mistakes That Most Bond Investors Make 311

Chapter 21: Ten Q & A’s with Bond Guru Dan Fuss 317

Appendix: Helpful Web Resources for Successful Bond Investing 321

Index 325

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