Bonds
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What should I do with ibonds?
The Treasury recently announced new rates for Series I savings bonds, or i-bonds. I-bonds purchased between now and October, 2023 will earn a composite interest rate...
What Is a Bond Ladder? A Simple Example
A bond ladder is a set of bonds or CDs bought with staggered maturity dates, so a portion of your money comes due at regular intervals....
Why ibonds aren’t a good investment anymore
Series I savings bonds, or ibonds as they're commonly referred to, are having a moment. The US treasury recently announced record sales for ibonds. The yield...
Higher bond yields present investors with options
Bond prices have fallen sharply this year, which has been a real pain for fixed income investors. However, with pain comes gain. Yields, which move inversely...
ibond rates jump from 7% to more than 9%
Last November, we encouraged readers and clients to take advantage of the yield on Series I Savings Bonds (ibonds). These bonds were yielding 7.12% at the...
3 reasons to stay optimistic
Nassim Taleb has a famous quote that comes to mind with regards to the current market: "To bankrupt a fool, give him information." Assuming we know...
Stocks may want to see bonds bottom first
Looking for a clue as to when the current sell off in stocks will be over? Watch the bond market. Back in March 2020, it was...
7% Risk free? New Series I Savings Bonds come with a catch
The United States Department of Treasury (i.e. "The Treasury") recently announced new rates on Series I Savings Bonds issued through their Treasurydirect.gov website. Usually, these announcements...
The case for preferred stock ETFs, especially in IRA accounts
Preferred stock ETFs make up a healthy chunk of our fixed income portfolio. We like them for their high income characteristics and lower volatility compared to...
The Declining Risk/Reward Case for TIPS
TIPS, or Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, have had a strong run over the past few years. But going forward, we see the risk/reward case for investing in...
Corporate bond ETFs insights: swap IGIB for LQD
Investment grade corporate bond ETFs are a key pillar of our fixed income portfolios. One of the most popular such ETFs is Blackrock's LQD ETF, which...
Four ETFs for 5% returns
Not everybody wants to get rich quick. Some people are just looking for a modest return with below average risk. With that idea in mind, we'd...
A short review of the first quarter
Financial markets rang in the new year with some healthy portions of both uncertainty and optimism. While we are still in the grasp of a global...
The Fed Funds Rate and its Impact on Prevailing Interest Rates
We find there is a lot of confusion on interest rates. Your bank is still paying you next to nothing in interest in your savings account....
Tax Equivalent Yield in Municipal Bonds
Municipal bonds are bonds issued by municipal entities such as cities, states, library districts, school districts, etc. For decades, most municipal bond interest has been federally...