After the market problems of the past 3 years that invariably began with the weaknesses in the US credit system, a lot of investors have re-evaluated their risk tolerance and rediscovered the importance of a proper asset allocation model. In almost every case, investors watched their savings get shaved by half.
Ever since those bleak days in 2007, 2008, and again in March 2009, the concept of risk tolerance has taken on a brand-new meaning for aggressive and conservative investors alike. For the conservative investors, it meant that maintaining growth could no longer be found in bank-issued term deposits or government issued treasuries.
For the aggressive investor, the implications were probably more grave. It meant proper diversification needed to take center stage. That meant finding opportunities in the income class, a class that might have been ignore completely in the past.
The income class of a decade ago is not the same as the class today. In fact, today’s bond funds have explore greater options for income and capital appreciation than their historic counterparts. High yield investments combined with greater-volatility debt means some of these bonds respond to market triggers the way some equities do.
When you really get to know these high yield investments, it becomes clear that they not only provide greater volatility than some equity funds, they pay greater income and offer just as much growth potential. Meanwhile, they achieve these benefits while taking on much less risk.
All things being equal, a bond fund will be much less risky than an equity fund. The problem that bond funds have faced is in their rating system, with Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s having come under fire after the credit crisis. Therefore, what was an investment grade and low-paying bond two years ago is now B-rated with higher rates as the spreads between government and corporate bonds widened. The result? The bond investor benefits.
These high yield bond funds will actually generate greater returns than conservative equity funds. And since bonds come with less research and trading costs, there are even more savings for the investor… all with one important benefit: less risk.
Learn more about Where To Invest and the best Bond Funds at Christopher Fitch’s website, the Mutual Fund Site.org.
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