Investing in Bonds For Dummies

by Russell Wild

Improve the strength of your portfolio with this straightforward guide to bond investing Investing in Bonds For Dummies introduces you to the basics you need to know to get started with bond investing. You’ll find details on understanding bond returns and risks, and recognizing the major factors that influence bond performance. Unlike some investing vehicles, bonds typically pay interest on a regular schedule, so you can use them to provide an income stream while you protect your capital. This easy-to-understand guide will show you how to incorporate bonds into a diversified portfolio and a solid retirement plan. This Dummies investing guide is great for investors looking for a resource to help them understand, evaluate, and incorporate bonds into their current investment portfolios.

Genres: Finance

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2023

Reviews

[Michael Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironically this book convinced me not to invest in bonds, BUT I am much more informed about the topic than I was going into it.

This book felt like it was maybe targeted at an older age bracket than mine, say in the late 50's through retirement age, and meant more as a primer on how to transition a stock-heavy equities portfolio into more of a fixed income kind of situation. I'm not quite at that point yet, and I'm sitting on a more aggressive allotment because I still have the bulk of my wealth-generating years ahead of me. But I'm still glad I read this book so that I'm not caught completely blindsided when it's time to pivot strategies in the future.

[Sjors · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always steered clear of these “for dummies”, “for complete idiots”, etc guides probably when I picked one up ages ago I felt patronized af. This one is not like that at all!

Investing in bonds is simple in principle, but made hard in practice by a web of jargon that obfuscates more than it clarifies (for the novice at least). With all the news about the “bond market melting down”, I decided to look into bonds as an investment opportunity and became frustrated by said jargon. Some googling around didn’t yield (sic!) a succinct guide to the terms so I decided to be a dummy and read something purportedly suited to my level.

This guide is a delight to read. Bonds are explained plain and simple, without skirting the difficult bits or skipping the hard questions (given the low historic returns, why invest in bonds at all?). On top of that, the author gives us some free financial advice (not financial advice!) about building a portfolio for retirement - again with his customary clarity and thoroughness. I left this guide feeling well-informed (and confirmed in my view that bonds are wayyyy too risk-averse to suit my strategy at this moment). This was a good read and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.

[Benny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, comprehensive introduction to bonds that manages to inform without patronizing.

Stocks are often seen as more exciting than bonds for their higher growth prospects, but I have come to realize the complexity of the world of bonds is well worth a little reading to capitalize on. Par value, discount rate, call features, and yield curves are just a small smattering of the concepts engagingly laid out by Wild.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonds are dry, dry, dry. But this book is well written and very informative.