Investments in bonds should be tailored to investors’ specific investment objectives, risk tolerance, and other personal circumstances. Answering some fundamental questions will help the investors to determine the role bonds should have in their portfolio:
What is my current investment status?
Current investment status includes, but are not limited to, whether the investor currently has any savings and investments, proportion of his investments, and how he wish to carry out his investing activities.
Most personal financial advisors recommend that investors maintain a diversified investment portfolio consisting of bonds, shares and cash in varying percentages, depending upon individual circumstances and objectives. Whether you already have investments in shares or bonds or are just beginning to invest, diversity can provide some protection for your portfolio, so if one sector or asset class is in the midst of a cyclical downturn, the rising value of another class of assets may help offset the negative impact.
What are my overall investment objectives?
Possible reasons may include – provide income to cover current expenses, save for retirement, save for children’s school or university education, accumulate capital, or preserve capital.
Because bonds typically have a predictable stream of payments of interest and repayment of principal, many people invest in them to receive interest income or to preserve and to accumulate capital. If you are looking for current income, you will most likely be interested in bonds that pay an interest rate that stays fixed until maturity with interest that is paid semi-annually. However, if you are saving, you may wish to consider investing in zero coupon bonds which do not have periodic interest payments. Instead, they are sold at a substantial discount from their face amount and the investor receives one payment–at maturity–that is equal to the purchase price (principal) plus the total interest earned, compounded annually or semi-annually at the original interest rate.
Investors committed to growth are looking for appreciation of capital, with little concern for income, so bonds will have a minimal role in their portfolios. Total return investors want a balance of income and capital appreciation, so bonds will be more important in their portfolios. Income investors are looking for interest or dividend income, with capital appreciation a secondary concern, so bonds will have a significant role in their portfolios.
When do I need my money back?
A bond’s maturity refers to the specific future date on which the investor’s principal is expected to be repaid. Bond maturities generally range from one day up to 30 years. Your choice of maturity will depend on when you want or need the principal repaid and the kind of investment return you are seeking within your risk tolerance. Generally, the longer the maturity, the greater the return. Also depending on your requirement of periodic payments from investment, keeping bonds that pay coupons in your portfolio can be a good thing to do.
What are my risk objectives?
Very little risk: I cannot afford to lose the money. I want the safest investments possible.
Modest risk: I am willing to accept moderate risk of losing my investment if it means I will earn a higher return.
Substantial risk: I want the highest possible yield and I am willing to accept the chance that I may lose my investment.
The bonds you purchase for your investment portfolio depend greatly on your risk tolerance capacity.
All investments carry an element of risk, and when investing in bonds, it is important to remember your investment’s return is linked to its credit, as well as, market changes. The higher your return on bond investment, the higher the risk, while conversely, safe investments offer relatively lower returns. Your bond choice ranges from either the highest credit quality US Treasury securities, backed by the US government to below investment grade bonds, considered highly speculative. And, if you sell a bond before its maturity date, you receive the prevailing market price that could be more or less than the price you bought it for. Bond values fluctuate with the market in the opposite director of interest rates.
Your risk tolerance capacity is strongly related to your investment goals. Investors whose objective is to save have a much greater risk tolerance compared to investors whose objective is to cover expenses.
Are you concerned with minimizing income taxes?
Some bonds offer special tax advantages. For example: interest income from U.S. Treasury securities is exempt from state and local income taxes, but is subject to federal income taxes. Interest income from municipal bonds is exempt from federal income taxes, and typically is exempt from state and local income taxes for residents in the issuing state. Interest income from corporate bonds is subject to federal and state income taxes. Investors in higher tax brackets typically find tax exemption of interest income more valuable. Be aware that any exemption from income taxes applies only to interest income. Capital gains from the sale of a bond are still subject to income taxes.
Once you have gotten your investment goals and objectives in perspective, you can with the help of an investment advisor diversity your investment portfolio to minimize your risk.