
Explore four main bond types—government, municipal, agency, and corporate—identifying maturity differences, credit quality, and risk/return profiles from investment grade to junk bonds.
Discover how bonds protect principal at maturity and provide regular interest income as a safe haven. See bonds diversify portfolios, offer government and corporate options, and historically move opposite stocks.
Explore key bond risks—interest rate risk, credit risk, and inflation—and learn how call provisions, make-whole versus standard types, and opportunity cost affect returns.
Compare bond returns to stocks and cash, and learn how shorter duration and higher quality bonds reduce risk while supporting income and portfolio diversification.
Understand convertible bonds, a hybrid security that pays interest and can convert into stock at maturity under preset terms. Compare convertible and reversible convertible bonds, noting dilution and bankruptcy priority.
Explore inflation protected bonds, including tips and I bonds, and learn how these securities adjust interest with inflation, offering a floor rate of 1.5% while protecting purchasing power.
Explore floating rate bonds that adjust with a short-term benchmark like libor, designed to perform in rising rate environments while offering lower risk and lower payouts than fixed-rate bonds.
Explore international bonds to diversify fixed-income portfolios with government, corporate, agency, and municipal bonds. Learn about access challenges and country-specific risks, and how mutual funds or ETFs provide diversified exposure.
Learn where to buy bonds: online brokers for individual bonds or ETFs, direct government purchases via Treasury Direct, and through mutual funds or ETFs, including fees and the secondary market.
Explore how a bond ladder investment strategy staggers bond maturities to generate steady income and reduce interest rate risk.
Explore how bonds fit into a portfolio with stocks, cash, and real estate, including classic allocations like 80/20 growth, 60/40 balanced, and 20/80 income, plus bond ladders and funds.
Use a barbell investment strategy, placing ultra safe assets like cash and short-term government bonds on one end, and ultra risky assets like growth stocks and Bitcoin on the other.
Learn how to select bonds for your portfolio by evaluating goals, bond types, ratings, terms, and risk, then decide between individual bonds or mutual funds and etfs.
Explore how mutual funds and exchange traded funds pool investors to offer diversified bond and asset class exposure, with professional management, liquidity, and cost considerations between active and index funds.
Compare active and index bond funds, including mutual funds and etfs, to understand how fund managers, costs, and diversification influence performance.
Bonds add diversification in balanced and asset allocation funds, mixing stocks and bonds; target date funds automatically shift toward more bonds as retirement nears, reducing volatility.
Mutual funds price once daily by calculating nav from assets minus fees, costs, and liabilities, divided by shares. They price intraday, reflecting changing values throughout the day.
Focus on mutual funds with no load and a low expense ratio, reflecting operating and management costs. Watch for fees outside the ratio, like custodial or redemption charges.
Choose mutual funds and ETFs by aligning with your goals, evaluating Morningstar ratings, expense ratios, holdings, and the fund's style box and manager tenure.
Compare bond mutual funds and ETFs with individual bonds: funds offer diversification and interest income, while individual bonds deliver hold-to-maturity returns and greater control, enabling ladders and a core holding.
discover the top five action steps for bond investing, starting small, assessing your risk level, and aligning bonds with your portfolio while continuing education.
Bonds are a great way to provide you with regular passive income (Interest payments) just for holding the bond plus they can give you diversification and a margin of safety to help balance other more riskier investments such as stocks or cryptocurrency in your investment portfolio.
Unfortunately, bonds can be tricky to understand fully and to know which ones to choose as there are many types and which ones to avoid. Can be very hard to read a bond quote and its terms to avoid mistakes. Plus, should you buy individual bonds or bonds through a mutual fund or Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)?
THIS COURSE WILL TEACH YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW SO YOU CAN BECOME A CONFIDENT BOND INVESTOR!
"I really like the way this guy teaches. Very clear. Also before I bought a class I sent a message to Mr. Ballinger and he answered me quickly. That impressed me that he was that interested and I was not even a student at that time. Thanks Mr. Ballinger." -Rick H
You Will Learn:
What Is A Bond Really? (With A Good Example)
Bond Types: Government, Corporate, Agency, & Municipal + Risk Ranking
Benefits Of Investing In Bonds
Risks Of Investing In Bonds
How Much Can You Make By Investing In Bonds?
How Are Bond Terms Set?
Bond Prices: Initial & Secondary Market Pricing
Bond Rating Agencies. Evaluating Bond Risk
Junk Bonds...Maybe Not As Bad As You Think
Bonds That Can Convert To Stock (Convertible Bonds)
Inflation Protected Bonds
Floating Rate Bonds
How To Buy Bonds
Reading A Bond Quote
Bond Ladder Investment Strategy
Where Bonds Fit In Your Overall Portfolio
Barbell Investment Strategy & Bonds
Mutual Funds & Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) And Bonds
Evaluating Fund Expenses
Buying Individual Bonds Or A Bond Fund Comparison & Recommendations.
Case: How I Buy Bonds For My Own Portfolio
Key Action Steps To Take
And Much More!
Now is a great time to invest effectively in bonds. A small investment in your own education can lead to a lifetime of better investing so you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by enrolling in the course!
Many thanks for your interest in the course and I look forward to seeing you in your first lesson.
-Steve B