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.
But the income class has evolved tremendously over the last decade or so. Increasingly, bond funds have taken on greater risk profiles, investing high yield investments that not only provide better income streams, but whose underlying debt respond to various market forces in much the same way that equity assets respond.
In fact, many high yield investments today are more volatile that many conservative equity funds, providing not only greater income stream and growth into the funds and to investors, but less overall risk than similar equity funds.
In taking a look at both bond and equity funds, the lower real risk will always be with the bond funds. Where there has been a problem is in the rating companies like Moody's and Standard & Poor's, both of which came under scrutiny during the CDO collapse of 2007 and 2008. What was once an investment-grade bond two years ago is now a B rated and with the spread between government and corporate having widened over the years, only the investor stands to benefit.
Some of the best bond funds will generate returns far greater than conservative equity funds. Expenses are low because trading is lower. Overall, bond funds can provide better returns than equity funds, with less risk. They are clearly worth considering. - 23204
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.
But the income class has evolved tremendously over the last decade or so. Increasingly, bond funds have taken on greater risk profiles, investing high yield investments that not only provide better income streams, but whose underlying debt respond to various market forces in much the same way that equity assets respond.
In fact, many high yield investments today are more volatile that many conservative equity funds, providing not only greater income stream and growth into the funds and to investors, but less overall risk than similar equity funds.
In taking a look at both bond and equity funds, the lower real risk will always be with the bond funds. Where there has been a problem is in the rating companies like Moody's and Standard & Poor's, both of which came under scrutiny during the CDO collapse of 2007 and 2008. What was once an investment-grade bond two years ago is now a B rated and with the spread between government and corporate having widened over the years, only the investor stands to benefit.
Some of the best bond funds will generate returns far greater than conservative equity funds. Expenses are low because trading is lower. Overall, bond funds can provide better returns than equity funds, with less risk. They are clearly worth considering. - 23204
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