Fixed Income

Why bonds?

Here at Raymond James, we believe that bonds can play an important role in a well-diversified portfolio, helping minimize its overall volatility. Bonds may provide predictable income and, most important, principal protection.*

Who invests in bonds?

Bonds can benefit any investor’s portfolio in a variety of ways. For retirees, bonds may provide a predictable income stream and safety of capital. For other investors, bonds can help meet future obligations, such as vacations, college funding or the purchase of a house.

How much to allocate to bonds?

Bond allocation depends on many factors, including an investor’s time horizon, risk tolerance, need for income and future goals. In most cases, as investors age, they grow more dependent on income from their portfolios and become more risk adverse. Bonds can help ease specific concerns that arise when investors move from one stage of their financial journey to the next. Consult your financial advisor to determine what portion of the portfolio should be devoted to bonds based on your specific investment objectives.

*If held to maturity, subject to issuer credit risk. The market value of bonds is subject to market fluctuation and may be worth less than the original cost upon redemption (or maturity).

To learn more about the risks and rewards of investing in fixed income, please access the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s “Learn More” section of investinginbonds.com, FINRA’s “Smart Bond Investing” section of finra.org, and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s (MSRB) Electronic Municipal Market Access System (EMMA) “Education Center” section of emma.msrb.org.

Next: Bond Basics