Introduction 1Part 1: A Quick Guide to the Fixed-Income Universe 9Chapter 1: Buying Bonds: In Your Best Interest 11Chapter 2: Constructing Your Portfolio's Foundation 29Chapter 3: A (Mostly) Heroic History of Bonds 43Chapter 4: Interest, Sweet Interest 57Part 2: Bonds of Many Distinct Flavors 81Chapter 5: US Treasury Bonds: As Safe as Safe Can Be 83Chapter 6: Getting Down to Business: Corporate Bonds 103Chapter 7: Powerful and a Tad Mysterious: Agency Bonds 117Chapter 8: (Practically) Tax-Free: Municipal Bonds 131Chapter 9: International Bonds and Other Seemingly Exotic Offerings 147Part 3: Bonds as Portfolio Cement 169Chapter 10: Return, Risk, and Realism 171Chapter 11: The Art and Science of Portfolio-Building 189Chapter 12: Slicing the Pie: How Much Should Be in Bonds? 201Chapter 13: Making Your Preliminary Bond Choices 219Part 4: A Manual for Smart Bond Shopping 233Chapter 14: Planning Your Bond Buys and Sells 235Chapter 15: Diving (Carefully!) into the Individual Bond Marketplace 253Chapter 16: Choosing Bond Funds Wisely 273Part 5: Bonds as Good Friends of Retirees 303Chapter 17: Satisfying Your Need for Steady Cash 305Chapter 18: Ensuring Financial Security in Old Age 321Part 6: The Part of Tens 333Chapter 19: Ten Most Common Misconceptions about Bonds 335Chapter 20: Ten Mistakes Bond Investors Need to Avoid 341Appendix: Helpful Web Resources for Successful Bond Investing 347 Index 353
Russell Wild is an experienced financial advisor and writer who has been working in the finance and investment industry for more than 30 years. Russell is the principal of Global Portfolios. He is the author of Exchange-Traded Funds For Dummies and the previous editions of Bond Investing For Dummies.