Bonds and Fixed Income

[gfp927z]

NJHowie, Thanks again. Sounds like you could be running your own muni bond fund :o) And you actually are, via your own personal portfolio.

Fwiw, the only individual bonds that I purchased were some corporates, and I went with AA and AAA rated. Some of these (MSFT, JNJ) now have higher ratings than the US govt, lol. But there's actually nothing funny about the US debt rating being downgraded, and this is one reason to worry about the future of bonds in general. The US will not default, since they can just keep on printing more, but at some point the money itself becomes worthless, ala the Weimar Republic. And even without a crisis, the purchasing power of the dollar will just continue to erode over time, so having everything in fixed income / bonds, while 'safe' in the short term, can be a big loser in the long run. So I figure 'moderation in all things' -- some bonds, some stocks, some gold/silver, some real estate, etc.




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