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| Bonds Online |
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| 5/10/2013Market Performance |
| Municipal Bonds |
|---|
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S&P National Bond Index
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3.00% |
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S&P California Bond Index
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2.96% |
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S&P New York Bond Index
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3.13% |
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S&P National 0-5 Year Municipal Bond Index
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0.70% |
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| S&P/BGCantor US Treasury Bond |
400.09 |
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| Income Equities: |
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| Preferred Stocks |
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S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index
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848.03 |
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S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index (CAD)
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636.26 |
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S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index (TR)
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1,701.05 |
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S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index (TR) (CAD)
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1,276.26 |
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| REITs |
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S&P REIT Index
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174.07 |
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S&P REIT Index (TR)
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425.30 |
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| MLPs |
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S&P MLP Index
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2,469.58 |
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S&P MLP Index (TR)
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5,428.50 |
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See Data
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Use care with municipal bonds |
The Sacramento Bee - April 26, 2010 - By Claudia Buck
Question: I don't trust Wall Street, but I need to invest somewhere. Would municipal bonds be a reasonable place to invest?
Answer: Municipal bonds can be a great component of a diversified portfolio; however, be careful in putting all your eggs in one basket. Depending on the size of your investment, you might be better off utilizing an index-type mutual fund to increase your diversification in this asset class.
For background, a tax-exempt bond fund (sometimes known as a municipal bond fund or muni bond fund) invests in tax-exempt municipal debt issued by state governments, counties, cities or other political districts. For a shareholder, the key feature of these bond funds is their advantageous income tax treatment, which is generally the same as individual municipal bonds.
As with individual municipal bonds, the income generated by a tax-exempt bond fund is generally tax-free at the federal level. Likewise, the dividends paid by these funds also may be exempt from state and local taxes. However, the dividends would likely avoid state income tax only for that portion attributable to securities issued in your home state.
Depending on your tax bracket, the after-tax return from a municipal bond fund could actually be higher than that of a taxable bond fund.
One word of caution: If you are subject to the alternative minimum tax, you must include interest income from municipal securities unless they are specifically exempted from the AMT. Consult with your tax adviser on your situation.
Overall, the strengths of tax-exempt bond funds include current income, tax benefits and possible lower risk. The trade-offs are generally modest returns, susceptibility to interest rate/inflation risk and less diversification.
Q: How do we pick a guardian for our kids?
A: For many parents, one of the toughest decisions is who will serve as your children's guardian in the event of your death. Choose carefully, estate-planning experts advise. For instance, if you name one of your siblings, it's often better not to include their spouse, said Canadian inheritance attorney and author Les Kotzer, who has seen cases where a disgruntled brother- or sister-in-law created guardianship problems after a divorce. A better choice might be a more-distant relative or trusted friend who has your child's best interests at heart.
The same holds true for whom you name as executor to manage your children's financial affairs. Don't choose someone only because of their money-management skills.
In addition to financial savvy, a guardian or executor should be "someone who's caring, compassionate and understanding of your children's needs," Kotzer said.
Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/04/26/1911660/use-care-with-municipal-bonds.html#ixzz0mJmoTSmc
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| BondsOnline Advisor |
Income Security Recommendation January 2013 Issue.
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