Buying a bond is not the only way to invest in a bond fund. There are other alternatives, such as high-yield bonds, REITs, Social security, and dividend-paying stocks.
Dividend-paying stocks
Compared to corporate bonds, dividend-paying stocks offer a variety of investment opportunities. They are also a popular choice for passive income investors. Depending on your risk tolerance, you may choose to allocate a small percentage of your portfolio to dividend-paying stocks. However, choosing the best ones isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Here are some key criteria to consider.
The best dividend stocks increase their dividends regularly, and have sufficient free cash flow to sustain the payouts. These firms also exhibit the best total returns over the long run.
The following companies have increased their dividends every year for at least 30 years. Each one has ample free cash flow and offers some other appealing characteristics.
Colgate-Palmolive is a consumer staples company that sells a wide variety of products, including Tom’s of Maine personal care products, Speed Stick deodorant and Murphy cleaning products. The company also makes Glad trash bags and Hidden Valley salad dressing.
High-yield bonds
Whether you’re investing in high-yield bonds or high-grade bonds, there are certain risks to be aware of. Unlike investment grade bonds, high-yield bonds have higher risk of default, which means they’re often not paid out. They also come with more volatility.
Investors can choose to buy high-yield bonds through a broker, or they can buy them through an ETF. Both options are a good choice if you’re looking to diversify your fixed income portfolio. ETFs offer lower costs, and you can trade them just like stocks.
The main reason to invest in high-yield bonds is their ability to provide a higher yield. Most high-yield bond funds will offer a higher yield than other options. However, you should keep in mind that you can lose money if markets fall. This is particularly true in the case of junk bonds, which have a high default rate.
REITs
Historically, bonds were a popular investment because of the stability of the returns they offered. However, as interest rates rise, they become less valuable. Instead, investors may opt to diversify their portfolio by investing in other types of bonds or alternative investments.
One of the best bond alternatives are real estate investment trusts (REITs). REITs are companies that own or operate income-producing real estate. These REITs are legally obligated to pay out dividends to shareholders. Unlike bonds, REITs do not decline in value when interest rates increase.
REITs are an excellent way to diversify a portfolio and generate a high dividend yield. However, there are other important considerations. Some investors are hesitant to invest in REITs because of the risk.
The good news is that REITs are relatively liquid and can be purchased on the open market. Investors can also target specific segments of real estate. Some REITs specialize in specific properties, such as retail shopping malls or home improvement stores.
Pensions
Considering the importance of bonds in the pension world, it’s not surprising that investors are willing to pay a premium for products that are both safe and produce returns. However, many investors also realize that a lot of money can be lost in a bad investment. This is why a savvy asset owner will seek to diversify their assets. This is especially true if the expected return on a particular portfolio is low. The best bond alternatives include real estate, insurance products, and a well diversified stock portfolio.
Although not strictly a fixed-income alternative, the latest crop of mutual funds and ETFs provide a variety of options to meet a pension’s investment needs. However, some investors will require a bit more diversification than others. For example, younger investors may need to decide where to allocate their money, or what assets to hold.
Social security
Despite growing interest in replacing Social Security with private retirement systems, most voters still care most about how much Social Security is able to support current and future benefits. Critics of Social Security often claim that privatization will be a disaster and that politicians are irresponsible in managing the funds. However, the truth is that private retirement systems have practical and political advantages.
First, there is no need to build a huge trust fund to replace Social Security. This money could instead be invested in tens of millions of individual retirement accounts. The federal government would not have to sell any additional public debt. This would save the government more money than it spends. However, it would add more debt to the federal budget.
Second, the government could divert a portion of Social Security taxes into private retirement accounts. This would starve the Social Security system of revenue. It would also increase the amount of private saving.
