johnrichardson_us[at]yahoo.com wrote:
- quote -

I've been reading though _Unconventional Success_ by David Swensen.
Swensen discusses how bonds can be useful for the personal investor,
some of which are:
- low correlation with equities
- defense against deflation
- hedge against inflation (TIPS)

but corporate and municipal bonds fail the above tests. Most have call
options that can be used if interest rates fall. Investment grade
bonds can have credit ratings decreased, meaning you're holding a
riskier bond that's now valued less. The issuer can default on the
debt; this tends to occur exactly when you need bonds most, during a
recession when stocks are doing poorly. And for all this, you get a
meager point spread over government bond. Mortgage based securities,
including GNMAs, can have similar problems - all resulting in lower
returns.

He recommends holding Treasuries instead. They very rarely have call
options, don't get riskier, don't default, and tend to be in demand
during a downturn in the economy.

But many bond funds, including Vanguard's Total Bond Market Index, seem
to include corporate paper and/or mortgage-based securities. Is there
another side to these bonds? Why would any personal investor want
medium-to-long term corporate paper? Perhaps for the additional yield
if you expect the economy to remain on an even keel - no interest rate
changes, no recession?