bond funds

A tsunami of money -- $2 trillion within the next decade -- is flowing into target date funds, a type of retirement account that's supposed to make investing for our post-work years simple. But the way those funds are run isn't always in our best interest. Laura Rowley explains.

As small investors flee the low returns of Treasury bonds, many have piled into high-yield debt -- also known as junk bonds. Problem is, as one pro puts it: "The trade when you could buy anything and make money ended six months ago." Investors need to be far pickier now.

The securities industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year in advertising, but that doesn't mean you're getting the straight scoop. The financial media doesn't always help, either. So, as you contemplate investing for 2011, here are 10 facts you should know.

The SEC subpoenaed several former in-house brokers as part of an investigation of Citigroup (C) debt funds. The funds in question borrowed heavily and invested in mortgage bonds and municipal bonds, The Wall Street Journal said without naming its sources. The funds' value slumped by as much as...

China's holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds are so huge that they'd be a financial "weapon of mass destruction" if Beijing were dump them all quickly. But a closer look at the data and some recent trends suggests that China's power in this regard is overrated.

Investing expert Dan Solin hears this question frequently: It's obvious the dollar is going to crash, so what can I do to protect my investments? His answer may surprise you.

The amount of money sitting in bond funds is simply staggering: $450 billion has flowed into these assets since April 2009. But investors, some fearful, others just apathetic, may be missing out on the promise of much better returns offered by equities.

Stocks enjoyed a respite from what some see as a bubble in pessimism, and that sudden turn should be unnerving to a fast-growing crowd of individual investors: those who have recently raced into ultrasafe holdings like U.S. government bonds.

The securities industry is always coming up with the "latest and greatest" way to make a quick buck. But almost all of such vehicles are structured to benefit brokers and money managers. Investors wind up getting relegated to their usual status as victims with no redress.

For millions of mutual fund investors, Dow 10,000 was an awkward milestone. In October alone, as markets crested following an eight-month run-up in stock prices, investors put the largest monthly amount into bond funds since 1984 -- a record $48.4 billion. Meanwhile they yanked $15.5 billion out of...