Investing in bonds is a good way to earn passive income. You can hold them on different platforms to earn interest. You can also earn capital gains. It is similar to owning a property where you rent it out for a profit. You can use the income to fund your needs. However, you should be aware of their susceptibility.
There are some common misconceptions about investing in bonds. First, you must understand how these securities work. They’re issued by governments and companies and pay an interest rate. While this rate is fixed, the market value of these securities fluctuates. Shorter-term bonds tend to offer lower interest rates. You can also diversify your portfolio to minimize capital risk.
When investing in bonds, you can choose between corporate bonds and municipal bonds. Both types of bonds have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, corporate bonds have lower interest rates than municipal bonds, which are issued by states. Municipal bonds can offer tax-free coupon income. In short, both types of bonds are attractive options for investing money.
The duration of a bond is also an important consideration. If you’re investing in bonds for three years, the current interest rate will not matter as much as if you invested in a bond with a maturity of 25 years. Longer bonds have higher risks, because interest rates fluctuate, but they offer higher yields. This relationship between maturity and yields is called the yield curve.