Bonds Now!: Making Money in the New Fixed Income Landscape

This bond book is the 2nd one I've purchased recently. It has some examples of how things went wrong in the crash of 2008 and how to invest wisely to minimize the chances of losses in the bond market should another crash occur. I recommend it for that reason. However, like many stock books that talk exclusively about their own subject, this book is very focused on bonds. It seems like we could use a book that talks more about combining stocks with bonds investment strategies and provide guidance on blending the two to create a safe and reasonably secure retirement portfolio that includes the benefits of stock and bond diversification. Also, bond books, in general, do not really discuss the time scale of interest changes, and this book doesn't exactly cover this topic that well either. The time scale goes back ~80 years to a time just after the great depression when interest rates were as low as they are today. This book doesn't really talk about optimal strategies on managing money in the face of such low short term interest rates as we faced then and are facing today. I still strongly recommend the book purely for it's coverage on how to choose bonds that are fully liquid and why that is important as well has how to diversify the bonds and why that is important. I strongly recommend the book.

Before the 2008/2009 financial meltdown all of my investments were equities. After that smack in the head I realized I needed to add bonds to my portfolio to spread risk. I began searching for information on how to purchase bonds and what strategies to follow, researching various publications without much of a sense of confidence. I recently acquired Bonds Now! My questions have been answered. Marilyn Cohen and Chris Malburg have provided a user-friendly guide with step-by-step instructions for buying bonds. Bonds Now! is a must-read for anyone who wants to build or expand a bond portfolio. The book is enjoyable and highly informative. Congratulation to Marilyn and Chris for having explained a complex subject in simple terms.

The world of Bond Investing has changed dramatically in the last two years. You must read this book to understand what those changes are, how to make use of new information sources and to revise your investment strategy to align with the new risks facing bond investors. Her previous book, The Bond Bible, was my primary reference until this book was published. Believe what she says. The book is easy to read, provides excellent ideas and gives valuable information so you can balance the risk/reward in your portfolio.

I only wish that I had the information and knowledge contained in "Bonds Now" a few years ago. I have been a bond investor for 30 plus years, originally municipal bonds and in the last ten years corporate as well. Buying bonds was a "no brainer" until the financial credit crisis of the last few years. Before the financial meltdown one would buy muni bonds with investment grade ratings and insured by AMBAC, MBIA, FGIC, etc. - no problem, just collect interest and return of capital with bond maturity. Then greed entered the game when the insurers decided to get involved with CDO's and the derivate market while the rating agencies were more than generous with investment grade ratings. I made some costly mistakes, which could have been avoided by simply following the information outlined in "Bonds Now". If you are serious about protecting your money and investments I highly recommend following the simple procedures clearly outlined in Marilyn Cohen's latest book, "Bonds Now". All the necessary bond investment information is readily available free on the web if one knows where to look.

WOW - After reading Ms. Cohen's great book, "Bonds Now!" I certainly have a better understanding on how to navigate through the Bond Market. I had never known where my bonds had previously been traded. Now, being made aware of the TRACE system, I have the knowledge. What a valuable tool to have. With my newly acquired understanding of the Bond Market, I now know how to approach my broker's recommednations. This book is highly recommended for the novice bond trader.