Whatever your age, income or total assets, bonds belong in your portfolio. A symbol of security, bonds have long had a place in any well-rounded portfolio. As millions of baby boomers shift their focus from the lure of capital appreciation to the necessity of capital preservation, bonds are moving from a supporting role to the spotlight. Many individual investors, however, know precious little about them. Marilyn Cohen, one of the nation's best known columnists and commentators on the bond market, demystifies bond investing and offers a shopper's guide to finding great bond buys and a master blueprint for building a winning personal bond portfolio. Packed with facts, real-world examples, and savvy advice, The Bond Bible covers:

The right bonds-to-stocks ratio for a sound portfolio How to turn a bond investment from a safety net into a money-maker How to identify a genuine bond bargain How to determine which "store" gives the best value for different kinds of bonds The pitfalls of the bond market and how to avoid them The lowdown on bonds and taxes How to know when to sell a bond and for the best price The scoop on the latest trends, including on-line bond investing

Fixed-income investments will never be as sexy as the day's hottest stock or a mutual fund focusing on the market sector du jour. But their very stability, combined with the equilibrium they provide when the Dow and the NASDAQ start bouncing around like 6-year-olds on a sugar high, are exactly why savvy investors count on them to round out their portfolios. Marilyn Cohen's The Bond Bible offers an unambiguous look at this once-arcane world, which--like much relating to investing--has become considerably less mysterious and immeasurably more accessible with the advent of the Internet. Cohen, president of a capital management firm, fully explains everything from income streams and the Treasury yield curve to the pluses of federal agency bonds and the negatives of high-yield issues. In simple terms, she also addresses advanced strategies such as leveraging, credit rating agencies, and insurance, bond funds and unit trusts, and nontraditional vehicles such as those tied to rock & roll royalties. Exactly how much of your portfolio should be devoted to bonds is a personal choice based on individual circumstances. Once you determine that, however, this book will help you reach an informed decision on what to buy, where to obtain it, and how to manage what you've got. --Howard Rothman