Insurance
makes municipal bonds fungible.
Although this powerful combination
makes municipal bonds appealing, many investors find it challenging to navigate the large and fragmented municipal market.
Despite typically offering lower coupon rates than other forms of taxable bonds, for many investors the tax benefits alone
make municipal bonds an attractive prospect.
Otherwise, buying out of state municipals issued by a state with no income tax would still
make the municipal bond income subject to my resident state's income tax.
Not exact matches
Buffett lamented in 2010 that he didn't buy more corporate and
municipal bonds during the credit crisis when yields
made the securities «ridiculously cheap» compared with U.S. Treasuries.
This environment
makes credit research and a focus on quality extremely important when structuring a
municipal bond portfolio.
Comments: Eliminates advance refunding for
municipal bonds by
making interest on advance refunding
bonds taxable.
I slowed my
municipal bond purchases because the 10 - year
bond yield edged down to about 2.15 %, which
made yields unattractive.
AGI excludes certain types of income received (e.g.,
municipal bond interest, most Social Security income) or payments
made (e.g., alimony paid, IRA deductions, moving expenses).
Three others could also boost income: counting
municipal bonds as liquid, or easy - to - sell, assets; requiring less debt that won't have to be paid back if a bank fails; and
making it easier to comply with post-crisis rules.»
But even with these changes, the following five reasons explain why
municipal bonds may still
make sense for many investors, not just the rich:
Once you know that you can
make an informed decision as to whether you will earn a higher return from a tax free state or national
municipal bond fund or a taxable
bond fund of a similar credit quality and average maturity (which is generally going to provide higher before tax returns) is going to be better for you.
But after considering the impact of taxes, the taxable - equivalent yield (the return required on a taxable
bond to
make it equal to the return of a tax - exempt
bond) of
municipal bonds was a full percentage point higher, at 3.75 %, for investors in the highest (37 %) tax bracket.
One thing to note is that there may be a long term capital gains tax on the profits you
make from your zero coupon
municipal bond depending on what price you bought it compared the the original issue discount price.
«Removing this exemption
makes it far more difficult to incentivize individuals to invest in
municipal bonds and, in turn, for cities to finance our infrastructure.»
Miner also asked Katko to
make sure any tax reform plan preserves the tax - exempt status of
municipal bonds, which helps cities finance their infrastructure projects.
If only Maine could
make Merrill and
municipal bond insurer MBIA hoist Mainsail II.
A rule of the federal
Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) prohibits
bond work from going to financial firms that
make campaign contributions to public officials who control
bond decisions.
The comptroller is responsible for auditing the performance and finances of city agencies,
making recommendations regarding proposed contracts, issuing reports on the state of the city economy, marketing and selling
municipal bonds, and managing city debt.
Last year, she
made no secret of studying the potential for
municipal bankruptcy, even when it scared Wall Street
bond ratings agencies.
(Yet, at today's low interest rates for
municipal bonds, this would be the perfect time to borrow the money to
make that investment.)
The stars aligned in spectacular fashion for the
municipal bond market in 2014: Low supply amid solid demand, improving fiscal conditions among state and local issuers, and a broad drop in interest rates (and rise in
bond prices) helped
make munis one of the top - performing fixed income asset classes of the year.
But after considering the impact of taxes, the taxable - equivalent yield (the return required on a taxable
bond to
make it equal to the return of a tax - exempt
bond) of
municipal bonds was a full percentage point higher, at 3.75 %, for investors in the highest (37 %) tax bracket.
In
making the initial decision to purchase a tax - exempt
bond you should calculate the taxable equivalent yield to determine if
municipals are the right fixed - income investment for your own situation.
Of course, Financial Samurai
makes the case for buying
bonds (specifically California
municipal bonds, in his case).
Many institutions woven into the fabric of daily life were
made possible by
municipal bond issuance.
Municipal bonds are typically structured to
make regular, specified interest payments and then return the principal amount at maturity.
Municipal bond funds saw outflows of $ 372 million this week,
making this the second week of outflows in a row.
Features The Diversity of
Municipal Bonds and What You Need to Know About Risks The bond market is split between traditional secure securities and those that are riskier, such as bonds tied to private profit - making or nonprofit borro
Bonds and What You Need to Know About Risks The
bond market is split between traditional secure securities and those that are riskier, such as
bonds tied to private profit - making or nonprofit borro
bonds tied to private profit -
making or nonprofit borrowers.
Unlike corporate
bonds or
municipal bonds, Treasuries are considered to have a zero chance of default; markets assume that the U.S. will always
make good on its financial obligations.
The comparison
makes no allowance for the potential impact of reduced long - term capital gains and qualified dividend tax rates, nor of the potential tax exemption for some
municipal bonds held in taxable accounts.
,» Peter Hayes looks at how «
made - in - the - USA»
municipal bonds might offer some insulation...
It would almost never
make sense to buy a
municipal bond fund in an IRA.
They will shrink and disappear, while new guarantors, who are all currently skeptical of doing much more than
Municipal bond insurance, will grow, and
make it impossible for the old guarantors to return, because they are much better capitalized.
Another variation of the VFSTX
bond listed above is the Vanguard Limited Term Tax Exempt Investor which
makes investments in
bonds of
municipal bodies.
If an investor had a portfolio consisting of just
municipal or government
bonds yielding 5 % per year and a portfolio
made up of highly volatile and risky tech stocks also yielding 5 % per yield, the «better» portfolio would be the one with the
municipal one.
To reduce your risk, consider U.S. treasuries (which are generally considered perfectly safe),
municipal bonds (state and local government
bonds considered very safe), or a diversified mutual fund
made up of many
bonds.
We think a look at a popular active New York
municipal bond fund compared to an S&P Dow Jones index
makes this point clear.
A separate difference between
municipal bond ETFs and mutual funds is that ETFs trade on an exchange, allowing investors the liquidity to
make intra-day trades.
In the credit markets, U.S.
municipal bonds tracked in the S&P Municipal Bond Index have returned over 1.5 % in June as the diversity, yield, historical stability and quality of the municipal bond market has made it a «risk off» destination ass
municipal bonds tracked in the S&P
Municipal Bond Index have returned over 1.5 % in June as the diversity, yield, historical stability and quality of the municipal bond market has made it a «risk off» destination ass
Municipal Bond Index have returned over 1.5 % in June as the diversity, yield, historical stability and quality of the municipal bond market has made it a «risk off» destination asset cl
Bond Index have returned over 1.5 % in June as the diversity, yield, historical stability and quality of the
municipal bond market has made it a «risk off» destination ass
municipal bond market has made it a «risk off» destination asset cl
bond market has
made it a «risk off» destination asset class.
This means
municipal bonds can effectively be tax free, but
make sure to check with your tax advisor on specific
bonds and local tax laws.
Even with a slip of 3 bps to the cheaper since month end, the high yield
municipal bond market tracked by the S&P Municipal Bond High Yield Index remains on track to making April the 17th consecutive month in a row where it has seen a positive monthl
municipal bond market tracked by the S&P Municipal Bond High Yield Index remains on track to making April the 17th consecutive month in a row where it has seen a positive monthly ret
bond market tracked by the S&P
Municipal Bond High Yield Index remains on track to making April the 17th consecutive month in a row where it has seen a positive monthl
Municipal Bond High Yield Index remains on track to making April the 17th consecutive month in a row where it has seen a positive monthly ret
Bond High Yield Index remains on track to
making April the 17th consecutive month in a row where it has seen a positive monthly return.
The vast swath of the
municipal bond market tracked by the S&P Municipal Bond Index makes this analysis
municipal bond market tracked by the S&P Municipal Bond Index makes this analysis possi
bond market tracked by the S&P
Municipal Bond Index makes this analysis
Municipal Bond Index makes this analysis possi
Bond Index
makes this analysis possible.
Yields of investment grade
municipal bonds have now fallen to levels that in relative terms
make them «rich» to corporate
bonds.
To
make a fair comparison between the two asset classes indices were selected that have comparable weighted average modified durations: S&P National AMT - Free
Municipal Bond Index and the S&P 500 5 - 7 Year Investment Grade Corporate
Bond Index.
While traditional and zero - coupon
municipal bonds are an attractive investment for many due to the tax savings, it is vital that you understand the potential tax liabilities prior to
making a purchase.
They use index funds or ETFs except in certain asset classes, such as emerging markets or
municipal bonds, in which they think an active manager can
make a difference.
Like the schools and bridges and levees they
make possible,
municipal bonds are built of strong stuff.
For these investors, I graciously concede that owning
municipal bonds in their taxable account
makes sense.
Even if the underlying entity goes bankrupt, the insurance company will pay back investors,
making these types of
municipal bonds significantly safer.