| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 718.1 | Questions | KOALA::BOUCHARD | The enemy is wise | Tue Apr 26 1994 20:24 | 4 | 
|  |     A tax free bond fund lost money last year?  Seems odd, unless NY is a
    very special case.
    
    What is a "global muni"?
 | 
| 718.2 | Sarajevo's got some neat ones too | CSC32::K_BOUCHARD |  | Wed Apr 27 1994 13:23 | 8 | 
|  |     .1�    What is a "global muni"?
    
    
    Must be a bond fund that invests in "municipal bonds" from all over the
    world. I understand Chernobyl had some really interesting issues back
    in the "eighties".
    
    Ken
 | 
| 718.3 | I must be missing something | NOVA::FINNERTY | lies, damned lies, and the CAPM | Wed Apr 27 1994 13:52 | 10 | 
|  |     
    re: .-2
    
       I'm not sure that makes sense.  A municipal bond will offer a lower
       pre-tax yield because there is a clientele for that bond that will
       buy it because it offers better after-tax yield.  If you're not in
       the municipality, you're not part of that clientele, and you just
       get lower yield.
    
       /?
 | 
| 718.4 | lost money! | WMOIS::ZEINER |  | Thu Apr 28 1994 09:43 | 2 | 
|  |     how with a tax free bond did you loose maney whan it pays a cupon
    return guarenteed
 | 
| 718.5 | Easy to lose money with bonds | KOALA::BOUCHARD | The enemy is wise | Thu Apr 28 1994 11:10 | 13 | 
|  |     re: .4
    
    It's easy to lose money with a bond, of any type.
    
    If you buy a bond when issued, hold to maturity, and the issuer of the
    bond makes all required payments, you earn a specific rate known when
    you bought the bond.
    
    But it you buy a bond after the initial issuing, or sell before
    maturity, or if the issuer doesn't honor their obligation, or if you
    buy into a bond mutual fund (which has bonds of lots of types with
    different purchase dates and maturities) you can have a gain or loss
    depending on various market forces, especially interest rates.
 | 
| 718.6 | CHOICES GALORE.....WHAT'S YOUR RISK TOLERANCE??? | POBOX::PATEL |  | Fri Apr 29 1994 02:02 | 33 | 
|  |     re: .5 is correct. 
    
    The bonds are bought and sold in secondary markets.  Mr Buyer either
    bought a particular bond or a Muni Bond Fund.  This means that when the
    interest rates move up, Muni Bonds and Funds take a hit.  If you look
    at the bottom line on the Fidelity statement, it will show the
    depreciated value.  Well that much for reasonings. 
    
    What to do now is an entirely different question?.  
    
    Ask yourself why you bought these bonds in the first place.  What was
    your goal and your time frames and do you need this money right now?. 
    Depending on your answer a lot of choices can pop up such as:
    
    1. Move it into a shorter term muni bond OR
    2. Move it into a shorter term muni bond fund OR
    3. Move it into something more aggressive to get back your money (need
    nerves to do this) OR
    4. Sit tight and keep receiving the income you are receiving - while
    taking a risk that if rates move up further (which they will) the value
    of the bond or the fund will depreciate more
    
    I know I can keep going, but I'll let you give more input before WE ALL
    CAN GIVE MORE SMART CHOICES to your situation. 
    
    I myself am eyeing the JUNK BOND *FUNDS* to get into (as I have many
    times and exited many many times - making money each time!) as one of
    the best alternatives out there.  
    
    Good Luck 
    
    Ken
    
 |