Beyond Stocks: Muni Bonds

If you’re looking for action outside the stock market, you might want to look at muni bonds.

Short for municipal bonds, these financial products are essentially loans – by investing you’re giving money to some government and in exchange they’re giving you return.

Although muni’s may not be as sexy as stocks according to Ben Thompson of Samson Capital they’re quite attractive in their own right. Here’s why:

-Less Volatile Than Stocks
-Overall, High Credit Quality
-The Only Tax Exempt Investment

But that’s not to say they’re entirely without risk. They do carry some risk, albeit less than most stocks.

General Obligation Muni Bonds

LOW VOLATILITY -- MEDIUM VOLATILITY -- HIGH VOLATILITY

Texas New York City California

New Jersey

How can you play it?

Fortunately, if you're an individual investor you don't have to go through the credit ratings of each and every state. You can get diversified exposure through ETFs as well as mutual funds.

Following are just a few ideas:
SPDR Barclays Muni Fund (TFI)
iShares National Muni Bond Fund (MUB)
Vanguard Short Term (VWSTX)
Vanguard Long Term (VWLTX)

* Interested in learning more about muni bonds? Watch the video, now!

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