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24 October 2025
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The money in a bond fund never 'matures' as the manager automatically reinvests both interest and principal, whereas a direct investment in a bond comes to an end on maturity.
Bonds have the most predictable returns of any asset class, yet they are often maligned and misunderstood by market commentators who call them risky. Follow the 13-year life of this April 2015 bond and decide for yourself.
Cuffelinks reader, James, has some additional questions covering: bonds for capital gain or income, bonds in a growth strategy, passive vs active investing, unconstrained bond funds and duration risk.
In response to a reader's question regarding bond funds, we asked our bond guru to explain, in layman's term, the workings of bond funds and what features to look for before investing in this asset class.
Sub-investment grade investments, or ‘junk bonds’, pay well but carry a higher risk of default. If the risk is managed properly, a broad portfolio of high yield securities can be a worthwhile investment option.
Investors should not shun bonds in their portfolios due to a misunderstanding about the potential for earnings to grow at least in line with inflation. Fixed income has a role in inflation risk management.
“Fellow Australians, I want to address our most pressing national issue: housing. For too long, governments have tiptoed around problems from escalating prices, but for the sake of our younger generations, that stops today.”
Family trusts remain a core structure for wealth management, but rising ATO scrutiny and complex compliance raise questions about their ongoing value. Are the benefits still worth the administrative burden?
Both active and passive investing can work, but active investment doesn’t in the way it is practised by many fund managers and passive investing doesn’t work in the way most end investors practise it. Here’s a better way.
The Future Fund says it will not be paying defined benefit pensions until at least 2033 - raising as many questions as answers. This points to an increasingly uncertain future for Australia's sovereign wealth fund.
With $233 billion under management, managed accounts are evolving into diversified, transparent, and liquid investment frameworks. The rise of ETFs and private markets marks a shift in portfolio design and discipline.
Commercial property is seeing the same supply issues as the residential market. Given the chronic undersupply and a recent pickup in demand, it bodes well for an upturn in commercial real estate prices.
Privatised toll roads in Australia help governments avoid upfront costs but often push financial risks onto taxpayers while creating monopolies and unfair toll burdens for commuters and businesses.