An Introduction

Hi. Welcome to BourGroup and my blog. Phil

Phil Bour is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(tm) professional since 2004, a Magna Cum Laude college graduate and an accounting professional for over 35+ years. I love numbers, statistics and economic history.

I am also an Enrolled Agent (EA) to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and to prepare tax returns.

"Phil"osophy: I believe that you can manage your money on your own (not necessarily through individual stock selection but through mutual funds, ETF's and other solutions) once you receive some one-time, professional guidance. Why pay annual fees when there may be little added value? For additional information, first read the "An Introduction" label at the left. Then move on to others.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Bond Alternative: Emerging Market Bonds

I hear some advisors considering investments in bonds in other markets besides the U.S.

U.S. bonds may be backed by the good faith and credit of the U.S. government (a subject of concern by some in and of  itself) but when investing in bonds outside the U.S. there are several additional risks. The main one, besides political risk, is the currency volatility which may be much more than the bond price/yield changes.

Some consider bond investments in emerging markets as speculation so fully understand them not as a bond investment but as a risky alternative investment to stocks, bonds, real estate and cash categories.