Jeffrey Kosnett

Washington, D.C.

Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance at Kiplinger

Senior editor and columnist for Kiplinger's Personal Finance and Kiplinger.com since 1981. I write about bonds, yields, mutual funds and portfolio strategy.

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Articles

D Is for Defense With Income Investing

3 weeks ago | theepochtimes.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

6/5/2025Updated: 6/5/2025By Jeffrey R. Kosnett From Kiplinger’s Personal FinanceI am long on record as an extreme skeptic of doom-loop and daisy-chain scenarios, where action A causes market reaction B, and then investments C, D, and E crash as traders and investors lose nerve and everyone’s portfolios drown in a flood of madcap selling. For 40 years, I have written that it is dumb to make quick portfolio decisions based on political and international events.
My Three-Day Rule for Investing: And If it Applies Now

1 month ago | kiplinger.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

I am long on record as an extreme skeptic of doom-loop and daisy-chain scenarios, where action A causes market reaction B and then investments C, D and E crash as traders and investors lose nerve and everyone's portfolios drown in a flood of madcap selling. For 40 years, I have written that it is dumb to make quick portfolio decisions based on political and international events.
How to Survive Market Mayhem

Mar 18, 2025 | kiplinger.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

Among my missions is to advise smart readers against doing dumb things out of haste or panic. Over the past two years, that wasn't a problem. The financial markets were uncommonly calm, and the dreaded recession was a mirage, so you could scarcely go wrong with sound dividend- and interest-paying assets. Stocks, including high-yield categories such as energy infrastructure, grew without interruption.
Winners and Losers of Fed Rate Cuts

Nov 19, 2024 | kiplinger.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

Now that the Federal Reserve has cracked the interest rate ice, the next development will be to separate winners from losers. Most headlines and popular attention focus on the record-setting stock market indexes, on the premise that cheaper credit is rocket fuel and key rates are heading lower still.
High-Yield Bonds and Savings Ideas as The Fed Weighs a Rate Cut

Sep 3, 2024 | msn.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

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High-Yield Bonds and Savings Ideas as The Fed Weighs a Rate Cut

Sep 3, 2024 | kiplinger.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

In my past few columns, I lauded bond ladders and high-yielding funds that own receivables such as bank loans and credit card obligations. With the Federal Reserve getting closer to easing credit as economic indicators cool down enough to disturb the stock market, it is ever wiser to guarantee potent income. Those effortless 5% cash returns will not vanish overnight. But by Thanksgiving, 4% is a realistic expectation for money market funds and Treasury bills.
Now's a Great Time to Build a Bond Ladder

Jul 6, 2024 | kiplinger.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

Even after two favorable monthly inflation reports, cash and bond yields remain high and steady. It continues to be a buyer’s market. Still, readers are often uncertain how best to proceed, particularly with new or rollover money. You may be tempted by a basic broad-based bond market index fund. But you can do better. Your goal should be two guarantees: high yield to maturity and full recovery of principal. Neither is assured using index-based exchange-traded funds.
Are Dividends on the Way Back?

May 27, 2024 | msn.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

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Are Dividends on the Way Back?

May 27, 2024 | kiplinger.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

Savers and investors have few causes for complaint. But one frustration is the sluggish pace and shrunken heft of dividend increases. Although U.S. companies have more than $2 trillion in cash, scads of firms that not long ago raised dividends by 10% a year have morphed into relative misers: The median annualized increase within the S&P 500 dwindled to 6% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Three Smart Ways to Store Cash This Year

Dec 30, 2023 | kiplinger.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

I never prescribe one overall asset-allocation formula because no such solution suits everyone. That includes the popular 60-40 stocks-to-bonds ratio, which advisers frequently recommend to retirees or preretirees who are afraid to lose principal but still need growth alongside immediate income. I also avoid dictating how much cash to hold, unless your answer is 100% — especially if you limit yourself to money market funds, Treasury bills and bank deposits.