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

How to Survive Market Mayhem

1 month ago | 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.
Investing: The appeal of mortgage bonds - Tribune Content Agency (September 11, 2023)

Sep 11, 2023 | tribunecontentagency.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

Recall the line from Hamlet imploring us to neither a borrower nor a lender be? Shakespeare was spot-on about so much, but not credit. Lenders do hold the stronger hand. The rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, with the principal guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, recently reached 7.69%. One explanation for the high rate is that anxious lenders fear economic distress and missed mortgage payments.
Dividends Are in a Rut

Sep 4, 2023 | msn.com | Jeffrey Kosnett

There is a doctrine that one year's investment champions become the subsequent year's failures. In 2023, this again is true, but the fallen heroes are unexpected: high-dividend-yield stocks and funds. The puzzle is whether dividend-focused strategies are set for years of relative decline, or if this is a case of massive short-term outperformance predictably returning to earth. I vote for the latter.