Curious about bonds?

www.investinginbonds.com

If you’re reluctant to invest in stocks these days -- and hey, you’re not alone -- you may be considering bonds. But with a bewildering variety to choose from, it’s easy for new investors to get confused. A good place to start is Investinginbonds.com, produced by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Assn. The site offers help for novices as well as tools for experienced bond investors.

Newcomers should start with the “learn more” column on the right-hand side. Click there to learn more about what bonds are, the risks and rewards and how to invest. Articles explain how to read bond tables, suggest bond types for different stages of life and describe the difference between municipal, government and corporate bonds. Also useful are two calculators, linked to at the top of the home page: One helps compare a taxable investment with a tax-free municipal bond, the other allows you to test price and rate combinations in hypothetical bond scenarios.

For serious bond investors, the site offers real-time price and trade data and key market news.

-- Scott J. Wilson