The picks below are part of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s annual Best List, a roundup of the best values in all the areas we cover — from funds, stocks and ETFs to credit cards and bank accounts to cars, college, kid stuff, phone plans, travel and health. Discover all our Best List picks here.
Kiplinger's Best List, 2016
- Best Mutual Funds You Can Invest in for $125 or Less
- Best Mutual Funds for Dividend Investors
- Best Mutual Funds for Investing in Value Stocks
- Best Stocks for Yield at a Reasonable Price
- Best Online Brokers
- Best Rewards Credit Cards
- Best Deals in Online Banking
- Best Personal-Finance Websites, Apps and Software
- Best New Car Values
- Best Shopping Websites and Apps
- Best Ways to Save Time and Money on Travel
- Best Package Tours for Your Money
- Best Travel Discounts for Seniors
- Best Phone Plans for Every Type of User
- Best Websites and Tools to Save on Your Health
Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund (VFSTX, yield 1.5%), a member of the Kiplinger 25, should weather a rate rise well. Its 2.6-year average duration (a measure of interest-rate sensitivity) implies that the fund’s price would fall by 2.6% if rates were to rise by one percentage point. Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSY, $81, 1.2%) is an exchange-traded fund that tracks an index of short-term bonds and charges just 0.09% per year for fees. Its average duration is 2.8 years.
Buy a floating-rate bank loan fund
Fidelity Floating Rate High Income (FFRHX, 3.8%) and PowerShares Senior Loan Portfolio (BKLN, $23, 4.6%), a member of the Kiplinger ETF 20, hold securities with “floating” interest rates. As interest rates rise, so will rates on the loans (see Get a Boost From a Floating-Rate Fund for more on these kinds of funds).
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Reach for yield
Corporate junk bonds are typically less susceptible to rises in interest rates than high-quality bonds. A great choice is Vanguard High Yield Corporate (VWEHX, 4.9%). Pimco Income (PONDX, 3.7%), also a member of the Kip 25, is the best choice among funds that invest in multiple bond categories.
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