At Coast Wealth Management, we believe that fixed income investments can serve two primary roles in a portfolio:  Funding near-term financial goals and balancing the overall risk in an investor’s portfolio.  Short-term or duration/maturity matched bonds, as well as money market funds are appropriate investments for funding near-term goals.  When balancing risk in a portfolio, each client’s needs and goals are taken into consideration to determine the appropriate strategy.  Because longer-term bonds are often subject to greater volatility and increased interest rate risk, most often short and intermediate term bonds or bond funds are used.