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Investment Funds You Can Choose


Bond Funds

Fund offerings as of January 1, 2009
How to read this table
Core Bond Funds For a $10,000 Investment
  Fees Result in 10 Years
Info Pop Ups* Fund Annual Long-Term Average Downside Upside
Thumbnail Scorecard Profile Details FRS Select U.S. Bond Enhanced Index Fund (B15) $5 $151 $13,500 $9,800 $16,300
Thumbnail Scorecard Profile Details Pimco Total Return Fund (B20) $59 $1,943 $12,700 $9,300 $15,600
Specialty Bond Funds
Thumbnail Scorecard Profile Details Pyramis Intermediate Duration Fund (B35) $15 $471 $13,000 $9,900 $15,300
Thumbnail Scorecard Profile Details PIMCO High Yield Fund (B55) $50 $1,623 $14,400 $8,700 $22,600
How to read this table
*Info Pop Ups Legend
Thumbnail Fund Thumbnail
(short summaries of each fund)
Scorecard Fund Scorecard
(overall score, rankings, investment style and risk, historical performance, other statistics)
Profile Fund Profile
(fees and expenses, investment strategies and risks, asset allocation, average annual returns, fund advisors, etc.)
Details Fund Details
(restrictions on transfers, philosophy, research process, security selection, portfolio construction, sell discipline, etc.)
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These funds invest primarily in bonds, which are like IOUs – a company or government agency borrows money and pays it back with interest to the bondholder (the person making the loan). The quality of a bond is reflected in the credit rating of the company or agency that issues the bond. The short-term risk of bond funds is relatively low, so they are often held by retirement investors as a way to lower risk and diversify.

Over time, the value of a bond is affected by interest rates, inflation and other factors. When inflation or interest rates go up, the value of bonds goes down because they pay a fixed rate of interest (the market sees other investments as being more attractive, so the value of a specific bond decreases). Therefore, bonds don't always protect the value of your retirement savings against inflation.