Municipal Bond Forum

Fear relieved

Q

I certainly hope you’re on target on how bad of an idea it would be to allow states to declare bankruptcy. I have a considerable amount of my retirement savings in Colorado munis and I love the tax-free returns, but I’m troubled by the focus on defaults. I have called my advisor and contacted Andrew Blum at FMSbonds in Denver — whom I have complete confidence in — and he puts my fears to rest by assuring me that my bonds are insured. But now I am hearing that the insuring agencies have no legs either. It’s scary and I am torn between selling out and going into a 1% CD or hanging in there. The main reason I am going to hold tight is that Colorado, where all my bonds are, seems to be in fairly good shape compared with other states.

W.G., Colorado

A

James A. Klotz responds:

Thank you for your comments. Calming your fears is exactly what we tried to do by providing common sense reasons why municipal bankruptcy is an unacceptable option.

Feb 7, 2011

Start here.

Do you have specific criteria for bonds you’re looking for? Let us know and we’ll e-mail you bonds that fit your needs. There is no charge for this service.

    This report is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities or related financial instruments. This report is based on information obtained from sources believed to be reliable but no independent verification has been made, nor is its accuracy or completeness guaranteed.