Investing

Bonds

A bond is a loan from the investor to a government or company, usually with promised interest and repayment terms.

4 min

Investing 101 • 04

A bond is a loan you make to an issuer.

The issuer may be a government, company or other organization.

The bond sets terms for repayment.

Those terms can include the face value, interest payments and a maturity date.

A basic bond involves

01An issuer borrowing money02A face value03Interest or coupon payments04A maturity date05Credit risk

Stocks and bonds create different relationships.

01

Stock

Ownership in a company.

02

Bond

A lending relationship with an issuer.

A simple bond can be pictured as a loan.

Face value$1,000
Example coupon rate4%
Annual coupon$40
Maturity5 years

Bond prices can still move before maturity.

Changes in market interest rates and the issuer’s credit quality can affect what another investor will pay for the bond.

Bond risk can include

01Issuer default risk02Interest-rate risk03Inflation risk04Liquidity risk

Remember this

A bond is a loan, not a savings account.

The payment terms may be defined, but the market value and risk can still change.

Lesson complete

Reviewed 2026-08-18

Screen 1 / 1