The Investing Classroom spends a lot of time focused on investing in equities, and for good reason: Many of the investors using the Investing Classroom are looking for growth, and in general equities provide more growth over the long term than bonds.

That said, bonds provide much-needed ballast to equity portfolios. They are also key instruments when investing for shorter- and intermediate-term goals. And they are critical in retiree portfolios.

This course and Portfolio 410 provide a brief primer on bonds.

Next: What Is a Bond? >>