Bonds for Canadians: How to Build Wealth and Lower Risk in Your Portfolio.

Sarah Robertson is an associate editor of the Canadian Book Review
Annual.

Andrew Allentuck is an award-winning business journalist who has taught economics in universities in both Canada and the United States. His previous books include Consumer Choice, Who Speaks for the Patient?, and The Cost of Age.

Written for investors of moderate experience, Bonds for Canadians, in the words of its author, “examines bond and related markets to show how one can make handsome amounts of money, usually with less risk than by investing in common markets.”

The book is divided into ten chapters. Chapter 1 provides a history of debt finance and introduces readers to the yield curve and other key tools and concepts. Chapter 2 examines the risks that drive bonds, while Chapter 3 considers the risks associated with bonds ranging from step bonds to credit default swaps. Alternative (riskier) bonds and global bonds are considered in Chapters 4 and 5, respectively. Subsequent chapters explore the mechanics of bond pricing, various types of bond funds, the nuts and bolts of bond trading, and the future of bond investing. Chapter 10 synthesizes the information provided in the preceding chapters by developing bond investment strategies. A glossary, bibliography, and index round out the volume.

Heavy on substance and mercifully devoid of “inspirational content” and “confected stories of eager investors,” Bonds for Canadians is one of those rare personal finance books that offers more steak than sizzle.