The document discusses various options for building an income-generating portfolio, including the risks and rewards of different asset classes like stocks, bonds, real estate, and international fixed income. It provides examples of how an income portfolio could be constructed using a combination of assets, depending on an investor's goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Specific funds are mentioned as examples of strategies that combine different income-producing assets.

1. Building a portfolio for income<br />Potential income generating options, and how you might put them together. By Joanna Bewick<br />With interest rates still near historic lows even as inflation fears are rising, building an income-producing portfolio has become more challenging than ever.<br />Do you stick with historically “safe” Treasuries and their paltry yields? Or reach out for higher yields and the risks that come with them? Or do you consider non-bond income-generating investments like dividend-yielding stocks or real estate investment trusts? And are you better off with individual securities, funds, annuities, managed accounts, or some combination?<br />There is no one right answer—it depends on your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. If you are saving for retirement, you should be taking a total return approach that considers both income and capital appreciation. If you’re in retirement, you likely have some guaranteed income streams like Social Security, a pension, or an annuity. But you may also want or need to generate income off your investment portfolio. And regardless of your stage in life, there may be times you want to generate income for a specific goal, say to pay college bills.<br />Also, your tax situation will come into play. After all, it's not what you make but what you keep after-tax that counts. So, although this Viewpoint doesn’t delve into the nitty-gritty of the tax treatment of investment income, which can vary greatly depending on what you own and your overall financial situation, you’ll want to discuss that with a tax professional.<br />To help you get started in your analysis, we lay out some of the options—and the trade-offs — along a risk-reward spectrum. Then we’ll show a few examples, based on strategies used in Fidelity funds, of how different types of investors with different goals and investing styles might piece together a portfolio with the potential to generate income.<br />Investment options<br />Let’s start with the basics, beginning with higher risk, non-bond options and ending with government bonds.<br />Dividend-paying equities. These stocks offer a combination of income and growth potential—attractive attributes for investors who need to fund a retirement that may last two decades or more. Owning stocks has historically meant more volatile returns than some types of bond investments, and the risk of losses. But recently, strong corporate profits and low interest rates have led more income-oriented investors to brave those risks for higher yields. The yield on the MSCI USA High Dividend Yield Index was 3.44% as of August 31. And don’t ignore the growth potential of companies based overseas, some of which may provide stronger dividend payments than their domestic counterparts.<br />“Unlike bonds with fixed coupons, dividend-paying stocks can offer a rising income stream over time as dividends grow with earnings,” says Scott Offen, a Fidelity portfolio manager who invests in dividend-producing stocks. “Rising income and the potential for capital gains may offset inflation more easily than fixed income alternatives. Recent market activity may have potentially made dividends particularly attractive as corporations have been healthy with high cash reserves and good earnings, giving companies the ability to maintain and potentially increase future dividend payouts, and dividend yields are attractive on a historical basis versus the 10-year Treasury.”<br />Also, most dividends on common stock qualify for a top tax rate of 15%, versus a top rate of 35% on non-qualified dividends. <br />Income investment optionsPerformance, risk, and yield (September 31, 2008 – August 31, 2011)Investment optionTotal returnRisk(standard deviation)Current yieldDividend-paying equities5.94%20.40%3.44%Convertibles5.15%19.13%3.62%Preferred stocks4.12%27.81%6.41%REITs2.52%36.77%4.70%High yield bonds11.95%16.91%9.62%Leveraged loans5.87%13.95%7.47%10-year Treasury bonds7.04%5.14%2.22%TIPS6.81%8.75%1.96%Municipals6.00%5.59%3.12%Investment-grade corporates9.15%8.17%3.43%This table is for illustrative purposes. Data according to FMR FactSet, Bloomberg, Barclays and FMRCo. as of August 31, 2011. Return and standard volatility measures represent the annualized return for the 3 years from September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2011. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Standard deviation shows how much variation there is from the “average” (mean, or expected value). Each asset class was represented by an index. Dividend-paying equities—the MSCI USA High Dividend Yield Index; Convertible securities—Bank of America Merrill Lynch All Convertible All Qualities; preferred stocks—S&P US Preferred Stock TR; REITs—FTSE NAREIT All REITs TR; high yield bonds—Bank of America Merrill Lynch US High Yield Master II Constrained TR USD; leveraged loans—Standard & Poors/LSTA Leveraged Loan TR, Treasury—Ibbotson Associates SBBI US IT Govt TR USD, TIPS—Barclays Capital US Treasury US TIPS TR USD; municipals—Barclays Capital Municipal TR USD; investment-grade bonds—Barclays Capital U.S. Credit Bond Index.<br />Convertibles. These instruments—bonds that give you the option to convert to stock at a set price—provide another way to diversify. They offer some of the upside of equities, but because of that flexibility, they tend to offer lower interest rates than bonds issued by the same company. Convertibles have some risks, including the possibility that the issuer will “call” the security, meaning the issuer can force a conversion. For those willing to accept the risks, convertibles may offer more upside than some types of bonds.<br />Preferred stocks. These have characteristics of both stocks and bonds. While they are equity securities—that is, they represent an ownership stake in the issuing company—they tend to offer bond-like dividend yields, and more limited growth potential than shares of common stock. As of August 31, the current yield on the S&P Preferred Stock Index was 6.41%, while investment-grade corporate bonds offered 3.42%, and the MSCI USA High Dividend Yield Index offered 3.44%.<br />Preferred stocks also can have call provisions, which tend to favor the issuer. When interest rates decline, the issuer can call the shares back and reissue them with a lower dividend yield. To avoid this scenario, look for a call protection feature, which limits the stock’s issuer from exercising this option for a designated period of time, usually five years.<br />“About one-third of the preferred stocks we follow are beyond their call date,” says Joanna Bewick, a Fidelity portfolio manager who specializes in income strategies. “If you pay $102 per share, and they’re called at $100, you lose money,” says Bewick. “Without call protection, you can eat into the yield and turn your investment negative.”<br />Real estate. For a long time, residential real estate was considered a safe investment thanks to its ability to produce regular rental income, as well as the tax deductions. These days, the outlook for income-producing residential properties is less certain. It’s unclear when, or whether, foreclosures will stop affecting housing prices. There are specific situations in which investment properties may be shielded from the overall economic environment—such as highly desirable neighborhoods near stable institutions—but otherwise it’s prudent to refrain from relying too heavily on rental income.<br />In the most recent cycle, the fundamentals of the commercial real estate market have been more stable than the residential real estate market. As result, real estate investment trusts (REITs), while potentially volatile, can still make sense in a diversified equity portfolio. “The downturn in REITs in recent years had more to do with the financing crisis than the fundamentals of supply and demand,” says Bewick. “Demand may have been weak, but there wasn’t a gross oversupply, so the fundamentals are rather healthy, and I still think you can earn incremental return there. It’s not a market for the faint of heart, though.”<br />Bewick notes that sectors like senior housing and health care facilities may offer long-term value, given the demographics of an aging population. However, she warns that more economically sensitive industries like retail and hospitality may elevate volatility and overall portfolio risk.<br />With REITs, there are a number of ways to invest—everything from investment-grade bonds to the equities of the REITs themselves. Generally, bond interest and REIT distributions are taxed at rates up to 35%.<br />“Folks who are lower risk investors are likely going to find themselves more attracted to real estate fixed income, and perhaps as your risk tolerance increases, you consider things like preferreds or the common equity of REITs themselves,” says Bewick. “So it’s a question of deciding what one’s risk tolerance is, and where they feel comfortable in the capital structure when it comes to real estate entities.”<br />High-yield bonds. Notable for their low credit ratings, high-yield bonds, issued by companies and governments worldwide, reward investors with higher rates of interest than investment-grade corporate bonds, to compensate for their significantly higher risk of default. Recently, high-yield bonds offered a current yield of 9.62%, considerably more than investment-grade corporate bonds at 3.43%. However, the volatility of high-yield bonds has been on display as well. The three-year annualized standard deviation shows how much returns have varied over time—high-yield investors had a bumpier ride with a standard deviation of 16.91%, compared to corporate bonds, with a standard deviation of 8.17%.<br />Leveraged loans. These bank loans have coupons that reset periodically and are viewed as an asset that could provide some protection against rising rates. These securities invest in the leveraged loans of high-yield companies and have interest rates that are set at a spread above a base rate, typically LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate). And these loans are “senior” to high-yield bonds, meaning leveraged loan investors are paid first if the company goes bankrupt.<br />These two characteristics can potentially make a leveraged loan fund less subject to credit risk and interest-rate risk than might be the case with a longer-duration high-yield bond fund, while still providing more income potential than some more conservative asset classes. The ability to adjust to rising interest rates may make these bonds attractive, but keep in mind it also means these investments inherently have higher refinancing/repricing risk. Unlike other credit investments, which may have non-call periods when the bonds cannot be redeemed, leveraged loans are callable at par at any time.<br />Investment-grade corporate bonds. These securities are issued by corporations that earn credit ratings of BBB or higher from Standard & Poor’s and Baa or higher from Moody’s. These bonds carry a higher risk of default than Treasuries of comparable maturities. But as a result, corporate bonds tend to offer higher rates of interest than government bonds.<br />“Investors who are looking for income and preservation of capital from their investments may also want to include corporate bonds in their portfolios,” says David Prothro, a Fidelity portfolio manager who manages corporate bond funds. “Corporate bonds provide an opportunity to choose from a variety of sectors, structures, and credit-quality characteristics to meet investment objectives.”<br />Treasury bonds. Five-year Treasuries offered around 1% interest on August 31. While that’s not a tremendous amount of income, Treasury securities remain an important, high-quality component of a long-term investment strategy. Because they are issued by the government, they are considered a very conservative investment, even after the recent credit downgrade by Standard & Poor’s. The reliable income they provide may give you the flexibility to take on a bit more risk in other parts of your portfolio.<br />Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). A TIPS bond functions like any other Treasury, and with the government backing the bond it may be considered lower risk. But unlike a normal Treasury, the principal is adjusted for inflation, so if inflation drives the value of the bond up, the interest payment and principal due at maturity will increase. TIPS may start off paying less than a comparable Treasury bond, but if inflation takes off, they may pay more in the long run.<br />“Conventional bonds offer a fixed income stream, the purchasing power of which is eroded by inflation,” says Bill Irving, a Fidelity portfolio manager who specializes in government bonds. “TIPS counter that erosion: The cash flows of TIPS are increased by the amount of inflation. TIPS are an important component in an overall diversified portfolio.”<br />One thing to keep in mind, however: TIPS can generate quot;
phantom income,quot;
that means you could have to pay taxes as the value of the bond rises with inflation, even though you may not receive a payment until the bond reaches maturity. So you’ll want to consider the tax implications before investing.<br />Municipal bonds. The interest income earned from most municipal bonds is exempt from federal income taxes. What’s more, if you live in the state that issues the bonds, the income may also be exempt from state and local income taxes. “The tax advantages of municipal bonds contribute to their appeal for many investors,” says Jamie Pagliocco, director of municipal bond portfolio managers at Fidelity. quot;
Generally speaking, the higher one’s tax bracket, the greater the likelihood that an investor will find municipal bonds an attractive addition to their fixed income allocation.” Municipal bonds on the whole tend to offer high credit quality. That said, some issuers currently face challenging fiscal environments that may negatively impact their credit profile. So it’s critical to do your credit research. If you don’t have the time or ability to do so, a mutual fund or managed account may be a better option.<br />International fixed income optionsJust like in the U.S., investment grade and high-yield debt markets operate in countries around the world. In fact, international debt markets have the potential to give you exposure to many of the fastest growing and most powerful economies in the world. Investors can choose from:Developed market debt. While developed market debt has been in the news recently with the debt crisis in Greece, that doesn’t mean you should necessarily walk away from the asset class. Some developed countries are in much better shape and may be entering periods of reform that could help bonds. Emerging markets bonds. The risk profile of emerging markets debt has changed dramatically over the last 15 years. Bewick notes that 60% of emerging market countries are now considered to be investment-grade. Investing in international debt can help diversify your income portfolio. “Investment in non-U.S. debt lets you diversify your interest rate regimes, and gives you coupon payments that may be higher than what’s available in U.S. Treasury markets,” says Bewick. “They also add currency diversification by moving a portion of your portfolio away from the dollar.” However, those added benefits also introduce new elements of risk, including a range of policy decisions and currency conversions. <br />Combining income assets<br />Your strategy for building a portfolio out of various income-producing assets will depend on your situation—in particular, your goals and your tolerance for investment risk. While each individual needs to decide what mix is right for him or her based on their own research and situation, here we will look at the makeup of three different Fidelity funds as illustrative ideas showing possibilities of how these different products might come together in a portfolio.<br />Making choices<br />Developing the right strategy for you requires understanding your particular needs, goals, and temperament. There are a number of different ways you can try to achieve your income goals. You may want to build your own portfolio, either as an individual or in partnership with a financial adviser. Or, you may choose a fund that combines different asset classes for you.<br />If you want to avoid the uncertainty of a traditional investment portfolio and lock in a guaranteed income stream that you can’t outlive, you may want to consider a fixed or variable annuity. Although it may limit your flexibility and growth potential, an annuity can provide peace of mind—and make it easier to stick with the rest of your investment portfolio through market ups and downs. Finally, a managed account can deliver professional portfolio construction and management<br />