A topic of current interest: Bonds or bond funds?

Note: This paper is an updated version of a 2012 Vanguard paper of the same title by Donald G. Bennyhoff, Scott J. Donaldson, and Ravi G. Tolani. 1 See the Vanguard research papers Taxable Bond Investing: Bond Funds or Individual Bonds? (Donaldson, 2009) and Municipal Bond Funds and Individual Bonds (Bennyhoff, 2009). ................
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