Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris shares some investment "horror stories" and the lessons to be learned to help you avoid a similar fate in your institution's investment portfolio.

In this episode:

• Federal Reserve & market update
• Four investment horror stories
  • Case of the vanishing bond call
  • Mystery of the non-floating floater
  • Tale of the missing yield spread
  • The incredible disappearing yield
• How not to experience these horror stories in your portfolio
• Plan your 2027 professional development with 1-on-1 mentoring (Learn More)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA

Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation.

Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris addresses the question he's been hearing from community bankers recently: rates are higher, markets are choppy, so what do we do now? He shares a three-step strategic process for making confident investment decisions when market conditions feel uncertain.

In this episode:

• What should community bankers do with investment portfolios now?
• Market update & review of recent bond market and interest rate changes
• Two investment decision traps: paralysis and reaction
• The alternative: Taking a strategic approach
  • Start with the balance sheet
  • Figure out what you need (and what you don't)
  • Making intentional market decisions
• Developing a customized investment strategy with help from Nelson Capital Advisors (Learn More)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA

Connect with Nelson Capital Advisors

Interested in discussing how these concepts apply to your institution? I'd welcome the conversation.

• Email: Chris@NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com
• Phone: 207-420-2442
• Website: NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com

About Nelson Capital Advisors Nelson Capital Advisors is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specializing in serving community banks and credit unions. We provide investment advisory services, portfolio management consulting, investment policy development, and fixed-income strategy guidance.

Bond Investment Mentor LLC and Nelson Capital Advisors are commonly owned entities.

For detailed information about Nelson Capital Advisors' services, fees, and potential conflicts of interest, please review our Form ADV Part 2A brochure.

Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation. For advice tailored to your institution's needs, please contact Nelson Capital Advisors directly.

Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris presents a simple, practical approach to municipal bond due diligence for community financial institutions.

In this episode:

• Returning to Pacific Coast Banking School (LEARN MORE)
• Market & Fed update (2:22)
• The return of the term premium (4:03)
• Municipal bond due diligence made simple (9:16)
  • Two essential questions when evaluating muni bonds
    • How am I getting paid?
    • What's the likelihood I'll get paid?
  • The pre-purchase due diligence approach
  • The post-purchase due diligence approach
  • Using EMMA for due diligence (CHECK OUT EMMA)
• Free Download: Pre-purchase due diligence checklists (30:10) (DOWNLOAD)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA

Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation. For advice tailored to your institution's needs, please contact Nelson Capital Advisors directly.

Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris examines the difference between "portfolio managers" and "bond collectors." He also discusses how to tell the difference, and how it's the most important step you can take to effective investment management.

In this episode:

• Market update (2:00)
• Portfolio managers vs. bond collectors (4:18)
  • What makes your institution's investments a portfolio?
  • How a portfolio works as a system
  • How bond collections happen
  • The accumulation process & the "drift"
  • 3-question portfolio management gut check
• Creating a portfolio management framework with help from Nelson Capital Advisors (Learn More) (24:24)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA

Connect with Nelson Capital Advisors

Interested in discussing how these concepts apply to your institution? I'd welcome the conversation.

• Email: Chris@NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com
• Phone: 207-420-2442
• Website: NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com

About Nelson Capital Advisors Nelson Capital Advisors is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specializing in serving community banks and credit unions. We provide investment advisory services, portfolio management consulting, investment policy development, and fixed-income strategy guidance.

Bond Investment Mentor LLC and Nelson Capital Advisors are commonly owned entities.

For detailed information about Nelson Capital Advisors' services, fees, and potential conflicts of interest, please review our Form ADV Part 2A brochure.

Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation. For advice tailored to your institution's needs, please contact Nelson Capital Advisors directly.

Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris discusses investment portfolio duration management and why it matters for community financial institutions. He also shares a four-step process to help you manage investment duration systematically.

In this episode:

• Market & Fed update (2:15)
• Changing Fed communications (4:29)
• Managing portfolio duration (10:19)
  • The two definitions of duration
  • Why managing investment duration matters
  • Setting duration targets & portfolio management techniques
• Helping institutions with investment strategy development (Learn More) (32:54)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA

Connect with Nelson Capital Advisors

Interested in discussing how these concepts apply to your institution? I'd welcome the conversation.

• Email: Chris@NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com
• Phone: 207-420-2442
• Website: NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com

About Nelson Capital Advisors Nelson Capital Advisors is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specializing in serving community banks and credit unions. We provide investment advisory services, portfolio management consulting, investment policy development, and fixed-income strategy guidance.

Bond Investment Mentor LLC and Nelson Capital Advisors are commonly owned entities.

For detailed information about Nelson Capital Advisors' services, fees, and potential conflicts of interest, please review our Form ADV Part 2A brochure.

Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation. For advice tailored to your institution's needs, please contact Nelson Capital Advisors directly.

Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris discusses the importance of a periodic strategic check-up for your institution's investment portfolio. He also shares six key checkpoints to help you evaluate the portfolio's current position.

In this episode:

• Market & Fed update (2:08)
• Update: FASB amendment to allow hedging HTM securities (6:44)
• A Mid-Year Strategic Portfolio Check-Up (10:23)
  • Why a periodic check-up matters
  • 6 key checkpoints to evaluate
• Free Download: Strategic Portfolio Check-Up Guide (29:52) (DOWNLOAD)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA

Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation. For advice tailored to your institution's needs, please contact Nelson Capital Advisors directly.

Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris explores what bond defeasance is, how it works, and how it affects you as an investor. He also discusses how to identify and analyze defeased securities.

In this episode:

• Market & Fed update (1:34)
• Understanding Defeasance (9:19)
  • How defeasance works
  • Municipal bonds & defeasance
  • Commercial MBS & defeasance
  • Analyzing defeased securities
• Why I do what I do (29:17)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA

Connect with Nelson Capital Advisors

Interested in discussing how these concepts apply to your institution? I'd welcome the conversation.

• Email: Chris@NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com
• Phone: 207-420-2442
• Website: NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com

About Nelson Capital Advisors Nelson Capital Advisors is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specializing in serving community banks and credit unions. We provide investment advisory services, portfolio management consulting, investment policy development, and fixed-income strategy guidance.

Bond Investment Mentor LLC and Nelson Capital Advisors are commonly owned entities.

For detailed information about Nelson Capital Advisors' services, fees, and potential conflicts of interest, please review our Form ADV Part 2A brochure.

Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation. For advice tailored to your institution's needs, please contact Nelson Capital Advisors directly.

Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris breaks down callable step-up agency bonds. He explains how these agency bonds work and how these investments could deliver less than you expect. Chris also provides a framework for analyzing step-ups using Bloomberg screens and deciding whether they actually make sense for your institution's portfolio.

In this episode:

• Market & Fed update (1:43)
• Listener question: Discount MBS investments & a yield quirk (8:28)
• Understanding callable agencies (13:40)
  • Callable step-up agency basics
  • How to evaluate them (Download: Pre-Purchase Due Diligence Checklists)
  • The challenges of call and coupon interaction
  • Developing a step-up investment approach
• Boost your investment fundamentals with Bond Basics (Learn More) (26:55)

If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com.

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them!

You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out!

Let’s Connect via Social Media!

LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA