A load fund means you pay commission and a no load fund means you do not pay commission. No load funds pay you slightly lower rate in exchange for their services. Picking the right fund for you takes time and research. The CBS MarketWatch site has excellent info to help you choose a fund. When an government agency, municipality or institution or company needs to borrow money for long periods of time, it often issues bonds.
Bonds are long-term obligations that pay a stated rate of interest for a specified number of years.
The principal is usually linked to a dollar value that is called the par value. Another characteristic of bonds is their prices. Investors see bonds as financial assets but take into account the changes in the future interest rates, the risk that the company will default and other factors before deciding on what to offer. The final price is established by supply and demand. Bond yields, the annual interest divided by the purchase price, are used to compare bonds.