Of course, you can also buy Treasuries from a brokerage firm. One big advantage to buying through a broker, however, is that you can usually get help setting up bond ladders and picking among various maturities. And for tax and record-keeping purposes, it's convenient to have all your holdings in one place. Corporate America Corporate bonds are a good idea if you're looking for a little more income and are willing to dig around and understand their nuances. Also, beware of call risk.
Many corporate bonds come with call features that can have a huge impact on their prices and yields.
Most brokerages will make it easy for you to trade listed corporate bonds. Some, such as Schwab, even allow you to do it on their Web sites . Regardless of the brokerage with which you work, make sure you understand how the firm makes its money. If the broker doesn't mention a commission, you're probably being charged a markup. We've written a lot about the attractiveness of municipals, and they're as appealing today as they've ever been.