I’ve seen a lot of discussions lately that erroneously conclude: “rising interest rates are something to be feared and prepared for” by buying short duration bonds or by liquidating income purpose securities entirely. Have they all gone mad!

A rising interest rate environment is super good news for investors… up to a point. When we loan money to someone, is it better to get the lowest possible rate for the shortest period of time? Stop looking at income investing with a “grow the market value” perspective. That’s not what it’s all about.

The purpose of income investments is the generation of income, and that goes for all forms of bonds, preferreds, government securities, etc. Control the quality selected, diversify properly, and compound that part of the income that you don’t have to spend. Bond prices are pretty much irrelevant since you spend the income and not the  market value.

Long, long, ago, many bonds were of the “bearer” variety; my father never owned any others. Each month, he went to the bank, clipped his coupons, cashed them in, and left the bank with a broad smile. If interest rates went up, he knew he could go out and buy new bonds to put larger coupon dollars in his pocket.

He had no reason to even consider selling the bonds he held — they were, after all, income purpose securities that had never failed to do their job. Market value never fluctuates (visually) if the securities are kept in the (mental) safe deposit box.

No, this is not at all what I’m suggesting to you as an investment… this is a mindset you need to embrace to become a successful income investor.

Even when your statement shows bond prices at chest-pounding wealth levels, the income generated hasn’t changed. And the profits your statement reports… really just another Wall Street illusion.

The thing dear old Dad thought about least was the market value of his bonds. This was his tax free retirement plan (one way or the other). He bought them for income, and the coupons were always redeemed without question. The only problem with the periodic decreases in market value was the inability to add to existing positions.

Before I move on to the simple solution to this non-problem, a word or two on the only real benefit of lower interest rates — there is none if you don’t already own individual, income producing, securities. If you own interest rate expectation (IRE) sensitive securities in a downward interest rate cycle, you will have the opportunity for what I call “income-bucket-gravy”.

This is the opportunity to sell your income purpose securities at a profit, over and above the income you’ve already banked. Income investors rarely are advised to do this, which is why they lament the thievery of higher rates. They didn’t sell at a premium, and now “actionlessly” watch the profits disappear.

This behavior achieves the lowest possible yields while pushing scared-silly investors into an overpriced market for short duration debt… the ultimate Wall Street “markup” machine, where brokers literally make more than bondholders.

The solution is simple, and has been used successfully for decades. Closed End Funds (scoff, laugh, and say “leverage makes them volatile” all you like) solve all the liquidity and price change problems… in a low cost, much higher income, environment.

Read that again, and again, until you get mad at your advisor.

Answer this question before you throw stones. Is 7% or more on a diversified, transparent, income portfolio, compounded over the past ten years and still growing income, better or worse than the 3.5% or less that most investors have realized in individual securities during the same time period… and then there are the profits that you never realized you could realize so effectively.

Of course CEF market values fell during the financial crisis, but at their peak in November 2012, they had gained nearly 18% per year since 3/9/09…. nearly outperforming the S & P 500. But speaking of “drawdowns”, what do you think the economic activity drawdown of near zero money market rates has been, particularly for “savings account” Baby Boomers.

Did the Fed’s messing around with short term interest rates help or hurt your retired relatives… really, think about it.

Rising interest rates are good for investors; so are falling rates. Fortunately, they routinely move in both directions. They can be traded quickly for exceptional results from “stodgy” income CEF portfolios.

So much for Total Return, short duration, and leverage-phobic thinking.