Good question! A “30-day SEC yield” is defined by the SEC to measure the dividends and interest that a bond fund earns (minus expenses) over the last 30 days, annualized. Our “blended” number takes the weighted average of the yields on the funds in the portfolio, minus our 0.25% management fee.

No. The blended 30-day SEC yield provides a snapshot of the income generated by the portfolio ETFs in the past 30 days, but it doesn’t predict future returns. It’s also important to note that it doesn’t represent the portfolio’s overall performance – just like any investment, the price of the ETFs in the portfolio may fluctuate day-to-day.Learn more about the pros and cons of bond ETFs.

The Automated Bond Portfolio is great for those seeking a higher yield than our Cash Account with less risk than investing in equities. It’s designed to be our lowest risk portfolio, but there’s still a chance it could lose value. If you prefer not to take on that risk, or you expect to withdraw your money within the next year, our Cash Account might be a better fit for you. If you’re looking for long-term growth and you’re able to take on more risk for potentially higher returns, consider our automated index investing portfolios.

Glad you asked! You’ll get a dividend from each of your bond ETFs sometime around the beginning of the month. But keep in mind that December and January are a little different: Because these ETFs usually have year-end distribution requirements, you’ll typically see larger dividend payments (or multiple dividend payments) in December, but none in January.

Some bonds are extra special because your gains can be exempt from state or federal taxes. We’ll ask you a few questions to understand your specific tax situation and then build you a portfolio to maximize your after-tax yield with this personalized allocation. And as time goes on, we’ll use our industry-leading Tax-Loss Harvesting software to look for opportunities to lower your tax bill even more.

We charge a small, 0.25% annual management fee for the Automated Bond Portfolio, just like with our Automated Investing Account. Not only will we handle all the trades for you, but we’ll automatically reinvest your dividends, rebalance your portfolio, and look for regular Tax-Loss Harvesting opportunities, whenever possible. All you have to do is sit back and watch your money earn more money.