Bond Calculator
Calculate investment returns, compound growth, and portfolio performance.
Bond Details
Market & Tax Information
Investment Recommendation
Current Yield
Annual coupon / Current price
Yield to Maturity
Total return if held to maturity
Duration
Price sensitivity to interest rates
Modified Duration
% price change per 1% rate change
After-Tax Yield
At 22.00% tax rate
Real Yield
Inflation-adjusted return
Cash Flow Summary
Bond Investment Guide
Key Bond Concepts:
- Duration: Measures price sensitivity to interest rate changes
- Yield to Maturity: Total return if held until maturity
- Credit Risk: Risk of issuer defaulting on payments
- Call Risk: Risk of early redemption in declining rate environment
Investment Strategies:
- Buy and hold for steady income
- Ladder bonds for reinvestment opportunities
- Active trading based on interest rate views
- Diversify across credit qualities and maturities
Risk Considerations:
- Interest rate risk increases with duration
- Credit risk varies by issuer rating
- Inflation erodes real returns
- Liquidity may be limited for some bonds
Tax Implications:
- Coupon income taxed as ordinary income
- Capital gains/losses on sale or maturity
- Municipal bonds may be tax-exempt
- Consider tax-deferred accounts for bonds
How it works
A bond's price is the present value of its future cash flows: the periodic coupon payments plus the face value returned at maturity, each discounted at the market yield. When the yield rises above the coupon rate the bond trades below face value, and vice versa.
Bond price
Price = Σ [ coupon ÷ (1 + y)ᵗ ] + face ÷ (1 + y)ⁿ
- coupon
- periodic interest payment
- face
- par value repaid at maturity
- y
- market yield per period
- n
- number of periods
Worked example
- $1,000 face, 5% annual coupon ($50)
- Market yield 6%, 10 years
- Discount each $50 coupon + the $1,000 at 6%
Price ≈ $926 — below par because the yield exceeds the coupon.
Good to know
- Bond prices and yields move opposite ways: rising rates push existing bond prices down.
- Longer-maturity bonds are more sensitive to rate changes (higher duration).
- Current yield = annual coupon ÷ price; yield-to-maturity also counts the gain or loss to par.
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a bond's price calculated?
A bond is worth the present value of its future cash flows: each coupon payment plus the face value at maturity, discounted at the market yield. A $1,000 bond paying a 5% coupon prices near $926 when market yields are 6% over 10 years.
Why do bond prices fall when interest rates rise?
Existing bonds pay fixed coupons, so when new bonds offer higher yields, older lower-coupon bonds must sell at a discount to compete. The relationship is mechanical: price and yield always move in opposite directions.
What is the difference between current yield and yield to maturity?
Current yield is simply the annual coupon divided by today's price. Yield to maturity (YTM) also counts the capital gain or loss from converging to face value at maturity, making it the more complete measure of a bond's return if held to the end.
What does it mean when a bond trades at a premium or discount?
A bond trades at a premium (above face value) when its coupon rate exceeds current market yields, and at a discount when its coupon is below them. Either way, a holder to maturity receives exactly the face value back.
What is duration?
Duration measures a bond's price sensitivity to interest-rate changes — roughly the percentage price move for a 1-percentage-point yield change. Longer maturities and lower coupons mean higher duration, which is why long-term bonds swing harder when rates move.