Core, corporate, and short-duration bond funds continue to be popular as investors seek safer streams of income, but Morningstar's Eric Jacobson is concerned about the longer-term risks.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:13]</b> ... that investors have been buying. Joining me to discuss that topic is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>; he is a senior fund analyst with Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Great to be with you, Christine. How are you? Benz: Good. Thanks, Eric. So let's get right into this list. I'm wondering ... <br/> Morningstar's Eric Jacobson responds to reader concerns about fixed income in the current low-rate environment, touching on duration, whether to sell holdings, the idea of moving into cash, and more.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:14]</b> ... with thought we'd go straight to the source and check in with <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>. He is a senior fund analyst at Morningstar, and he specializes in bonds and bond funds. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: I'm really glad to be with you Christine. Benz: Eric, I would like to just start with a question of my own ... <br/><b>[0:03:22]</b> ... coupons attached to them. How do you tackle a question like that <b>Eric</b>? <b>Jacobson</b>: Well, you know what, if I could answer that question with any amount of certainty I could retire tomorrow and move out ... <br/> Morningstar's Eric Jacobson outlines three short-term bond funds that can protect against rate sensitivity, but mind the risks as such funds aren't cash substitutes.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:14]</b> ... Joining me to discuss some of Morningstar's favorite short-term bond funds is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>, he is a senior analyst with Morningstar. Eric thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Hi, Christine. It's great to be with you. Benz: Eric, let's start by discussing the short-term bond category. I've been hearing from ... <br/> Bond-fund investors need to focus on duration, credit quality, and relative yields to better understand how much risk they're taking on, says Morningstar's Eric Jacobson.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:13]</b> ... to discuss how to assess the risks in your bond portfolio is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>. He is a senior analyst with Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Hi, Christine. Good to talk to you. Benz: Eric, we usually think of there being too key risk metrics that you want ... <br/> Morningstar's Eric Jacobson on the crucial data points that fixed-income fund investors must keep on their radar and how to interpret them.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:18]</b> ... Joining me to discuss some key data points to focus on is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>; he is director of fixed-income research for Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Great to be with you Christine. Benz: Eric, if I am a time-pressed individual, and I'm attempting to make sense of my ... <br/> Despite their extra income, nonrated municipal bonds can expose investors to lower-credit-quality, less-liquid issues with a tremendous research requirement, says Morningstar's Eric Jacobson.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:15]</b> ... include so-called nonrated municipal bonds. Joining me to discuss nonrated munis is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>. He is director of fixed-income fund research for Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Great to be with you, Christine. Benz: Eric, this Federal Reserve Bank of New York report looked at the total muni universe, ... <br/> And not in the good way, as Morningstar's Eric Jacobson cautions that numerous portfolios in the category have proved to be more volatile and have lower returns than some might think.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:10]</b> ... few years. Joining me to provide an update on this category is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>. He is a senior fund analyst with Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b> : Hi, Christine, great to be with you. Benz : Eric, nontraditional bond is our category for this grouping of funds, but ... <br/> Morningstar's Eric Jacobson offers a formula to gauge whether TIPS are cheap or expensive compared with other assets but also warns of potential risks should long-term yields rise.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:23]</b> ... how safe TIPS really are? Joining me to discuss this question is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>. He is director of fixed-income fund research for Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Glad to be here, Christine. Benz: Eric, let's discuss this question. TIPS yields have really gone down a lot over the past ... <br/> Although developing-markets debt purchases have been escalating of late, investors should be aware of the correlations to other assets as well as currency risks, says Morningstar's Eric Jacobson.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:20]</b> ... emerging-markets bonds, as well as some pitfalls to watch out for, is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>. He is director of fixed-income fund research for Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Glad to do it, Christine. Benz: Eric, there has been a lot of enthusiasm about emerging-markets bonds. Let's talk about why investors ... <br/> With the SEC dismissing a plan to reform the money fund industry, Morningstar's Eric Jacobson examines potential risks as well as focus points for investors going forward.<br/><br/><b>[0:00:11]</b> ... Joining me to discuss the state of the money fund industry is <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>. He is director of fixed-income fund research with Morningstar. Eric, thank you so much for being here. <b>Eric</b> <b>Jacobson</b>: Great to see you, Christine. Benz: Eric, let's discuss what was on the table before the SEC. Among other things, they were ... <br/>