Stocks vs. Bonds: Differences, Risk, Returns, and How to Choose a Mix

The difference between a stock and a bond is simple. A stock is an ownership claim in a company. A bond is a loan to a government, company, or other issuer.

Stocks usually carry more short-term price risk and more long-term growth potential. Bonds can provide income and diversification, but they can lose money through interest-rate changes, inflation, credit problems, or default.

How much to invest in stocks vs. bonds depends on the goal, time horizon, cash need, ability to absorb loss, willingness to see loss, and need for return. Age alone is not enough.

What are bonds vs stocks in plain English?

People searching "what are bonds vs stocks" are asking whether they will own part of a company or lend money to an issuer. That legal difference shapes the cash flow and risk.

What is the difference between stocks and bonds?

Question | Stock | Bond
What you own | Part of a company | A debt claim on an issuer
Expected cash flow | Dividends if declared | Interest and principal under contract
Upside | Can rise with company value | Usually limited to promised payments unless traded
Main risks | Business loss, valuation, market decline | Rate, inflation, credit, call, liquidity, and default
Failure position | Owners are residual claimants | Bondholders generally rank ahead of stockholders

The ownership-versus-loan distinction follows Investor.gov's stock definition and bond definition.

Owning a bond does not make the price stable every day. Owning a stock does not guarantee a dividend or return.

Stock risk versus bond risk

Stock risks

company earnings and failure;

market and valuation declines;

concentration;

dilution;

currency and political risk for foreign holdings; and

long periods below a prior peak.

Bond risks

interest-rate risk;

inflation risk;

credit downgrade or default;

call or prepayment risk;

reinvestment risk;

liquidity risk; and

currency risk for foreign debt.

U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government for promised principal and interest. Their market price can still fall before maturity when rates rise.

Individual bonds versus bond funds

An individual bond has a stated maturity. If the issuer pays as promised and you hold to maturity, you receive the contractual principal at maturity.

A bond fund owns a changing portfolio. It does not have one maturity date for your shares. Its net asset value moves as rates, credit, holdings, and market conditions change.

Feature | Individual bond | Bond fund
Maturity | Stated for the bond | Portfolio has an average maturity and duration
Diversification | Requires multiple purchases | Can hold many bonds
Cash flow | Contractual schedule if issuer pays | Fund distributions vary
Price | Changes before maturity | Changes continuously with portfolio
Default impact | Can be large in one holding | Spread across holdings, but not removed

The choice depends on the job. A known liability on a known date may fit a bond ladder. Ongoing diversified exposure may fit a fund.

How interest rates and duration affect bond prices

When market yields rise, the price of an existing fixed-rate bond generally falls. New bonds offer the higher market yield, so an older lower-coupon bond becomes less attractive unless its price adjusts.

Duration estimates price sensitivity to a rate change. A longer-duration bond or fund is generally more sensitive than a shorter-duration one. Duration is an estimate, not a promise, and credit or option features can change the result.

A conceptual rate-and-duration map based on TreasuryDirect pricing guidance and FINRA's duration explanation.

Stocks vs. bonds historical returns

Historical-return claims depend on:

the stock and bond indexes chosen;

start and end dates;

whether income is reinvested;

inflation;

taxes and fees;

rebalancing; and

whether the result is arithmetic, geometric, or investor return.

Over long U.S. histories, broad stocks have generally produced higher returns with larger losses, while high-quality bonds have generally produced lower returns with smaller price swings. That pattern is not a forecast, and it can reverse over shorter periods.

Do not use one uncited table to choose a portfolio. Use matched total-return series and show the period. For a concrete example of how assumptions change an investing chart, see what investing $300 a month could become.

How much to invest in stocks vs. bonds

Investing in bonds vs stocks is not a vote for one winner. It is a choice about which risk belongs in each part of the plan.

Use four questions.

1. When will the money be needed?

Money needed soon has less time to recover from a stock decline. Long-horizon money can usually accept more short-term change, but the goal still matters.

2. How much loss can the plan absorb?

This is risk capacity. A household with stable income, emergency cash, and flexible timing may have more capacity than someone who needs near-term withdrawals.

3. How much loss can you tolerate without abandoning the plan?

This is risk willingness. A portfolio that causes panic selling is too aggressive, even if a questionnaire says otherwise.

4. How much return does the goal require?

This is risk need. A fully funded short-term goal may not need stock risk. An underfunded goal does not automatically justify taking extreme risk. The saving rate, spending target, and timeline may need to change.

An asset-allocation checklist based on Investor.gov guidance. It replaces an age-only formula with the factors that affect the actual goal.

Why stocks vs. bonds by age formulas are incomplete

A rule such as "100 minus your age in stocks" ignores:

pension and Social Security income;

job stability;

near-term spending;

account size;

health and longevity;

bequest goals;

tax location; and

behavior in a market decline.

Age is relevant because it can affect time horizon. It is not the whole allocation.

Target-date funds use a glide path that changes over time, but funds with the same target year can hold different stock, bond, and cash mixes. Read the actual allocation and fees.

Rebalancing

Rebalancing brings a portfolio back toward its chosen mix.

You can check on a calendar or when an asset class moves beyond a set band. New contributions and withdrawals can rebalance with less selling. In a taxable account, gains, losses, and the wash-sale rule matter.

The goal is not to predict which asset wins next. It is to keep the portfolio's risk connected to the plan.

Common questions

Are bonds safer than stocks?

High-quality bonds usually have less price volatility than stocks, but "safer" depends on the risk. Long bonds can lose value when rates rise. Lower-quality bonds can default. Cash may be safer for a near-term bill.

Should retirees hold stocks?

Many retirees need some growth to address a long horizon and inflation. The amount depends on essential income, withdrawal needs, flexibility, capacity, and tolerance.

Do bonds go up when stocks go down?

Sometimes, not always. Rate changes, inflation, credit stress, and the type of bond affect the relationship.

How often should I rebalance?

Use a repeatable calendar or threshold rule. Checking too often can add trading, tax, and behavior costs. Never rebalancing can let risk drift far from the target.

This guide is general education, not an asset-allocation recommendation. Stocks, bonds, funds, and Treasury securities can lose market value. Match investments to the exact goal and account.

Sources

Investor.gov, stock definition. Accessed July 30, 2026.

Investor.gov, bond definition. Accessed July 30, 2026.

Investor.gov, asset allocation and diversification. Accessed July 30, 2026.

Investor.gov, beginner's guide to asset allocation. Accessed July 30, 2026.

Investor.gov, target-date funds. Accessed July 30, 2026.

Investor.gov, bond funds. Accessed July 30, 2026.

FINRA, bond duration. Accessed July 31, 2026.

FINRA, buying municipal bonds. Accessed July 30, 2026.

TreasuryDirect, understanding Treasury marketable security pricing. Accessed July 30, 2026.

TreasuryDirect, Treasury marketable securities. Accessed July 30, 2026.