Geldanlage: Passives Einkommen mit Anleihen: Mit diesen ETFs bekommen Sie acht Mal im Jahr Zinsen

Many investors are seeking passive income through bond investments, as their returns have increased significantly in recent months. Unlike stocks or gold, bond investments are less affected by short-term market fluctuations, as they have a fixed maturity date. This maturity date determines when the bond is repaid to the investor if the issuer remains solvent.

Over the past few months, bond prices have dropped significantly, leading to increased returns, particularly for government bonds and corporate bonds. Many experts believe that investing in diversified funds is a good way to minimize risks. Broadly diversified bond funds, rather than traditional bond funds without a maturity date, are more suitable for passive income.

Recently, bond ETFs (exchange-traded funds) with fixed maturities have become available. These ETFs function similarly to bond investments themselves. Investors put money into the fund, receive interest payments, and get their money back at the end of the fund's maturity date. The funds' prices fluctuate, but investors can ignore this if they hold the funds until maturity, as the funds are supposed to be returned at the purchase price.

Most of these ETFs are offered by iShares from Blackrock and Xtrackers from DWS. The "iBonds" series from iShares and the "Target Maturity" series from Xtrackers have payouts in March, June, September, and December, respectively, while the "Target Maturity" ETFs pay out in February, May, August, and November. By combining these funds, investors can receive money eight times a year.

The Euro-denominated ETFs have maturities ranging from two and a half to almost ten years, with the underlying bonds maturing when the ETFs are redeemed and investors receive their money back.

The bonds in the ETFs typically mature before the ETFs themselves, with most bonds maturing before the ETF's expiration date. The ETFs then reinvest the returned money from short- and medium-term bonds into new short-term government bonds. This process also brings in new bonds that fit the index if they meet the criteria. This dynamic of the portfolios makes the calculation of interest payments and returns more complex than investing in a single bond.

The annual returns from bonds are mainly the result of a combination of interest payments and the difference between the purchase price and the repayment value of 100 percent.

David Wenicker, who manages Blackrock's sales business for private clients in Germany, believes that iBonds offer "planable cash flows with broad portfolio diversification." The providers specify the expected returns for each bond ETF, acknowledging that the relationship between interest rates and payouts is crucial. Interest rates are fixed and do not change, while the bond prices fluctuate.

When bond prices fall, the yields increase, as the fixed interest payments are then more percentage-wise substantial compared to a higher purchase price. Conversely, yields decrease when bond prices rise. Bond prices are more volatile the longer the bond maturity is, as the bonds have more interest payments outstanding and investors are more exposed to economic developments, inflation, and central bank interest rate changes.