ShareBuilder from ING Direct Investing has introduced an online Bond Funds Centre offering easy access to fixed income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, and featuring educational tools and resources designed to help self-directed investors learn about and diversify in fixed income.

"As with any investment, fixed income or 'bond' funds are subject to risk, but they also offer investors diversification, price transparency, and ease of use and access," says Dan Greenshields (pictured), president of ING Direct Investing. "Fixed income is a key component to a well-diversified portfolio, and ShareBuilder is committed to offering the products and tools to support investors as they work toward their goals – and that help make investing easy."

ShareBuilder's new Bond Funds Centre features:

 • Screening tools: identify fixed income mutual funds or ETFs based on popular, pre-defined screens, or do a custom search by fund type, classification or rating
 • Educational articles: learn about the differences between bonds and bond funds with educational articles from SmartMoney.com
 • Fund ratings: view the top-rated bond mutual funds and ETFs from Lipper Leader Ratings, a supplier of mutual fund information, analytical tools and commentary
 • Performance views: view bond fund performance over time with a dynamic view of the US Treasury Yield Curve