Rosie Carr, Investors Chronicle deputy editor, replies:
"Corporate bonds are tricky to get right. On the one hand, they offer tantalising yields to investors whose goal is to generate income at a time when interest rates are near to zero, and on the other, the risk of issuer default has risen sharply across the board. Most investors take the easy option which is to invest in a corporate bond fund. That way, someone else makes all the calls about the issuer's prospects, and you reduce risk by gaining exposure to lots, rather than a handful, of bonds.