A four-pack of income fund favorites

"Most bonds don't do well in the kind of rising interest-rate environment that we are likely to experience sooner than later, given that the U.S. government has been printing money like crazy and commodity prices have been going through the roof.

"Surely price inflation can't be far behind. When that happens, rates will begin to rise and bonds generally will fall in price.

"However, high-yield bonds should become more valuable since rising interest rates will also signal a recovering economy and high-yield companies will be seen as less vulnerable to credit, economic, and business risk and therefore more desirable. So locking in high-yield income now makes a lot of sense.

"As for real estate funds, often they produce decent income and this is still an area that remains beaten-down when compared to other sectors. These securities have already moved up quite a bit but not as much as the financials and commodities, for instance.

"Real estate funds are more volatile and risky than some of the bond funds that I'm going to suggest but I think it's worth having a sprinkling of them in your portfolio because if I'm right about a resurgence in inflation, real estate offers a good hedge.

"Personally, I'm buying half a dozen of them and will watch them over the next several months to see how they perform. If the payouts are as advertised I will be happy with that since I'm primarily looking for income from these choices with some growth potential as a bonus. Here are my suggestions:

"ING Clarion Global Real Estate Income Fund (IGR) invests globally and currently yields 8.3% on an annualized distribution of 54c a share.

"It holds 70 companies with half of the fund's holdings based in the U.S. But you have decent international exposure with holdings in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, along with a small position in Asia.

"The fund is up about 80% year to date but still down 15% on an annualized basis and the holdings appear to be fairly conservative. Certainly we are not buying this one at the bottom up but I suspect it still has room to run and you are getting paid pretty well to wait.

"PIMCO is one of the premier bond managers in the world. No doubt you have seen Bill Gross, the chairman of PIMCO, interviewed frequently on various financial channels as one of the most knowledgeable bond fund managers in the world.

"PIMCO Income Opportunity Fund (PKO) is a closed-end fund that currently pays monthly dividends of 17.7c per unit to yield close to 10%.

"It is highly rated by Morningstar and the fund is up about 18% over the past year, which is not bad for a bond fund.

"The fund holds a variety of bonds, mainly corporate issues ranging from U.S. giants Citicorp and American Airlines to international leasing finance companies. PIMCO is very well run and this has been a steady performer since its inception in 2007.

"Finally, here are two iShares funds you may want to look at, although I am not formally recommending either:

"iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund (PFF) focuses on U.S. preferred shares issued by companies like Ford, Wells Fargo, MetLife, etc.

"It offers a high monthly dividend but the payment varies significantly from one month to the next so if you need predictable cash flow, this may not be your best choice.

"For example, in 2009 the payments have ranged from 17.9c a unit in January to 31.4c per unit in July. The shares are up significantly from their March low of $15.05 but the units are far less volatile than funds that focus on common stock and of course the yield is much better.

"iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG) has a relatively modest yield of about 4% based on a monthly variable dividend.

"But it appears to be rock solid, having barely moved through the worst of the meltdown last March so it's worth buying some just for stability and peace of mind.

"Morningstar gives it a four star rating. This may be the least exciting part of your portfolio, tracking as it does government bonds, government-sponsored bonds, and corporate bonds, but least you will be sleeping well at night."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a free daily overview of the favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.