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Three ways to buy Thrivent funds

We’re here to help you invest with confidence.

MUTUAL FUNDS

Thrivent Account

You can purchase mutual funds right on our site with an online account.

Buy with a Thrivent account

  • Set up an account starting with as little as $50 per month.1
  • Access your online account at your convenience.
  • Purchase funds without transaction fees or sales charges.

MUTUAL FUNDS & ETFS

Financial Professional

For guidance when investing, ask a financial professional about buying Thrivent mutual funds & ETFs.

Buy with a financial professional

  • Receive investment help from an experienced professional.
  • Build a relationship through in-person meetings.
  • Get help planning for life’s goals such as saving and retirement.
  • Additional fees may apply.

MUTUAL FUNDS & ETFS

Brokerage Account

If you already have a brokerage account, our mutual funds & ETFs can be purchased through online brokerage platforms by searching for Thrivent Mutual Funds and ETFs.

Buy with a brokerage account

  • Add Thrivent Mutual Funds and ETFs to your investments within your existing portfolio.
  • Take advantage of your account to keep your investments in one place.
  • Additional fees may apply.
Not quite ready?

We want you to invest your money wisely and with confidence.
Here are some other options that may help you.

  • Take our quiz to determine your personal investment style.
  • Talk to your financial advisor about ETFs.
  • Sign up for our monthly investing insights newsletter.

 

Need more help?

If you need assistance, we’re here to help. Reach out to us via the phone, email, and support page information below.

 

This ETF is different from traditional ETFs. Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This ETF will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:

 - You may have to pay more money to trade the ETF’s shares. This ETF will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.

 - The price you pay to buy ETF shares on an exchange may not match the value of the ETF’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this ETF compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.

 - These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.

 - The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Proxy Portfolio” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.

The differences between this ETF and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the ETF secret, this ETF may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the ETF’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the ETF’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the ETF’s performance. For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the ETF, see the Principal Risks section of the prospectus.

1 New accounts with a minimum investment amount of $50 are offered through the Thrivent Mutual Funds "automatic purchase plan." Otherwise, the minimum initial investment requirement is $2,000 for non-retirement accounts and $1,000 for IRA or tax-deferred accounts, minimum subsequent investment requirement is $50 for all account types. Account minimums for other options vary.

Thrivent ETFs may be purchased through your financial professional or brokerage platforms.

Contact your financial professional or brokerage firm to understand minimum investment amounts when purchasing a Thrivent ETF.

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INVESTING ESSENTIALS

What is a bond?

08/29/2023

08/29/2023

Corporate entities use money raised with bonds to fund ongoing operations (e.g., technology upgrades or business expansion). The federal government, states and cities issue bonds in order to raise money for a variety of reasons. Governmental agencies use money raised with bonds to fund projects that benefit the community (e.g., to build roads or improve a local school).

Parts of a bond

When a bond is available for purchase, these are some of the key things investors look for:

  • Issuer
    The issuer is the name of the entity issuing the bond. The issuer receives the money you pay in the initial bond purchase. Some of the most common issuers may be a corporation, municipality, state or the federal government.
     
  • Face value
    The amount of money to be paid to the owner of the bond on the maturity date is the face value.
     
  • Maturity date
    The maturity date is the date in which the issuer must pay back the face value of the bond to you. Federal government bonds, also known as U.S. Treasuries, have maturity date ranges: less than one year for “bills”; one year to ten years for “notes”; and as long as 30 years for bonds. Corporate bonds have maturity date ranges: generally, 3 years or less for short term; 4-10 years for intermediate; and 10+ years for long term.
     
  • Market value
    The purchase price of a bond, which may be different than its face value, is the market value. When the market value of a bond matches its face value, it’s considered “on par.” If the market value dips below the face value, the bond is a discounted bond. When a bond’s market value exceeds its face value, it’s a premium bond.
     
  • Coupon rate
    The coupon rate is the rate used to calculate the interest paid by the issuer to you (the bond owner) for use of your money. Interest is paid to you on a predetermined schedule depending on the bond’s maturity date.
     
  • Bond yield
    The bond yield is the amount of return on investment you’ll get on a bond held to maturity. As an example, a $100 bond that has a coupon of 5%, or $5, would have a yield of 5%. If you purchase the same bond for $110 in the market, the $5 coupon rate would result in a yield below 5% because the bond was purchased at a premium. If you purchase the same bond for $90, the $5 coupon would result in a yield above 5% since the bond was purchased at a discount.
     
  • Bond rating
    Bond ratings (also known as credit ratings) are similar to grades and allow you to quickly see the risk of the organization issuing the bond. Credit rating services such as Moody’s Investor Services and Standard & Poor’s® provide bond ratings based on the perceived likelihood of the bond issuer being able to pay you back. Bonds issued by the U.S. government are considered very safe and virtually risk-free.

  • On the other end of the risk spectrum are bonds issued by corporations with a low credit rating, and are referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. While they can offer a higher coupon rate, they also carry higher risk. Corporations may have a lower credit rating for several reasons including a spotty financial record, small size, risky business model, or a high amount of debt.

A common type of bond is a U.S. Treasury note (T-note). As an example, a T-note might have a face value of $10,000, a maturity of five years, and a coupon rate of 2%. If you own this bond, you’ll receive $200 a year for five years. When this T-note matures, you’ll receive the face value of $10,000. The bond’s yield stays at a steady 2%. Seems pretty straightforward, but here’s where bonds get complex.

The impact of interest rates

Bonds can be bought and sold during the span of their maturity. The face value of a bond doesn’t necessarily reflect its market value. Major players in the bond market, like the U.S. Treasury, are issuing new bonds as older ones mature. These new bonds reflect the interest rate when they’re issued. For example, a new $10,000 T-note bond may have a coupon rate of 8% instead of bonds issued, let’s say, a year ago at 6%. This can mean that interest rates were lower a year ago. A $10,000 T-note with a 6% coupon rate has less value to investors than one with an 8% coupon rate, and its market price may drop from $10,000 to $9,000. In turn, its bond yield increased from 6% to 6.6%. So, when interest rates go up, bond prices go down, which in turn cause yields to go up. This price movement is what makes the bond market so dynamic.

Bonds in mutual funds

Bond mutual funds can be comprised largely of one type of bond (e.g., municipal bonds) or a combination of bond types (e.g., corporate and government bonds). Bond funds may have varying ratings, sectors exposure, and maturities. This diversification of bonds can help mitigate, but not eliminate, the volatility of the mutual fund.

Generally, bonds are considered less risky than stocks. This is because most bonds aim to pay interest and return the principal investment. Due to the complexity of bonds, and that bonds are typically purchased in large lots, most investors of bonds are institutional.

What Thrivent Mutual Funds offers

Thrivent Mutual Funds offers a wide variety of bond mutual fund options. Some are focused on generating high levels of income and invest in higher risk bonds as a way to try to achieve this. Some funds are focused on adding diversification to help mitigate risk of an overall investment portfolio.

When you choose to invest with Thrivent Mutual Funds, you’ll benefit from the expertise of our investment professionals and the convenience and choices we provide to make investing easier. So go ahead and explore the options.

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February 2024 Market Update

02/07/2024

On the road to recovery

On the road to recovery

On the road to recovery

2024 is likely to deliver positive total returns in both stocks and bonds broadly. We remain mindful that volatility can spike or remain elevated for extended periods as economic or geopolitical uncertainty rises.

2024 is likely to deliver positive total returns in both stocks and bonds broadly. We remain mindful that volatility can spike or remain elevated for extended periods as economic or geopolitical uncertainty rises.

02/07/2024