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Are bonds really a recession proof investment?
No, they are not recession proof.   Assume several companies, that issued bonds in the fund, go bankrupt.  Those bonds could be worthless, they could miss principle payments, or they could be restructured.  All would mean a decline in value. When the economy shrinks (which is what a recession is) how does the Fed respond?  By lowering interest rates.  This makes current bonds more valuable as presumably they were issued at a higher rate, thus the recession proof prejudice.  However, there is nothing to stop a company (in good financial shape) from issuing more bonds to pay the par value on high-interest bonds, thus refinancing their debt.  Sort of like how the bank feels when one refinances the mortgage for a lower rate.   The thing that troubles me the most is that rates have been low for a long time.  What happens if we have a recession now?  How does the Fed fix it?  I am not sure exactly what the fallout would be, but it could be significant. If you are troubled, you should look for sectors that would be hurt and helped by a Trump-induced recession.  Move money away from those that will be hurt.  Typically aggressive growth companies are hurt (during recessions), so you may want to move money away from them.  Typically established blue chip companies fare okay in a recession so you may want to move money toward them.  Move some money to cash, and perhaps some towards bonds.   All that being said, I'd keep some money in things like aggressive growth in case you are wrong.