BE STILL MY HEART

WOW...one percent yield on my money. And they are advertising it. They get to hold onto your money for a year, with 2% inflation, and they give you 1% interest before taxes.

Many older people have tried to live on fixed investments, mostly CDs in banks for years. And, there was a time when 5% on your money could get a person through life without touching principle. Today, your portfolio is "melting like an ice cube in the sun." This could explain why the stock market is performing as well as it is. There are few places to put your money to get enough to live on if you are retired and living on yields and returns. It is not unreasonable to expect that a solid portfolio filled with high quality dividend paying stocks would return 5%. Though it is not expected to continue at this pace, the markets have returned more than that in the first 6 weeks of this year.

Anyhow, there seems to be a need to invest in something other than a bank CD at 1% UNLESS YOU HAVE SO MUCH MONEY that you can live on the principle alone even if it doesn't yield a dime. On the other hand, avoid LIKE THE PLAGUE, anyone offering you amazing returns, guaranteed. The world is filled with Nadels, Stanfords, and Madoffs.