With the bursting of the stock market bubble, and after 13 rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, yields on CDs and Money Market funds tread at historic lows-a negative return after inflation. Gone are the days when investors could earn 5 percent interest, risk-free. With smaller savings coupled with lower returns on what savings remain, retirees and others living on fixed-income investments watch in horror as their income checks shrink with each passing month.
However, there are investments that still earn a significant rate of return-and do so reliably and consistently. These fixed-income securities include bonds, real estate investment trusts, preferred stocks, and emerging market debt, among others. They earn the kind of returns that baby boomers and the retirement community need in the same way they need to draw breath, yet hardly anyone knows anything about them. As 70 million Americans reach retirement age in the next 15 years, fixed-income investing will become a sociologically inevitable megatrend. Yes, You Can Be a Successful Income Investor! shows you how you can safely secure the highest possible yield from your savings, even in a treacherous investment environment.More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Ben Stein can be seen talking about finance on Fox TV news every week. He has written about finance for Barron's and The Wall Street Journal for decades and contributes regularly to the AARP's Modern Maturity (now AARP: The Magazine). He was one of the chief busters of the junk bond frauds of the 1980s, has been a long-time critic of corporate executives' self-dealing, and has written several self-help books about personal finance. Phil DeMuth is an investment psychologist with a longstanding interest in the stock market. He has written for The Wall Street Journal and Barron's, as well as Human Behavior and Psychology Today. His opinions have been quoted on theStreet.com and Fortune Magazine and is president of Conservative Wealth Management in Los Angeles.
