Supercharge Your Savings

Certificates of deposit, savings bonds, money market funds and accounts can help you boost you returns without risking your money.

January 31, 2006

It is important to distinguish between your savings and your investments and no one has explained the difference better than humorist Will Rogers:

"Forget about a return on my money, what I want is a return of my money."

Yes, safety and liquidity are crucial whether you're setting a few dollars aside for a rainy day, or need someplace to stash the cash component of your portfolio. But you don't have to sacrifice decent returns, either. In fact, the three work together. Give up some liquidity, that is, agree not to touch your money for three to five years, and you could see your interest rate leap to levels never before seen in a passbook savings account. Trade in a bit of safety -- á la FDIC insurance -- and you'll see that money-market mutual funds outpace their bank-bound cousins. Let's get started.

• Give These CDs a Spin
  Certificates of deposit offer higher yields to savers who are willing to lock their money up for a specific period of time.
  
  
• Ladder Your Money
  This strategy of staggering maturities helps you stay diversified.

• Master the Money Market
  This very-short-term credit market fuels two common savings vehicles.
  
  
• Understand Money Funds' Risks
  Shrink your chances of losing money by learning how to pick the best funds for you.
  
  
• Savings Bonds: EE-I, EE-I, Oh!
  Savings bonds offer competitive yields, unquestioned safety and some unique tax features, too.
  
  
• How to Buy Savings Bonds
  Buying savings bonds is easy, whether you get them online, at work or at your bank.
  
  

Give These CDs a Spin

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