Quote from steve46:
Quite interesting to be called a fool by people who did not follow the details of the initial request. Once more for those who may not speak english as their native language. The poster requested a "risk free" investment. As mentioned in my response, "risk free" is a term used by those WITH AN EDUCATION IN FINANCE to mean a government backed security (usually a treasury instrument). They are called risk free because there is NO counterparty risk, no default risk, and no interest risk AS LONG AS THE INVESTOR HOLDS THE PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT UNTIL THE REDEMPTION DATE. Once again I repeat my comment that it is not a good idea to purchase long dated treasuries. Instead I recommend 2 or 5 year instruments. Also I suggest that the investor SHOULD NOT USE A BOND FUND. Why? Because in a bond fund you may see loss of principal. I don't think I can make this any clearer. Suggestions about real estate, currency investment, etc are not appropriate because they are not RISK FREE. Finally I mention that holding money in Bank CD's is appropriate because banks INSURE CD accounts of $100,000 or less. At the risk of seeming impolite, take a moment to think before you comment. Regards, Steve46
P.S. Bufferman, your comment about no investment being risk-free is not correct. Any student of finance will tell you that US government backed securities are considered risk free because they are backed by the "full faith and credit" of the US government (the people who own the money printing presses).