Well, T-Bills, of course. Short term, so that you don't get stuck when interest rates rise. TIPS are another thought.
You're dismissing lots of conservative/safe alternatives because they don't yield much. But that's today. Next year, 5 years, 20 years, who knows? Today, maybe the best thing is to sit back and wait for better conditions, versus take on risk.
Overall, I thought your discussion of "why invest" was too brief. You don't actually need to invest/gamble your money. Just save it (T-Bills, etc) and work to make enough.
If you've got a pile, why invest? What's the possible use of doubling the size of your pile? Can't buy any more stuff. But if you lose half your pile, it might seriously hurt.
You're dismissing lots of conservative/safe alternatives because they don't yield much. But that's today. Next year, 5 years, 20 years, who knows? Today, maybe the best thing is to sit back and wait for better conditions, versus take on risk.
Overall, I thought your discussion of "why invest" was too brief. You don't actually need to invest/gamble your money. Just save it (T-Bills, etc) and work to make enough.
If you've got a pile, why invest? What's the possible use of doubling the size of your pile? Can't buy any more stuff. But if you lose half your pile, it might seriously hurt.