Ways to Earn Higher Rates

It sure isn’t easy playing it safe these days. Minuscule interest payments weren’t too big a deal during the depths of the financial crisis when all that really mattered was safety, but two years on that story line is wearing thin.The good news is that there are strategies for increasing your income stream to more than a pathetic trickle, from shifting cash into higher-yielding options to tilting your bond and even stock portfolio towards investments that can generate more income.

Blue-chip dividend stocks: Many dividend payers are now spinning off income above the 3 percent yield of the 10-year Treasury, but what should really get your attention is that many of them are high-quality stalwarts such as Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Walmart and ExxonMobil that currently trade at below-market p/e multiples. That makes dividend stocks a rare twofer right now: they are the sweet spot for stock investors that also provide bond-beating income payouts.

Source: MoneyWatch.com

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