# Where to get the best return on a safe investment?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-the-best-return-on-a-safe-investment/846517>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 16, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-the-best-return-on-a-safe-investment/846517 "2020-01-16T18:03:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-the-best-return-on-a-safe-investment/846517/1 "2020-01-16T18:03:11Z")

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I’m on the board of a small nonprofit - my neighborhood HOA, actually. We’ve got a decent amount in savings, and we’d like to put an amount in the upper five figures in a safe place that also gets a good return.

‘Safe’ meaning we’re running no risk of losing the principal. So an index fund of stocks would be right out, but an index fund of AAA-rated corporate bonds would be in our wheelhouse.

‘Good’ meaning by the standards of safe investments as just described. A quick check tells me that [short-term Treasuries](https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=billrates) are trading at ~1.5%, so I figure that’s a floor for something that’s extremely safe but the money’s still accessible.

So stuff that’s not government-safe but still quite safe must be out there, that pays a somewhat better interest rate, right? I’m not expecting 5% (hell, I’m not expecting 3%) but hopefully better than 2%, right?

And for whatever investment, do we need a broker, and are there fees, and all that? Help educate a neophyte here.

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**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-the-best-return-on-a-safe-investment/846517/2 "2020-01-16T18:09:26Z")

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How long are you going to hold the investment?

Regards,  
Shodan

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**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-the-best-return-on-a-safe-investment/846517/3 "2020-01-16T19:37:02Z")

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Looks like I somehow posted the OP a second time. The original thread is [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=888532). I’ve asked the mods to close this one, but in the meantime, please post to the other one. Thanks!