5 Safe Ways to Earn 3%
It seems like forever ago, but the average 12-month certificate of deposit (CD) used to yield well more than 5%.
In fact, prior to the tech wreck of 2000 - and the start of two decades of experimental monetary policy by the Federal Reserve - 5% would have been considered low. It wasn't usual to see CD yields over 10% in the 1980s. Those were the days!
It's unlikely that we'll ever see 10% CD rates again in our lifetimes. Even 5% would seem like a stretch in a world in which the average 12-month CD still yields less than 1% after more than three years of Fed rate hikes.
It's important to remember, though, that the high yields of the past came at a time of much higher inflation. At today's lower inflation rates, even a 3% yield allows you to stay well ahead of inflation. You're not getting rich quick at that yield, but it's respectable. And importantly,
