Well... I would like to make about 3% or more.. how do the bond funds work ? Or like the mutual fund bonds... if the market takes a dive like in 08 and 09.. what funds or bonds, type of bond funds is it good to be in?
I have some follow up questions if you don't mind.. I use fidelity now... and don't know who to trust.. not even sure about the bonds... who is good or bad... or a 2 1/2 % cd for 5 to 10 yrs..

Tkank you... richard

Good luck finding a CD paying anywher near that much right now... I'm not retired but I'd be moving my money there if I found one. All I've found pay a fraction of a percent right now.

I'd trust a financial advisor you can sit across from and talk in person with far more than I would the advice of any nameless face on the internet.

I agree with Smoothy - talk to a financial adviser. Actually my dealings with Fidelity in this area have been quite good - my mother-in-law has her retirement investments there, and I meet with her advisor annually to review how it's going and make any changes. The advantage of Fidelity is thet have a very wide range of offerings, and very reasonable costs. Financial planning is way to complicated a topic to discuss here with any specificity, but I suspect that the adviser would suggest a mix of bond funds and stock funds. You need both - bond funds have less volatility but may not do any better thanb inflation. A large cap fund that focuses on dividend income will easily return 3% or more in dividend income, but at some risk to your principal. I am a believer in balance - assuming you are around 70 you need to have a plan that will provide income for the next 25 years or so and keep up with inflation, and to do that you need a good mix of bonds, large cap stock fund, small cap growth fund, and an international stock fund. If you have an IRA and/or 401(k) the adviser can also help develop a strategy for drawing down those funds over time in your retirement. You should also consider strategies for estate planning - even if your net asset value is modest, if you intend to leave any for your heirs there are strategies of how to draw down your retirement funds (IRA and 401k) as opposed to other investments that you should be aware of.