Author: Tim Plaehn, Investors Alley

Here are some good alternatives to holding your cash in your checking or savings accounts.

Now that interest rates have gone up, investing in fixed income securities makes sense in a balanced portfolio. You want to invest in securities with a fixed maturity that will pay a face value when they mature. That said, here are a few ideas…

Conservative investors know the benefits of these kinds of stocks, so they are usually priced to pay just-okay yields, often less than 4%. But now, with the bear market bringing down all stock prices, you can pick up shares of these companies with significantly higher starter yields.

There may be a big profit opportunity brewing…