(Image credit: Getty Images)
When the stock market became particularly volatile in early 2025, many investors began looking for safer investment vehicles. They were often disappointed.
One of the safest places to put your money is an FDIC-insured savings account. However, with interest rates as low as 0.01%, that safety comes with a considerable caveat in the form of inflation.
If you put $100,000 into such an account, you’ll have made $10 in interest after a year. Before you go on a spending spree, keep in mind that such accounts often carry fees. One common 0.01% APY savings account charges $8 per year, leaving you with just $2 in profit.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more – straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice – straight to your e-mail.
With inflation hovering near 3%, it’s easy to see how saving in such a low-yield account actually costs you spending power.
On the other side of the spectrum, the S&P 500 yields an average of 10% growth per year, which can mean significant gains for your portfolio over time.
As investors experienced firsthand when the stock market tumbled for days in late March and early April of 2025, such growth potential is accompanied by considerably more risk than savings accounts.
The market rapidly recovered, but that’s not always the case — hence the use of the words “investing” vs “savings.”
For those investors willing to take on slightly more risk than CDs, there are a few interesting options.
Structured notes
One example of a way to take on a little more risk in exchange for a higher yield is to buy an enhanced-yield bond from a financial institution.
An example of such a bond, known as a structured note, would be an indexed bond that pays 8% for the term of the note. If the index performs well, at the bond’s maturity, you’ll get your principal plus 8%. If the index performs poorly, you’ll get only your principal.
Such bonds often have terms protecting the financial institution from particularly poor market performance. A common example is that if the index is down more than 30% when the bond matures, you get your original principal, less the amount that index has dropped.
Clearly, this is a higher-risk proposition than a regular bond or a CD because there’s a possibility that you’ll lose part or all of your principal, but it’s a lower risk than investing directly in the market.
Buffer ETFs
Another interesting investment product that acts as a hybrid between risky market investments and safe low-yield choices is the buffer ETF.
“Buffer” refers to the downside buffer component of the ETF. That downside buffer can be as much as 100%, which means no matter how much the ETF’s market drops, you won’t lose your principal investment as long as you hold it to maturity, most often a one-year period.
Choosing an ETF with a buffer that’s less than 100% often has the potential for higher returns, but at the expense of risking part of your principal investment.
If you’re trying to decide between a structured note and a buffer ETF, bear in mind that structured notes are generally targeted at higher-net-worth investors and carry higher minimum investments.
Frequently, a buffer ETF doesn’t have a minimum investment requirement, which means anyone can participate at any level they wish.
While these investment options often don’t offer complete safety, the willingness to take on a small amount of risk can offer a higher potential return than standard “safe” investments like CDs.
These blending tools can be a compelling way to get a better return with less downside risk than traditional riskier investment options.
Needless to say, investing is complex and shouldn’t be undertaken alone. It’s important to work with your financial adviser to determine the products that make the most sense for you and your unique situation.
