Inflation-fighting TIPS make good sense
Dear Mr. Berko: My brother-in-law told me that you recommended he put 20 percent of his $505,000 ROTH IRA into TIPS. We are the same age, have identical ROTH IRAs, earn the same income with the same firm and have the same debts. I've enclosed a completed Investor Profile sent to me by your office and I will retire in 11 years. Would you recommend TIPS? And if so, why would you recommend TIPS instead of common stocks or mutual funds?

Next year a better time to invest in municipal bonds
DEAR MR. BERKO: I'm going into the hospital next month for major surgery and before I do, I'd like to buy some municipal bonds with a $27,000 CD that comes due just prior to my hospitalization.

Greater safety in diversity with exchange-traded funds
Dear Mr. Berko: I wanted to buy a utility stock, but my broker recommended an exchange-traded fund traded on the stock exchange. He claims that they are better than buying 300 or 600 shares of a utility stock. Please give me your thoughts on these. And if I don't buy an exchange-traded utility fund, what specific utility do you like? I want to own a utility that has good growth potential and a decent dividend with dividend increases. I have $16,000 to invest.

Exchange traded funds safest way to own gold
Dear Mr. Berko: I want to buy $6,000 worth of gold and have listened to and read about some of the exchanges that sell gold to the public, like The National Gold Exchange, that will sell me gold at wholesale. They said gold will go to $2,000 an ounce this year.

Post-retirement CDs stiff seniors
Dear Mr. Berko: We've been depending on CDs for the last four years for safety and income. And we have been moving our CD money around at various banks to get the most income we can. This is becoming nerve-wracking and tiresome, and in the last year or so, with rates now at 1.75 percent, we are hurting badly. We have $385,000 in CDs now that earn less than $8,000 a year, when a year ago, they were earning $17,000 in interest. That loss of $9,000 is hurtful to us.

Don't bet the farm on e-Book glow
Dear Mr. Berko: I've got a bee in my bonnet about the e-Book industry that it will push hardcover and soft-cover books off the shelves so the big booksellers will have to close their doors. Amazon and Sony have great e-Books right now, and when Apple comes out with their new e-Book, I think it will spell the beginning of the decline of the book publishing industry.

Enormous gambles sometimes pay off
Dear Mr. Berko: I have $10,000 to invest and would like to buy a high-yielding preferred with an 11 percent or better yield that could increase in value as the company improves its earnings. I bought the 7.75 percent Lucent Convertible Bonds you recommend at $660 per bond with an 11.7 percent yield, and I'd like to buy another high-yield security.

'Securitization' has nothing to do with safety
Dear Mr. Berko: My broker has recommended that I buy this bond (description enclosed) that he says it is "securitized," which he says means the investment is secure. As you can see, it's a $100,000 face value bond that I can buy for $63,000 and pays an extremely high rate of interest, which really makes this very attractive. Do you think this is a good investment?

Seasoned investors need experienced brokers
Dear Mr. Berko: I'm 66 years old, retired at 59 with $682,000 in a roll-over IRA, which is now worth $417,000, from which my wife and I take out $1,000 per month to supplement our two pensions. But in the last year, we stopped taking money from this account because it has done so badly.

Comcast can't hold a candle to Yahoo and Gmail
DEAR MR. BERKO: I think I would like to buy 50 shares of Comcast, which trades for $14.77 a share. Please tell me what you think of this company and if you think it's a good investment. And please tell me why you switched your e-mail from Comcast to Yahoo and Gmail.

Fifth Third Bank and municipal bonds
DEAR MR. BERKO: I have $31,000 to put in a CD, but the best yield I can find is a one-year CD offered by my bank (Fifth Third), which is a very low 1.75 percent. If Fifth Third goes under, will my CDs still be safe? I think I can afford a little risk and hope you could recommend something with a better yield of maybe 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent. I need this money liquid. I also own 280 shares of Fifth Third Bank that I bought in July 2007 at $41. Would you recommend that I sell the stock? And finally, because I'm certain our income taxes will be raised to pay for the deficit, what do you think about municipal bonds? Which state or country bonds would you recommend?