Advice on a IRA, please

[shirlden]

I have set up an online brokerage account for an IRA for my 40 year old son. He wants me to manage it for him. I am looking at high dividend ETFs. Would that make sense for him?? Also, some munis and treasuries.

Perhaps later, after market settles, will go into some stocks long.

[Gman]

1. My opinion

put it in guaranteed interest with some place like Fidelity till the storm's over. Don't expect to try to grow it for at least 6 months to a year, until this passes. Maybe longer. Anything and everything else is risky right now.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Buying "High dividend ETF's" is investing in stocks.

The problem with any instrument paying a high yield these days is whether or not it is sustainable. Numerous Blue Chip, dividend paying stalwarts have reduced or suspended dividends of late.

This page has an ETF screener that can help you narrow down what you are looking for. Read the prospectus carefully before you buy. It will be available on the website of the firm offering the ETF.

There is no point at all in buying Municipal Bonds inside an IRA. Since the interest is tax free, they make a better instrument for a regular investment account, not a tax deferred one where annual gains, interest and dividends are not taxed anyway.

The yield on Treasury Securities these days is dismal. The 30 year is only yielding in the 3.5 to 3.7% range, depending on where the price is bid to. The Ten is at 2.76% and the 5 year is at 1.75% That's $17.50 per year for a $1,000.00 note.
http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/rates/index.html

AAA rated corporates are only a little better. Buying Treasuries (and all bonds, for that matter) carries the risk that if interest rates go up in the coming months, the value of bonds purchased today will fall. Buying notes with maturities much longer than 2 years must be purchased with this in mind. If you pay the $999.69 per 2 year bond quoted on the Bloomberg page I linked above and choose to sell them before maturity, you run the risk of getting considerably less than you paid for them.

[shirlden]

3. Thanks for the link to screener

That is the best one I have seen. Will do due diligence..............

[Danascot]

4. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities - TIPS

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/tips.asp

http://www.savingsbonds.gov/indiv/products/prod_tips_glance.htm