PREFERRED SHARES OF REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (15%)
REIT preferreds, like REIT common stocks, have been clobbered this year. As a result, they are delivering extraordinarily high yields. For instance, preferred shares of bothAlexandria Real Estate Equities and Corporate Office Properties trust recently yielded 11%, and a Duke Realty preferred yielded 14% (for more suggestions, see A Real Estate Play That Pays).
TAX-FREE-INCOME (15%)
Although interest from municipal bonds is generally exempt from federal income tax, many high-quality munis are yielding far more than Treasuries of like maturity. Some AAA-rated tax-free bonds to consider: Puerto Rico 5.5% general-obligation bond due in 2019. Yields 4.7% to maturity. New Jersey 5.25% transportation bond due in 2022. Yields 4.0% to maturity. University of Texas 5.25% revenue bond due in 2022. Yields 4.0% to maturity.
ENERGY (15%)
Thanks to the recession, oil and natural-gas prices have plunged. But those prices have fallen too far and will almost certainly rise when global economies recover. Two exchange-traded funds -- U.S. Oil Trust (USO) and U.S. Natural Gas Fund (UNG) -- follow these commodities and will appreciate when oil and gas turn up.
BLUE-SHIP IOUS (15%)
These days, high-quality corporate bonds sport unusually generous yields (see Best Buys in Bonds. We found a few that pay well, can't be called before maturity and aren't issued by financial firms: Wal-Mart 5.875% bond due in 2027. Yields 5.6% to maturity. Rated AA by Standard & Poor's. Eli Lilly 7.125% bond due in 2025. Yields 5.4% to maturity. Rated AA. Northern States Power 7.125% bond due in 2025. Yields 6.2% to maturity. Rated A.
