Comparing Year-to-Date Returns on Investment Portfolios

Investors who have held safer investments this year have matched or nearly matched the returns seen on riskier investments when factoring in YTD returns (including income generated).

YTD Index Returns (January 1st, 2007 - July 26, 2007)

Stocks
S&P 500 Index: 2.87%
NASDAQ Composite Index: 6.80%
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 6.44%
Russell 2000 Index: -1.25%
Dow Jones 3000 Wilshire Index: 3.18%

Bonds
JP Morgan Government Bond Index: 2.60%
JP Morgan Global Government Bond Index: 0.43%
Lehman Brothers Fixed Rate MBS: 1.66%
Lehman Brothers U.S. Aggregate Bond TR: 1.77%
Lehman Brothers Municipal Index: 2.42%
Lehman U.S. Government: 0.91%
U.S. Treasury 90-day Bill: 2.59%

money-rates.com Model Savings Portfolios

Money-rate.com has four different model savings portfolios to track different investment classes:

Bank Deposits Model Portfolio: 2.59%

Consists of bank deposits either CDs, money markets, checking accounts or savings accounts issued from FDIC-insured banks and available online with low minimum deposits. Risk categorization rate extremely low.

Money Funds Model Portfolio: 2.85%

Consists of mutual fund money market accounts. Risk categorization rates low.

Commercial Paper Model Portfolio: 3.21%

Consists of commercial paper or corporate notes made available directly to individual investors without purchasing via a brokerage firm or without large minimum deposits. Risk categorization rated moderate.

Dividend Stocks Model Portfolio: -2.66%

Consists of stocks with a strong history of dividend pay-out and with strong earnings. Risk categorization rated low-to-moderate.

Model portfolio holdings listed here