Evafla,Truly safe investments include bank CD's and US Treasury instruments.

These investors can also buy 10-year treasuries so you can bet that MBS and CMBS pricing will track the treasury rates to a large extent.

The events in Greece are of incredible concern if you live or are heavily invested in treasuries of one of the other Piigs.

http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/488/MunicipalitiesTaxes brackets for NJ through the government site: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/lpt/TaxLi... 

******Here's the most interesting point I've read: "Any other service that the Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce determines, after consulting with the Secretary of the Treasury, that should qualify as an eligible export service, based on factors such as jobs to be created, payroll generated and proposed investment in Puerto Rico."

Department of Treasury announced on Friday that it would provide up to $2 billion in additional Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds for the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) program to put toward assisting struggling homeowners and stabilizing communities that were most affected by the foreclosure crisis.Using the latest round of funding, participating state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) will be able to provide assistance for the hardest hit communities.

Douglas Dillon, the 57th Secretary of the Treasury announced that silver certificates would no longer be redeemable in silver dollars.

Federal laws are pretty much tied together, like an overlay, there can be matters that fall under SEC, the Tax Code, the FTC, Treasury Department, FDIC, I think someone listed over 60 related laws and regulation that apply to lending activities, it's a vast financial world.

For a true comparison, an appropriate fair market value for your labor in this regard must be subtracted from the income or interest earned.As an example, let's say the riskless 10 year treasury bond yields 3%.  

Congress, US Treasury, and the IRS have been involved in a flurry of activity at year end.