Stocks are risky, but bonds are safe — or so goes the stereotype. But what about bond mutual funds?

After a brief uptick, the percent of households owning stock is back down to where it was at the start of the financial crisis, according to new numbers from the Investment Company Institute.

Senior business correspondent reports on brokers charging mutual fund companies higher sales fees.

Are there any disadvantages to purchasing TIPS through something like Fidelity's Inflation Protected Bond (FINPX) for my Roth IRA? Or would it be a better idea to just purchase TIPS directly from the Treasury? Thanks, Danny, Davis, CA

When it comes to money market mutual funds, you can't trust the pledge not to break a buck — at least not with your safe money, the money that's supposed to be there in tough times like 2008.