According to the Social Security Administration, the average monthly benefit for retired workers of 65 years of age is $1,300 per month, or $15,600 per year.

Bonds must be unbelievably dull. When the Dow broke 17,000 and when the S&P came withing a stone’s throw of 2,000 – media messengers enthusiastically reported the peachy particulars.

Many fear that rising interest rates will crush income-oriented portfolios. Get over it — that was last year’s news. In fact, the vast majority of high-yielding assets have been the best performers of 2014, including utility stocks, REITs as well as long-dated U.S. Treasuries.