Master limited partnerships could be the past decade's quietest investment success, generating annualized returns of 18%, against 15% for gold and about zilch for the Standard & Poor's 500. While the MLP market has rallied sharply this year, major operators like Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners (BWP) still yield 7% to 8% and have good growth prospects.

Master limited partnerships could be the past decade's quietest investment success, generating annualized returns of 18%, against 15% for gold and about zilch for the Standard & Poor's 500. While the MLP market has rallied sharply this year, major operators like Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners (BWP) still yield 7% to 8% and have good growth prospects.

Master limited partnerships could be the past decade's quietest investment success, generating annualized returns of 18%, against 15% for gold and about zilch for the Standard & Poor's 500. While the MLP market has rallied sharply this year, major operators like Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners (BWP) still yield 7% to 8% and have good growth prospects.

Reflecting its control of the country's top wireless operation, Verizon, at 32, trades for about 13 times projected 2010 profits of $2.45 a share

AT&T, at 28, fetches 11 times estimated 2010 cash earnings of $2.50, which exclude about 25 cents of goodwill amortization from acquisitions.

Preferred stock from Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo yield 8% to 9%. Those yields are down from the teens at the market's bottom in March, but still look attractive, given the banks' improving balance sheets and a recovering economy.

Preferred stock from Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo yield 8% to 9%. Those yields are down from the teens at the market's bottom in March, but still look attractive, given the banks' improving balance sheets and a recovering economy.

Preferred stock from Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo yield 8% to 9%. Those yields are down from the teens at the market's bottom in March, but still look attractive, given the banks' improving balance sheets and a recovering economy.