And he wrote in to Morning Edition to say he's less than five years from retirement and he's got a 100, 000-dollar nest egg invested right now, in a seemingly safe money-market account.

NPR: Listeners' Money Questions Answered

In most 401(k) plans, to move money from a stable-value account into a money-market fund or short-term bond fund, plan participants have to be invested in a riskier option for at least 90 days.

WSJ: A 401(k) Defense Against Rising Rates

Money should be direct-deposited from your paycheck to a money market or interest-bearing savings account.

NPR: Untangle Your Finances Before Tying the Knot

Then the participants would have four choices--among three balanced funds and a money market account.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

This is often a hard concept to sell because most consumers have been conditioned to think of savings as the near-zero-percent account at the bank or money market funds and CDs.

FORBES: How Wall Street Unloads Its Risk On Unsuspecting Savers

But if you have less than five years before your kid sits down to freshman composition, a risk-free certificate of deposit, money market fund or even a traditional savings account is a better bet.

FORBES: Start Saving For College Now

But with the average rate on a savings account at 0.24 percent, on a money market account at 0.22 percent, and on a 1-year CD at 0.53 percent, nominal returns are close to zero, and real returns are negative even at relatively low rates of inflation.

FORBES: The Federal Reserve's Crony Capitalism

If you are interested in automatic recurring transfers from your checking account, be sure to research money market accounts as well as high-yield savings accounts to see what type has the best terms and options for your banking needs.

FORBES: Automating Your Savings Accounts

Jerry Brown, president of Thorograph, a New York-based firm that provides data and thoroughbred consulting to owners, breeders, and bettors, says the main issue is that the breeder market rewards big, good-looking yearlings that sell for a lot of money, without taking into account their sturdiness.

WSJ: Derby Death Stirs Call for Change