There are some things you can do, while you're searching - full disclosure of course, I do all these things. First off, get a high interest savings account (or

There are some things you can do, while you're searching - full disclosure of course, I do all these things. First off, get a high interest savings account (or several) from your bank(s). In Canada, ING Direct does decent things (though there are better). At the very least, while you're figuring out what to do with your money, have it make more interest for you. Secondly, look at preferred shares. They're less volatile than shares in their parent company, and they pay higher dividends. The obvious drawback being the rate of return over the long term is significantly lower than the indices themselves. Banks, at least in Canada are a great example of this, though the same is true of insurance, and power companies. All investments bring risk, there's no such thing as a guaranteed return. And of course, investments in preferred shares are a risk, like any other stock. That being the case, they're a risk I can accept.