By Amey Stone
Sure, the Federal Reserve has given the economy a boost with 10 interest-rate cuts so far this year. But it has also whittled away at Americans' options for earning a decent income from safe investments. A one-year CD now yields just 2.17% on average while a money-market account brings a mere 1.8%, according to Bankrate.com. Lock up your money for 10 years in a U.S. Treasury bond and you get 4.9% a year.