Nearing retirement? Stocks seem safer right now than they really are.

A 5-year U.S. Treasury note BX: TMUBMUSD05Y, backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government, will pay you a guaranteed income of 3.8% a year in the current market. A 10-year Treasury note BX: TMUBMUSD10Y will pay you 4.3%. Corporate bonds issued by BAA-rated investment-grade blue-chip companies will pay you an average of 5.9% a year. Riskier high-yield bonds will pay an average of around 6.7%.Inflation-protected Treasury bonds, backed again by the U.S. government, will guarantee to beat ...