The bills I buy are through my employer and thus, not the usual run. T-Bills may not be the most accurate name as I believe it implies a certain form of security. We're in the realm of "I dunno what I'm talking about, but watch my dance step!".

Also, I think it's too late to buy into precious metals. If I had the means and gigantic balls I'd buy into oil exploration. A close friend has been doing that since the 1950's and all of the reshooting of old fields using 4-d (3 spatial and through time) seismic surveys is presenting a lot of opportunities. There is some opportunity to "small investors" like my friend, who can afford to tie-up $10K per day for a couple of months on a risky venture. Even if I had the $$$ for it, that would scare the hell out of me!