In 99 % of all cases, financial advisors are salesmen. They work for a bank or a fund and sell their own products to naive trusting customers who believe the bank is some kind of nice utility, doing what's best for the customer. It's like asking Harry at Honest Harry's Used Cars for "advice" on which used car to buy.

Actually, I've visited one of these 1 % of independent investment advisors, who taught me a lot of good basic stuff. I spent maybe 10 hours with him, and in the end he decided to waive my fee if I promised to keep him up to date on peak oil and stuff.

Still, I wouldn't diss all mutual funds. I have some money in one fund, which actually manages to beat its index (MSCI World) year after year after year. Further, the basic fee is not horrendous; 1 %, and it can rise to as much as 2 % if and only if the manager beats his index by a considerable amount.

I tend not to give out investment advice, especially not online, do your own due diligence, etc etc, but if someone for any reason want to put money in a fund, this is one of the best.

Still, I want to elaborate that in a portfolio as conservative as what I suppose JD wants, shares and share funds should only be a small fraction of the total capital.

Anyway, here it is.

https:/www.skagenfunds.com/Funds-and-prices/SKAGEN-Global

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.