Help! I have been trying to do some crash research for a friend who is in a bit of a crisis. He and his wife are 60 years old, and they have been retired for about 15 years now (my hero!). His method of making his money last has been unorthodox to say the least: mortgage lending to people with bad credit ratings. After carefully vetting the borrower (don't ask me how) he then lends them the money to start their business, buy their house etc. at around 9% and he has been making this work for some time now. Problem is, mortgage companies will lend to anybody now, and he is being undercut. So he can't make a living like this anymore. So here's the situation. His house is paid off, has approx. 1 million in the bank, and has NO understanding of equity markets, bonds, etc. because he never had to. What would be the best investment vehicle(s) for someone in his shoes, who doesn't have a large cash outflow every month (i.e. mortgage payment ). He knows he can make it work, he is just paralyzed with fear, and I being half his age have not done research into the type of investments appropriate for him. With all the great minds on this board, I know you'll have some good advice. Any help would be appreciated, thanks. (I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question!)