Editor s note: As the market s woes drag on into 2009, investors are looking for something anything to serve as an alternative to stocks. In this special report, SmartMoney examines three of those alternatives bond funds, cash accounts and gold to see where the opportunities and the pitfalls lie.

When economic trouble threatens, Americans start nesting staying at home and wrapping themselves in a cocoon of security and familiarity. Nightclubs and theme parks lose ground to board games and TV marathons. Sleek steel coffee tables give way to plush, puffy sofas. Sayonara, designer sushi; howdy, Crock-Pot chili.

Today, as we grapple with the worst recession many of us have ever seen, it s only natural that we d apply those same cocooning instincts to our money, gobbling up the market s version of comfort food. Last year, while stock mutual fund customers stampeded for the exits, boring old bond funds attracted billions in new assets. Gold is back too. The U.S. Mint saw its sales of gold coins triple in the last four months of 2008 if they were good enough for Grandpa, evidently, they re good enough for us. And while the amount invested in stocks and bonds has fallen 18 percent over the past two years, Americans have put nearly $12 trillion in banks and money-market funds. Until the stimulus package starts stimulating the markets, they re likely to keep it there. Call it nesting investing.

Unfortunately, in this unstable economy, these portfolio shock absorbers aren t always as well padded as investors might hope. Many bond funds took unprecedented losses in last fall s crash; the price of gold has always been, well, flaky; and even formerly bland investments like CDs and money-market funds are posing new pitfalls as more cash floods in. It s tougher than ever to discern which investments can keep your money safe while still feathering your nest with some gains. That s where SmartMoney comes in: In the three stories that follow, we look at several of today s most popular safe havens to see where the best opportunities lie. After all, nesting feels great, but sitting out of the stock market doesn t have to mean sitting still.

Read the rest of our special report:

• Protect Your Money: Time to Buy Gold?
• Protect Your Money: The New Bond Boom
• Protect Your Money: Best Places for Cash