Putting money in Switzerland is like putting your money in a bomb shelter.

As a neutral country that never takes sides in geopolitical disputes, Switzerland attracts capital from other countries to its franc in times of crisis, and this can benefit its bonds and stocks as well. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the dollar fell 10% against the Swiss franc. The franc had a longer rally of 14.5% against the dollar in 1998 in the face of the Long-Term Capital Management blowup and the Russian debt default.

There are mutual funds built around this idea, including the five-star Permanent Portfolio (PRPFX), which over the years has garnered a lot of attention for owning Swiss government bonds and gold in several different forms.

One aspect of neutrality, and perhaps maturity, is that the economy is very steady: It's characterized by slow growth (annual growth has ranged between -1% and 2.5% for the last five years), low unemployment (close to 4% for several years), and low inflation (CPI growth has not exceeded 2% in more than 10 years).

As you might expect with such a slow-growth, mild-cycle type of economy, interest rates are very low, which, in part, reflects how little fear and volatility are priced into the market.

This portfolio was created for clients desiring the concept of a safe haven protection against adversities to the U.S. economic system. Designed to provide growth at low risk, this account may at times contain investments to offset inflationary or deflationary environments such as but not limited to gold and precious metals, U.S. Treasury investments, energy and natural resource investments, rising or falling interest rate vehicles as well as protected investments against the rising or falling U.S. Dollar. All investments that may be used are traded as regulated and registered shares within investment markets within the U.S. with available daily price quotes. The objective of this portfolio is to be invested in defensive investment positions supporting a stable net worth.