(MONEY Magazine) – -- Squeeze more yield from your CDs by laddering. Stash equal parts of your money in a three-month, six-month, nine-month and one-year CD. As each comes due, replace it with a one-year CD. That way you can lock in the rising rates many experts foresee. Page 18 -- Protect yourself from an unscrupulous broker or financial planner by writing down your chief financial objective (like safety of principal) and having your adviser sign the statement. Then confront your broker if, say, your portfolio's turnover exceeds 25% in one year -- a likely sign of churning if you're a conservative investor. Page 29 -- Buy America this way: invest in U.S. companies that are winning against the world's toughest competitors, including Japanese firms. Consider electronic connection device maker AMP (recent price: $63), Harley-Davidson ($59) and Illinois Tool Works ($62.75), all forecast to post total returns of 27% or better over the next 18 months. Page 69 -- Shoot for compound annual returns of 20% for the next five years -- enough to turn $10,000 into $25,000 -- by scooping up overlooked winners. Included: oil company Chevron (recent price: $61.50), clothing maker Farah ($7) and publisher Houghton Mifflin ($30.50), as well as funds Calvert-Ariel Appreciation (800-368-2748) and Selected American Shares (800-553-5533). Page 104