Worst-Case Scenario Investment Portfolio

Michael Shlau had had enough. The Chicago commercial real estate lawyer watched lawmakers wrangle over the debt ceiling this summer, and as the deadline approached without a deal, he got nervous. So he buried his retirement money under the mattress. Figuratively, that is: Shlau, 38, moved his and his wife's 401(k) balances completely to cash. "It seemed silly not to step aside and let it pass," he says.