Stein: I've had good luck with the Canadian one [(iShares MSCI Canada Index Fund (NYSEArca:EWC)]. Ludwig: That flies in the face of brokerage industry orthodoxy that equities are better than cash or bonds to achieve returns over the long term that beat inflation. Had Bank of America not stepped in and rescued Merrill Lynch, or had Mr. Paulson suddenly not come to his senses and instituted TARP, the disaster could have been on an unprecedented scale.