Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is known for providing clear signals about the central bank’s next interest rate move in order to avoid roiling markets. But Wall Street was mostly clueless this week when it came to predicting how big a rate cut the Fed would deliver on Wednesday.

This reader wonders whether CD rates, high-yield savings accounts and bond ladders are still smart moves, even if interest rates keep dropping.

Spurred on by the Federal Reserve Board's half-point cut in interest rates, the stock market closed out a buoyant week on Friday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending in record-high territory.