Be careful if your local bank directs you to a personal banker who promises to help you earn better returns than you can get on CDs.

That's what banks are now calling their stockbrokers -- salespeople who want you to invest in mutual funds or complex trusts and annuities.

No matter what they say or how they spin it, the investments they're selling are riskier than CDs.

Here are three more critical things you need to know about personal bankers:

• Their investments often come with huge fees, which can eat up much of those bigger profits you're being promised. CDs have no fees.
• They often promote products because they pay the biggest commissions -- not because they're the best investments for you. CDs pay no commissions.
• Your money will not be insured by the federal government. Bank CDs are guaranteed by the FDIC.

That's worth repeating. When you buy a $1,000 CD, you know you'll get your $1,000 back, no matter what. When you buy another type of investment, you could lose part, or even all, of your $1,000.

Particularly if you're retired and this money represents a significant part of your net worth, you're not at a point in your life where you can put your principal at risk.