"It looks like we have a golden opportunity to take advantage of the macro natural gas theme, involve some professional management, diversify risk, collect a double-digit yield in the form of quarterly distributions and have a security that's appropriate for IRAs and self-directed retirement plans," says income expert Bryan Perry.

The editor of The Cash Machine explans, "I'm speaking of the Cushing MLP Total Return Fund (SRV), a NYSE listed closed-end fund that owns most of the leading gas Master Limited Partnerships.

The objective of the Cushing MLP Total Return Fund is to obtain a high after-tax total return from a combination of capital appreciation and current income. The fund will try to accomplish this by investing at least 80% of its net assets in MLPs.

"You're probably having a tough time these days if you live off the interest from your investment portfolio; money market accounts are now yielding a paltry 0.76%," observes fund specialist Ron Rowland.

The contributing editor to Money and Markets explains, "There is no big mystery why this is happening ... Ever since the banking system started blowing up back in 2008, Ben Bernanke and his Federal Reserve have kept short-term interest rates at historic lows. That's great for bankers, terrible for savers.

"Many investors are watching their income slide. These low rates have income-investors looking for new sources of steady interest and dividends. The alternatives are few. And I'm concerned that some people are so desperate that they're risking their principal in ways they don't even realize!

"Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. (NYSE: KMP) is a paragon of consistency; the stock continues to rise and the company continues to deliver on its expectations," says Jack Adamo.

In his Insiders Plus newsletter, he explains, "The master limited partnership has made great strides in cost controls to compensate for the weak economic environment. When things turn around, it could really take off."

"KMP is one of the largest and most respected pipeline and energy storage LPs in North America. It operates or owns interests in more than 26,000 miles of pipelines and 170 terminals.

A 79% return is both astounding and not enough. T. Boone Pickens has seen his energy funds push that much higher this year, but it comes on the heels of 2008, in which his firm, BP Capital, lost more than 90% of its value – plunging from assets under management of more than $4 billion to $500 million. The Energy Equity fund lost 64% of its value, with the Energy Fund off 98%.

The 54% decline in oil prices from last summer – from a record high of $147 – not only pushed Pickens' investments lower but prompted him to exit positions and, in October, lift restrictions on withdrawals by his clients.

"On an ongoing basis, we try to talk with the managers of the funds in our Best Buys portfolio; we recently spoke with Charlie Ober of T. Rowe Price New Era (PRNEX)," says Mark Salzinger in The No-Load Fund Investor. Here are highlights from his discussion with the resources manager.

"Ober has positions New Era not only to benefit from likely strong profits in the broad natural resources sector, but also to protect against rising costs within the sector itself. The fund continues to have a large position in energy stocks, which is now 70% of the portfolio.

"Ober has been gradually adjusting the mix of the fund toward oil and gas services and drilling companies, along with engineering and construction firms.

"These types of companies have pricing power, and they can serve the U.S. energy producers along with non-U.S. independent products and the many state-owned or affiliated oil producers overseas. As of the end of July, these types of companies represented six out of the top ten holdings.

For exposure to energy, Neil George favors Fidelity Select Energy (FSENX), which he says follows a "best of breed" strategy. The editor of Personal Finance newsletter explains, "The fund is up 20% year-to-date, while the average return for its peers is 12.6%. In the mutual fund business, this is a spectacular performance."

And, he adds, Fidelity Select Energy is one of the more conservative funds in the sector. He observes, "The fund shows excellent returns when the sector is hot and smaller declines in times of sector corrections."

George suggests, "This is the best of both worlds when it comes to mutual funds; generally, those that do best on the way up don't do as well on the way down. This shows that manager John Dowd knows how to play defense."