I think the fundamental question is whether one should invest in muni bonds, whether you ladder them or not. Muni bonds are a good investment vehicle if you are looking to preserve capital while getting tax-free income. Depending on your age, how much you've saved and your financial sophistication, I consider munis as another basket where I put several eggs. My other baskets are stocks, real estate, gold.

Personally, I have munis, but it is only a small portion of our portfolio. The recession has been brutal, but there are tangible signs that we are coming out of it. Historically, the stock market will also see a rebound. I think that some monies should go into the stock market so that you can ride the upturn.

The other thing to think about when using brokers is that they want to be paid for their efforts. I prefer the do-it-yourself investments whenever I can.