Title says it all. Get negative returns on mm accounts, cd's, treasuries... or ....risk losing a massive wad on the runup in commodities if you don't hedge and/or cash out... or ...find stocks with clean balance sheets and reasonable prospects for even anemic growth (positive growth nonetheless), and get a fair shake at beating inflation, making money, even in a recession-ish economy (at least in the U.S.).
If you have a sure-fire bad investment, fade the hell out of it and thank your lucky stars for the opportunity.