People looking to park some of their extra cash in a money-market fund can now invest in Duke Energy instead. The Charlotte-based power giant announced Monday it's hoping to raise $500 million from private investors through a new debt offering called "PremiereNotes." Individual investors can buy-in for as little as $1,000 and Duke says the return rate of return will be a minimum of .25 percent higher than the average taxable money-market mutual fund. Duke Energy has been looking for ways to diversify its base of financing. The Charlotte Business Journal has the story here.