Buy the Index

This strategy is all about finding an attractive stock index and then buying an index fund based on it. Two popular indexes are the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the Nasdaq Composite. Each has many of the market’s top stocks, giving you a well-diversified collection of investments, even if it’s the only investment you own. Rather than trying to beat the market, you simply own the market through the fund and get its returns.

Advantages: Buying an index is a simple approach that can yield great results, especially when you pair it with a buy-and-hold mentality. Your return will be the weighted average of the index’s assets. And with a diversified portfolio, you’ll have lower risk than owning just a few stocks. Plus, you won’t have to analyze individual stocks to invest in, so it requires much less work, meaning you have time to spend on other fun things while your money works for you.

Risks: Investing in stocks can be risky but owning a diversified portfolio of stocks is considered a safer way to do it. But if you want to achieve the market’s long-term returns – an average 10 percent annually for the S&P 500 – you’ll need to hold on through the tough times and not sell. Also, because you’re buying a collection of stocks, you’ll get their average return, not the return of the hottest stocks. That said, most investors, even the pros, struggle to beat the indexes over time.

Here are a few great index funds to start your buy and hold journey:

• S&P 500 index funds: VOO - SPY - IVV - SWPXX

• Nasdaq index funds: NASDX - QQQ

• Russell 2000 ETF: VTWO

• Total Stock Market ETF: VTI