Based on your financial expertise, provide your response or viewpoint on the given financial question or topic. The response format is open.

What ways are there to invest in stocks, options, indexes, etc, and where should one start (what funds)?
I take the route of the tortoise.  I subscribe to the adage that you invest in an excellent index fund like VFINX and forget about day trading and trying to make short term gains. Just like I would do at a casino I do gamble a bit for fun.  Using etrade you can purchase some Vanguard or a billion of other things.  I purchased some Apple, Google, Verizon, and Ford (when it was at 1.3) and all of those have been good investments.  However, I don't invest the majority of my money in to individual stocks.  I just do this with some 'play' money. After maxing out 401k, etc. I put away my 6 months of safety net in a money mark and put the rest in Vanguard.