conversation: User (tinyahjumma): "I’m married in my 40s. We have an 8th grader and a 5th grader. We contribute to our retirement accounts. We pay a mortgage, his student loans, and regular bills. No other debts.\n\nWe have about $200k just sitting in a MONEY MARKET account- not mutual fund. I was thinking of sticking $100K in a Vanguard Index fund and just letting it be. How do I choose one? Do I need a financial planner to tell me what to do?\n\nWe are fortunate to have maybe an extra 3-4K left over each month, so I’ve been sticking it in the mutual fund, and it has added up. But I’d like make more interest. \n\nI figure an index fund is, long term, better than trying to pay off the house early. We have 13.5 years left with a 3ish% interest rate. Does that sound right? Same with the student loans; they have a 2.5% interest rate.\n\nAny advice would be appreciated.\n\nEdit: I meant money market account, not mutual fund. Doh!"
  Self: "Sure, quite a lot of people manage their own investments. A strategy that a lot of self-managed people go with is a [3 fund portfolio](https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio), which is designed to (a) minimize fees and (b) track overall worldwide stock/bond performance."
  