Rebounding off a down year In 2024, the energy sector produced a total return (including dividends) of 5.7% compared to 25% for the S&P 500. was even worse, with a -0.6% total return for the energy sector compared to a 26.

If you're new to investing and don't have a lot of money to get started, don't fret. The best place for new investors to begin is often with exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which will give investors instant diversification through a portfolio of stock holdings.

Being able to buy and hold anything means you must own the right kinds of investments to begin with. If you're looking for a more passive approach to investing but don't want to sacrifice your potential gains,

Bond market conditions look challenging, but these ETFs offer a combination of healthy yield, upside potential and managed risk.

Vanguard is one of the gold standards when it comes to low-cost exchange-traded fund (ETF) options. Undoubtedly, passive investing (typically with index funds) tends to be wildly popular among the retail crowd.

If you've been an investor for any length of time at all, then you've almost certainly been advised to start (and maybe even finish) with index funds like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. This fund is of course simply meant to mirror the performance of the S&P 500.