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,

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.