Index Funds
"Indeed, I have terrible news about brokers and money managers generally - news which I expect you've suspected, but couldn't quite believe, all along. There are no brokers who can beat the market consistently and by enough of a margin to more than make up for their brokerage fees. Or, if there are a few, they are not going to work for peanuts - and any account under $500,000 is peanuts. By and large you should manage your own money. No one is going to care about it as much as you."
"This is a very simple concept but profound: just by investing all the money you have earmarked for the stock market in the Vanguard Index Trust, you will generally do better than most bank trust departments, mutual fund managers, and private investors--with far less effort!"
Andrew Tobias "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need."
Example Portfolios with multiple Index funds
http://www.thekirkreport.com/lazy_portfolios/index.html
VTSMX - (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund)
http://www.fool.com/investing/mutual-funds/2007/04/26/the-4-best-words-of-investing-advice.aspx
First, hold a portfolio that's diversified across market caps and industries. One way to do this is to anchor your portfolio in a broad market index fund such as Vanguard Total Stock Market (VTSMX) -- a low-cost option that holds more than 3,700 names and includes heavy exposure to stalwarts such as Microsoft, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). Thus, when your micro caps inevitably dip and dive, the effect on your portfolio will be muted by the relative stability of your index.
Buffett on Index vs ETF
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=4A899C35-02F6-42CB-BB01-7B7E303003D4&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo
Other Vanguard Index funds
http://www.fool.com/investing/mutual-funds/2007/05/07/vanguards-best-index-funds.aspx?source=mppromo
