Many people do not consistently monitor their investments. They put their money away and fail to look every day, or even week, or even every year to see how their investments are doing. If the investments are invested for a child, it could be twenty years. If this describes you, then investing in the market averages solves the problem. The goal here is to pick an index fund and stick with it for life. There is no requirement that you actively monitor, or trade, your investments. Mac Barnes