Follow an index (easy steady returns)

Instant diversification
Low cost
Superior returns
ETFs not mutual funds!
ETF is a basket that holds bits of many companies
when one goes down others absorb blow=good
When comparing similar ETFs consider
Expense ratio
How much the ETF company takes each year for running ETF
Should be under 0.2%, lowest 0.03%, some in US now 0.00%
CAD hedged
any fluctuations will be negated
Hedged does well when foreign currency goes down relative to domestic currency
Ie as a canadian buy a hedged SP500 if you think USD will go down compared to CAD
Tax benefits
note TFSA you pay 15% withholding tax on US dividends
You can buy etfs for almost anything
broad market (VTI--total market)
specific industries (VGT--top info tech)
specific countries (XIU--tsx 60--top 60 canadian stocks)
bond etfs
money market etfs
leveraged/inverse etfs=bad if you don't know what you are doing
Most are based off of options that have "time lose"
Not that a 3x return is only true on the day timescale

Should diversify:
By geography (typically suggest ⅓ in each Canada, US, International)
US best atm good to be overweight?
Canadians tend to be overweight in CAD stocks
SP/TSX Composite Index
International
Emerging markets
By industry
Growth FAAMG (ie tech, young ppl), value(always good), income (when old)
Market cap
large cap (over 10 billion dollars)
medium cap (2-10 billion)
small cap (between 300 million and 2 billion)
SP 500
Top 500 US companies
Market cap weighted
when people talk about market they are talking about SP 500
VOO/SPY
vfv toronto stock exchange
Nasdaq
Many newer tech companies
I love QQQ
HXQ or XQQ on TSX
NYSE
New York stock exchange
5000 companies
Biggest stock market in world
Dow jones (industrial average)
30 big companies in US
Typically blue chip
Funny weighting
SP/TSX 60
Top 60 Canadian stocks
Tends to focus on finance, materials, energy 
Stock exchanges in different countries
DAX—Germany
FTSE—Britain
Nikkei—Japan
Shanghai—China
SENSEX—India
They have them for most developed countries
70 trillion dollars on stock exchange
85% is normal peoples money (pension funds)
But active investors determine the price
Started out as a way to diversify and manage risk with dutch east india company. Don’t invest all your money with one boat (you could lose it to pirates), instead buy a little bit of many ships