Mutual admiration.
If you don’t find individual stocks tempting, consider the realm of mutual funds. A mutual fund is an investment company whose objective is to combine the funds of smaller investors and place them under professional management. There’s an abundance of information in magazines or on the internet regarding growth and income mutual funds. MarketWatch.com is a great resource, and you can download mutual fund prospectuses right from the site. Prospectuses describe a fund’s history, give a background of managers and fund objectives and provide a financial statement and other essential data.

Cut to the chase.
If even thinking about reading a prospectus causes sweating and heart palpitations, consider reading only the investment objectives. This will tell you what strategies the fund manager uses to maximize the fund’s performance. What could be better than insights into a professional’s mind? If you’re focusing on stocks, read a summary of the Annual Report for a quick glimpse into a company.