[Carl_William]

"Also, if I do go with Vanguard, it would probably be best for me just to open an account there instead of getting an account through an online broker like Ameritrade right?"

Yes if you go with Vanguard Group, you should definitely open an account with VG. Also I recommend that you set up the Vanguard account with your bank checking account. Doing this makes it real simple to transfer money to and from Vanguard and the bank. I also buy all the VG mutual funds via the Internet.

If you use a broker such as you described, you will be spending extra money when you buy the VG fund and when you sell it. Go with Vanguard all the way.

I suggest you buy the book by William Bernstein "The Four Pillers of Investing" (lessons for building a winning portfolio). Read the book until you understand what Bernstein is saying. If you are new to investing (or even an experienced investor) , you may have to go over some of the material in the book a few times to get the gist of it.

Somebody mentioned ETFs. They are great, but the spread on some of the thinly traded ETFs can cost you lots of dough. SPYs , QQQs, & QQQQs have reasonable spreads. Also brokers charge to buy and sell ETFs. ETFs also have expenses (expense ratios) like mutual funds, but thery are usually pretty low or reasonable. If you decide to buy ETFs, then learn the ropes about ETFs before you buy them.