<prompt> Human: Are there any other options I could consider?Im looking to invest 20k, and regular 2k monthly investments. Ive been told time and time again that long term index fund investing is the sure fire way to watch compound growth take place.Isnt there a risk I could leave in 30 years with less money than I put in?  <response>: Index funds are the go to for long term investments because they are the cheapest investment product to buy and they track the total return for the stock market. Every dayweekmonthyear there will be a few individual stocks that do great and make the people investing in them look great. However, the odds that the same people will consistently pick the best stocks to buy year after year is practically zero. By buying an index fund you guarantee that you will never do amazing but also that you will never be over invested in the next Enron. If you buy an index fund today and it is worth less in 30 years than today you have bigger problems to worry about because something has gone terribly wrong like an alien invasion. 