as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
investment fund or etf sanity check / ideas
user
now i'm trying to decide whether to find a managed fund, or use vanguard etfs. with a new trading account i can keep at least the initial move free of transaction charges, but ongoing additions would cost me the standard fee. i may want to move half of those funds into a mortgage deposit in a year. (maybe?) most etfs, like the stock market, exhibit significant volatility and, over short periods of time, substantial down-side risk. in other words, there is a significant chance that the value of your investment will be worth substantially less in a year from now. the likelihood of this being the case in, say, 10 years from now is much lower, and vanishingly small for a diversified portfolio. if you aren't confident you'll at least have the option of keeping most of your money invested for over a year, consider that the stock market may not be right for you, at least not as an investment vehicle. regarding the things you'd like to learn; as the commenter said - that's a huge topic and i think you need to clarify your questions.
assistant