Last year was a rock-solid reminder of how powerful a wealth creator Wall Street can be. The 127-year-old Dow Jones Industrial Average ascended to a record high, while the broad-based S 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) and innovation-driven Nasdaq Composite tallied gains of 24% and 43%, respectively.

However, stock market corrections, bear markets, and even crashes are a normal and inevitable aspect of putting your money to work on Wall Street. For investors with less tolerance for risk, or who don't have the time to devote to researching individual companies, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can make a lot of sense.

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Source Fool.com