In order to build wealth over time, most investors would do well to park much, if not all, of their long-term assets in the overall stock market -- perhaps via a simple, low-fee S&P 500 index fund. Such index funds offer solid long-term growth with relatively low risk. (The S&P 500 has averaged annual gains of close to 10% over long periods -- which is a rather powerful growth rate.)

But if you want to juice your returns a bit, profiting from fast-growing parts of the economy, you might seek an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that focuses on a specific sector. (An ETF is a mutual fund-like investment that trades like a stock.)

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Source Fool.com