The S 500 is one of the most reliable wealth-building mechanisms the world has ever seen. It's beautifully simple: an index of the U.S.'s 500 most prominent companies at any given time. The companies in the S 500 have changed over the years, but the index's long-term results -- mind-blowing wealth -- remain the same. A $100 investment made in 1950 would be worth over $32,000 today, and that doesn't even factor in dividends.

It's a tip of the cap to America's capitalist economy, which has grown to become a global financial juggernaut despite the U.S. being one of the newer countries on the world stage.

The best part? Anyone can invest in the S 500 through exchange-traded funds like the SPDR S 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY).

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Source Fool.com