If you're reading this, it likely means you're taking one of the more important steps when it comes to investing: Being curious enough to look into it. The second, arguably most crucial, step is actually beginning your investment journey. Unfortunately, the latter is where many people freeze up because they feel like they're not ready.

Many people think it takes dedicating huge amounts of time to studying companies and industries to be a "good" investor, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Could that help in certain situations? Absolutely. Is it needed to make money in the stock? Not even remotely.

One of the best things someone can do, regardless of their investing experience, is invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs are funds that contain many different companies in a single investment and trade on the stock market like a traditional stock. For beginning investors interested in investing in an ETF, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) is a great option to consider.

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Source Fool.com