The stock market can look chaotic from the outside. Prices flash across screens, companies gain or lose billions in value, and investors seem to buy and sell shares every second. Underneath all that activity, however, the basic system is surprisingly…

Investing sounds complicated when conversations start involving market forecasts, company earnings, valuations, and trying to identify the next winning stock. Index funds offer a much simpler idea: instead of attempting to pick individual winners, you can invest in a portfolio…