[shansense]

Absolutely! Let me also put other things in perspective: 1. Any “investment” is basically putting your resources in the hands of others (planners, CEOs of other companies etc) in the hopes that they can manage the money better than you. This is a conclusion only if you don’t believe you can manage the resources. Are you sure of this? 2. Why not invest in yourself? Depending on your life situation- getting into a good school, a good network/club, a good society might actually be a better payoff! 3. Building a startup might give you a much better reward if you are so inclined. The opportunity cost is very real (again depends on your life situation) 4. If you know where you’ll live for a foreseeable future AND if you tend to be shaken by market events, buying a house might be better (people don’t generally sell off their house so they tend to let their investment compound inadvertently!). 5. Investing in new experiences like doing an internship (no regard for pay) in fields you are interested in might open up new avenues.

I firmly believe that only when you are clear on your goal and having invested in oneself and having thought of everything else should you get to the problem of whether a particular etf is better or whatever.