I disagree with jyalincha, Yes your investment ideas are acceptable and does promise better than return on bonds or slightly better than the market. But i don't see how you could make significant $$$ without access to huge capital. Most people with some finance/econ background one knows gold prices will go higher and crude oil will be up mid-term to long term. But how would u make money without access to capital. Well if you are managing your own retirement than its a diff ball game. Yes futures and forex are generally set aside for experts and wall street firms kept their knowledge inside; talenst switching from one house to another. But since 1999 things have changed forex no longer a game only of big banks and major corp. One could do it. The only reason i recommend those is the availiablity of leverage. But yes it does take atleast a year or more of studying and econ/finance backround is definitely a big plus. The point is u need to be expert and but it is not impossible. People get scared and don't even give it a shot. http://www.equitiesmagazine.com/pdfs/articles/06-winter/Beginners_Guide_To_Forex.pdf