[Southpaw]

I follow stocks, options, mutual funds, real estate, and several other investment types as a hobby, and I'll actually invest in certain instruments when I have some extra cash lying around.

As saden1 said, mutual funds are your best bet, if you don't have the time to watch your investments constantly. Just be sure to pick a well reviewed company that has been around for more than ten years.

As of right now, I tend to stay away from tech stocks. Real estate stocks are still going strong, but they're not having the crazy growth they had a couple years back. Energy stocks are iffy, but you can make some quick cash if you time your moves correctly.