This isn't controversial at all. This is pretty much the typical HN answer. But, the OP wasn't looking for this... "I realize the general consensus around here

This isn't controversial at all. This is pretty much the typical HN answer. But, the OP wasn't looking for this... "I realize the general consensus around here may be that the best investment would be in yourself (have 25k? start a business!), but surely some people have "normal" investments, too. How do you hack it?" Congrats on making this decision to do a startup, but that's not what he is looking for. For what it's worth, I think that the way "big money" wins and "little guy" loses is exactly because of this. When people lose a ton of money, they lose confidence in the market and don't get to make much of it back in the subsequent rebound. To answer the OP's point, I invest in tech stocks/ETFs that I understand. I cut my losses very quickly, but buy more shares on my way up if it's going up. That's how after taking only a 10% loss in the market collapse I grew my portfolio about 80% the past 2 years in the recovery. Good luck! If you want more thoughts/ideas definitely email me- in profile. I'd be happy to discuss.