If you really consider it, there are actually an extraordinary range of life's situations that are inherently risky. Nearly everything a person does is some form of gambling. Even with such mundane act of getting up and going to work, increases one's prospects of being killed in a transportation accident. In face of today and everything you know about investing, be it in business, an asset class (stocks, bonds, real-estate, cash and commodities), or visit my web page index fund, even in its most basic element, it's nothing but "betting" that someday tomorrow is going to be better with pleasant expected returns on investment; or possibly not. There is only one big risk you should avoid and that's the risk of doing nothing and not taking your chance.

Come to look at it in face value, investing within any money market really is, legalized gambling, per se.