Investing: The words they make my brain hurts.

[Doggybutt]

I want to take more control of my long term investments, and I really have enjoyed reading some of the insightful advice posted here, but am beginning to think I would get more out if it if I understood what the words meant.  Where can I go to get a basic understanding of investment vehicles and how investment sites/companies work?

I have a Roth IRA that has climbed from 4,000 to 6,800 since 2007 with no additional contributions, and I have a 401k with my soon-to-be-former employer with about 53k, so dealing with those accounts will be first priority, followed by managing a 401k with a new company (I hope), and then figuring out where I should be doing my discretionary investing going forward (IRAs, strange and mysterious stock market funds, etc.).

Any basic educational resources anyone can point me to would be greatly appreciated.  I've looked at sites like Vanguard and Betterment, and so far they seem to insist on using words and acronyms for money-ey things that I don't understand. I don't particularly enjoy the investment stuff (so far), so I'm not looking to beat the market, I just want to waste less cash paying for stupid things.

Thanks!

[Frankies Girl]

Investopedia's dictionary is good for basic terms and how things work. I started out just googling terms or acronyms for anything I wasn't sure about.

For more on how the market works and basic investing start here: http://jlcollinsnh.com/stock-series/ with either Mr. Collins' book or read through the series on his website. Then head over to Bogleheads site, and read about how to write an investment policy statement, and figure out your asset allocation. Do some research on lazy portfolios there as well.

And of course, sites like this forum, where folks are always willing to give you their 2¢ for any possible question you can come up with. ;)

[Doggybutt]

Thanks, Frankies Girl, this is exactly what I was looking for!