I learned about the index funds from a great book I'll Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Despite terrible title it's quite nice and recommends investing in index funds heavily. I live in Poland where, unfortunately, this segment of the market is highly underdeveloped. I have no more than three funds to choose out of which only one is accessible for a small investor wanting to save for the future. I can't wait for other funds to enter the market!