General total market exposure: yes. ETFs can provide exposure to the total market, just tech, renewable energy, etc - if you have conviction about a sector/theme of individual equities there’s probably an ETF for that. That said, “ETF” alone doesn’t tell us much other than you’d like to play safer and more easily than picking individual stocks to play. When shopping, check in on what specific stocks the ETFs are invested in and how they’re weighted compared to others in the same theme you’re looking into.

Unless the family is filthy rich and can weather all of the storms that come with old age, it’s best to not count on it and be pleasantly surprised is there is an inheritance - expect nothing other than what you yourself can provide for is the best approach imo … this is the American way these days. I’m early 40s and am not even counting on social security being around, be cool if it is, but this place is a shit show.

First just take that 100k of rainy day funds and get it into a high yield savings account at like 3-4% APY - that should at least give some solace that it’s not evaporating at the rate of inflation.

The thumbnail looked like a brisket with all the dark bark that had cracked along the outside

I hear all other tropical storms must bow to it