U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Technology, Industrials and Basic Materials sectors led shares higher. At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.

If you pick a few stocks on your own, though, one or more may turn out to be stinkers, though -- that happens to the best of us, even Warren Buffett. But most of us aren't really savvy stock pickers, with a deep understanding of how to evaluate stocks. So we might wisely choose to stick with a broad index fund of stocks, instead.

Stock futures are pointing to a higher open for major U.S. indexes on Wednesday as market participants await the Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut in more than four years.