Hey guys, I'd like some opinions on a couple of things.

File: DSC00629-01.jpg (316KB, 897x897px) Image search: [Google]

316KB, 897x897px

Hey guys,

I'd like some opinions on a couple of things.

1) I've been looking to start regularly investing in index tracker funds and their ilk. I'm pretty young, so I'd be looking for a fairly aggressive weighting in equity.
I'm in this for the long haul (I plan to not cash in on it for as long as possible), but considering the current economic climate, would it be sensible to wait for the economy to get a bit shittier (and thus, a bit cheaper).

2) my job requires me to be financially independent of a number of large financial institutions. A consequence of this is that Vanguard funds are off-limits for me. My reading is probably a few years out of date, so I was wondering if there are any other companies which are managing to emulate or surpass the Vanguard model (that I may be able to get in to).

Thanks