Investing in oil without getting your hands dirty

— -- Q: Oil prices have been falling, but I think they will rise again. Is there an easy way to invest in crude?

A: If you think stocks are having a bad year, just look at oil.

As of this writing, the price of a barrel of oil had collapsed 77% from its high this year of $145.29 on July 3 to $33. Global demand for oil has crashed as economies around the world slow down. The destruction in the price of oil has OPEC scrambling to cut production to hold the line on pricing.

You're wise, though, to be skeptical of falling oil prices. The price of oil is very volatile and it wouldn't take much for it to rise again, especially given how much central banks are stoking their economies.

First, I'll say I'm not a huge fan of investing in commodities. When you own a commodity, you own a raw material. You only make money if someone else is later willing to pay more for the material in the future. Oil itself doesn't produce products or earnings. When you own shares of a company, you get a piece of the hopefully increasing earnings and revenue that makes those shares more valuable. But when you own oil, you need to find someone else willing to pay more for it.