Fidelity Select Energy
As recommended a week or so ago, take a look at this mutual fund: $2500 minimum investment, no load, low expense ratio, 44% gain in the last year, 87% invested in energy. All of the big mutual fund families have similar funds, so feel free to go to Yahoo mutual fund screener and find an interesting one of your own.
If you had invested $2500 in this fund a year ago, you would now have made $1100 last year, and unless you are a commute-a-holic the last year's energy price increase would have not affected you at all. Example: If you are a typical driver, and drive 10,000 miles per year in your 20 mpg car, you will have used 500 gallons. The $1100 appreciation would have paid you back more than $2 per gallon. Or, another way to look at it is that this would have broken you even for $1 per gallon in gasoline (which is about what the price increase was) and $600 in higher heating bills last winter.
There is some risk, of course, and there is no assurance that next year will be like last year, but the risk on this is nothing like playing the commodities, plus there is no issue with commissions. Plus, the neighbors and the local fire department will not have to complain about the 55 gallon drums sitting around in the back yard.
I think let the high rollers worry about trading oil. Make a solid oil-related investment, and take the summer off. Spend the time sitting around the pool (or under the sprinkler) sipping on lemonade and bragging to your friends about how you are an oil mogul and how the increase in the gas price has not affected you at all. You do not have to sweat the daily price fluctuations like the commodity flippers do.
Disclaimer: I am not an investment guy. Check on this before you do it. Never take investment advice from anyone who has a job.