Short/Long : even if you do not own a stock, you can still sell it (called short). Basically, you borrow the stock from your broker and sell it at a price you decided. Later, you buy the stock (hopefully at a lower price) to return it to your broker.
Options : is the basically the opportunity, not obligation, to buy a stock at a pre-determined price. If the pre-determined price is lower than current stock price on the market, you exercise the option (buy and sell immediately at the same time) and you make make. This usually happens when your company gives you such stock option. There is a lot of complex tax implication at various conditions, and people even went bankrupt during internet boom and bust days due to unrealized paper profits.
ESPP : Employee Stock Purchase Plan, means employee can buy the company's stock at a discount (usually 15% discount). Again, there is a lot of tax implication at various condition, even before you sell the stock.
Bond : the price of Bond, or fixed income, goes the opporsite direction of stock market. If you do not know why, you are not ready to invest in bond yet.
BRIC : means Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Basically those are developing countries that have huge potential of growth (now and in forseeable years). Unless you are from those countries, you probably do not know enough about them to invest. The best way is through ETF.
Basically there are much more homework to do before you learn how to deal with those. Fundementally, I do not like complexity and I prefer much simpler investment strategy.
