so, what id like to do is invest bitcoins to a stock or mutual fund account, but am not sure the best way to go about it. any tips/advice?
Investing bitcoin is risky I wont deny it but it is worth all the risk because it pays off more than you expected when it is done right.
Buying bitcoin isn't "investing," it's speculating. There's no business that underlies bitcoin, so it doesn't generate income or profit. Speculating is always more risky than investing in an actual business or company.
Would you say there is a strong business supporting gold ?
True, some people use it as jewllery and it has some industrial use, but most of people who buy it, hold it as an investment or inflation hedge.
There are some people who trade gold (or derivatives based on gold) as a speculation.
Isn't it similar with bitcoin ?
Similar in that gold "investing" is also speculative, but gold also has a long and reliable history of serving as a hedge against inflation. Nothing could be further from the truth for bitcoin, which is highly volatile and has fallen more than 70% in the last three years.