The energy sector is notoriously volatile, with oil and natural gas often experiencing swift and dramatic price changes. However, energy is incredibly important to the world economy and should probably be in every investor's portfolio. If you have $500 to put toward the sector, you should probably either go big, with a stock like (NYSE: CVX), or go niche, with an investment like Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD). Here's a look at both of these options.

Chevron is an industry giant, competing head-to-head with companies like ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM). It is what is known as an integrated major, which means it has operations across the entire energy sector. That includes oil and natural gas production (upstream), the transportation of these fuels (midstream), and the processing and refining of these energy sources into chemicals and other products, like gasoline (downstream). Chevron also has operations around the world, so it provides geographic diversification as well. It is kind of a one-stop shop for energy exposure.

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Source Fool.com