How To Start Investing in the Stock Market (2024)

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Have you ever wanted to invest but never knew anything about it? Do you want to start investing in the stock market but need some guidance to begin?

In this article we are going over two unique ways to start investing without any moneyor background in money!

How To Start Investing in the Stock Market (1)

For nearly all millennials and young adults, the idea of investing is scary.

We usually get blank stares when mentioning mutual funds, ETFs, Roth IRAs, and so forth.

Unfortunately the world of investing has always been targeted to older men, and it’s been the man’s job to know how and what to invest!

Now, we need to quickly review why it’s so important to starting thinking about investing, before diving in!

  • Retire Early!

Don’t want to work until you’re 65 or 70? Me neither.

By starting investing when you’re young, you’ll be decades ahead of others your age! You’ll be able to have far more when you retire, and you’ll be able to retire much sooner, if that is a goal of yours!

  • Bad Things Happen to Us All

You never know what your genes (or your child’s) have in store for your future. Strokes, heart attacks, neurological conditions… then, you have to consider other situations like car accidents and falls.

If you start investing now, you’ll never worry about medical bills! You’ll have plenty of money stored away, and with the power of compound interest, you’ll be earning on your investments over the years.

  • Enjoy Life, Finally!

We all have dreams of how we’d live our lives if we didn’t have to go to a day-to-day job.

Travelling, learning new skills, having time for hobbies, there is so much we’d rather do than keep going to a job for the next few decades of our lives. When you have enough money invested, you can benefit from dividends, and reach financial freedom!

Okay, But How Do I Start Investing?

Thanks to recent technology, there are new ways to start investing, without even needing to put much effort in!

There are two popular free apps that help you to learn about investing, and they both are awesome options for young adults to begin!

Instead of adding any fluff, we’ll go right into these two apps, and discuss how you can easily start investing today!

1. Robinhood

Robinhood is a free software and app (you can access it fully on desktop or phone) that helps beginners invest in stocks and learn along the way!

Forget all those older adults who say you need thousands to start investing! All you need is to sign up to start!

We have a unique link below where you can sign up and, literally, get a FREE stock. It’s as simple as that!

After getting your stock, start learning! Watch the trends and you could play around with investing in new stocks to build your portfolio!

It really can’t get easier than this!

What’s great about Robinhood is that you can also invest in ETFs, which are another option that beginners can earn money from!

Now, you won’t be earning tons of money from your first stock, but you’ll at least have a free way to learn about how it works, start getting to understand terminology, and be more confident when you want to start investing more!

We have enjoyed this app for quite awhile now, and have recommended this app for longer than any other financial app!

It has a beautiful interface, is accessible through desktop or phone app, and you never have to pay anything to use it! Many other apps require you to pay fees for this type of service!

If you download this app, make sure to do so through here to get your FREE STOCK!

We highly recommend Robinhood, since our link gives you a free stock to start learning about the stock market, without putting any money of your own into stocks!

Plus, what’s great is that this app links directly into your Personal Capital account with a simple log in. You’ll be able to track your stocks through that app, without the need to click through numerous apps regularly.

*Full disclosure, this link belongs to a ThirtyEight Investing family member. When you use this link, they’ll receive a free share too! It’s a win-win!

2. Acorns

Acorns offers a completely different way to approach investing. It’s free (it has paid options within the app), and is built for young adults in mind!

(Psst: Check out here for a FREE $5 to start investing!)

Acorns is like a digital piggy bank! It helps you put away small amount of money to be able to invest.

Essentially, it works by rounding up the “cents” portion when you make purchases throughout your everyday life.

For example: Let’s say you went to Starbucks and your total was $5.90. Following the transaction, Acorns will automatically “round up” your total to $6.00, by taking $0.10 from your bank and placing it in a fund or savings account.

So, $5.90 goes to Starbucks, and $0.10 gets “invested”. Easy!

Note that Acorns is not taking your money, but rather transferring it from one place to another! That way you can use that money to invest!

It’s a genius way to put away money without even realize you’re doing it!

If you use this link, you get $5 FOR FREE on Acorns to start investing! This is no joke!

Plus, this app won’t require you to take lump sums to go invest. It’s as simple as letting the app round up your purchases! Watch the money grow, and learn about what you’d be interested in investing in. Then you can go invest the money!

Interested in learning more?

Check out these related articles to help you after you download these apps and start your journey to a better financial future!

  • How to Discover Your Net Worth
  • The 1 Trait Every Woman Needs to Invest
  • Why Millennials Don’t Invest
  • How to Crush Your Financial Journey
  • 10 Books You Should Read to Retire Early
  • How to Invest in Rental Properties: For Beginners

Thanks for hanging out! Be sure to check out some of the above articles to learn more about investing!

How To Start Investing in the Stock Market (2)

How To Start Investing in the Stock Market (2024)

FAQs

How To Start Investing in the Stock Market? ›

“Ideally, you'll invest somewhere around 15%–25% of your post-tax income,” says Mark Henry, founder and CEO at Alloy Wealth Management. “If you need to start smaller and work your way up to that goal, that's fine. The important part is that you actually start.”

How much should you invest in stocks first time? ›

“Ideally, you'll invest somewhere around 15%–25% of your post-tax income,” says Mark Henry, founder and CEO at Alloy Wealth Management. “If you need to start smaller and work your way up to that goal, that's fine. The important part is that you actually start.”

Is $500 enough to start investing in stocks? ›

One of the biggest misconceptions about investing is that you need a ton of money. That's not true at all. You can start with a fraction of a share and add to it when you can. Even $500 is more than enough, and it can grow to thousands of dollars if you pick a good investment and give it time.

Is $1,000 enough to invest in stocks? ›

TIME Stamp: The most important thing about investing is to start, and you don't need a pile of cash to do it. While $1,000 may not seem like much, it's enough cash to start growing your money and securing your financial future, especially if investing becomes a habit.

How much money do I need to invest in stocks to make $1000 a month? ›

A stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income, Mircea Iosif wrote on Medium. “For example, at a 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000.

Is $100 a week enough to invest? ›

$100 per week adds up to $15,600 in three years

That means that, after a full year of saving, $100 per week adds up to $5,200. There is no sensible stock that will get you to $1,500 per year with $5,200 invested — that's a 28% yield! — but there are stocks that could get you there after three years of saving.

How do I start stocks with no money? ›

You don't have to have a lot of money to start investing. Many brokerages allow you to open an investing account with $0, and then you just have to purchase stock. Some brokers also offer paper trading, which lets you learn how to buy and sell with stock market simulators before you invest any real money.

How much stock should I buy as a beginner? ›

Most experts tell beginners that if you're going to invest in individual stocks, you should ultimately try to have at least 10 to 15 different stocks in your portfolio to properly diversify your holdings.

What is the best way to buy stock for the first time? ›

For most new investors, an online brokerage account will be the easiest way to get into the stock market. But if you're still keen to start investing without a broker, look for companies that offer a direct stock plan, which lets you purchase shares directly from the company for a low fee or no fee at all.

Where should I start if I want to invest in stocks? ›

To invest in stocks, open an online brokerage account, add money to the account, and purchase stocks or stock-based funds from there. You can also invest in stocks through a robo-advisor or a financial advisor. If you're ready to invest in stocks yourself, this six-step process may help you get started.

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