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 begin investing in the stock market? ›

Below are the steps you should follow to effortlessly purchase stocks from the convenience of your home:
  1. Open a demat account. ...
  2. Open a trading account. ...
  3. Login to your demat account. ...
  4. Identify the stock you want to invest in. ...
  5. How much do you want to invest? ...
  6. Buy the stock(s) at their listed prices along with units.
Feb 12, 2024

How do you invest in the stock market effectively? ›

  1. 8-Step Guide to Investing in Stocks.
  2. Step 1: Set Clear Investment Goals.
  3. Step 2: Determine How Much You Can Afford To Invest.
  4. Step 3: Determine Your Tolerance for Risk.
  5. Step 4: Determine Your Investing Style.
  6. Choose an Investment Account.
  7. Step 6: Fund Your Stock Account.
  8. Step 7: Pick Your Stocks.

How can a beginner get into the stock market? ›

One of the best ways for beginners to learn how to invest in stocks is to put money in an online investment account and purchase stocks from there. 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.

How much do I need to invest to make $100 a month? ›

If you have $25,000 in a high-yield savings account with a 5% annual percentage yield, or APY, that could amount to about $100 per month in income.

How to start investing for beginners? ›

Here are 5 simple steps to get started:
  1. Identify your important goals and give them each a deadline. Be honest with yourself. ...
  2. Come up with some ballpark figures for how much money you'll need for each goal.
  3. Review your finances. ...
  4. Think carefully about the level of risk you can bear.

How can beginners start trading? ›

Here is a day trading guide for beginners
  1. Learn the basics of the stock market.
  2. Choose a broker.
  3. Set up a demo account.
  4. Develop a trading strategy.
  5. Start small.
  6. Be patient.
  7. Manage your risk.
  8. Take breaks.

What type of stock is best for beginners? ›

Best Stocks To Invest In 2024 For Beginners
  • UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 104. Quarterly Revenue Growth: 14.10% ...
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 109. ...
  • Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) ...
  • Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) ...
  • Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)
Feb 7, 2024

How many stocks should a beginner start with? ›

“How many stocks should I own as I begin my investing career?” As part of your initial portfolio management approach, you should aim to invest in a minimum of four or five stocks—one from most, if not all, of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources; Consumer; Finance; and Utilities).

How do beginners choose stocks? ›

  1. How to Pick a Stock.
  2. Determine Your Goals.
  3. 3 Types of Investors.
  4. The Diversified Portfolio.
  5. Keep Your Eyes Open.
  6. The "Story" Behind a Stock Pick.
  7. Find Your Companies.
  8. Tune-in to Corporate Presentations.

How much is $500 a month invested for 10 years? ›

What happens when you invest $500 a month
Rate of return10 years30 years
4%$72,000$336,500
6%$79,000$474,300
8%$86,900$679,700
10%$95,600$987,000
Nov 15, 2023

Do you get money monthly from stocks? ›

For normally structured C corporations, there's no mandate decreeing when or if they must pay dividends. Most stocks that pay regular dividends do so on a quarterly schedule. A small number – roughly 80 – have opted to distribute their dividend income monthly.

What happens if you save $100 dollars a month for 40 years? ›

According to Ramsey's tweet, investing $100 per month for 40 years gives you an account value of $1,176,000. Ramsey's assumptions include a 12% annual rate of return, which some critics have labeled as optimistic given that the long-term average annual return of the S&P 500 index is closer to 10%.

Is $100 enough to start investing in stocks? ›

Investing can change your life for the better. But many people mistakenly think that unless they have thousands of dollars lying around, there's no good place to put their money. The good news is that's simply not the case. You can start investing with $100 or even less.

How much money should a beginner invest in the stock market? ›

If investing 15% of your income sounds like more than your budget can handle, you can start with a set dollar amount and be consistent about it. Investing even a few dollars each month can sometimes be enough to see a return if you're using the right investment strategy.

Is $1,000 enough to start investing in stocks? ›

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. Don't let small amounts prevent you from earning larger ones down the road.

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.

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