Investing can seem intimidating, especially if you don’t have experience. But getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. With some core steps, you can be on your way to building an investment portfolio.
This beginner’s guide will walk you through how to:
- Set investment goals
- Understand risk tolerance
- Choose investment types
- Open a brokerage account
- Make your first trades
Follow this roadmap and you’ll have the fundamentals to start investing your money, positioning yourself for potential growth over time.
Set Specific Investment Goals
Having clear investment goals will help inform all the decisions you make. Take some time to think about why you are investing and what you hope to achieve.
Some common investing goal examples include:
- Saving for retirement – One of the main reasons people invest is to build long-term retirement savings. Calculate how much you’ll need to accumulate to generate the income you want in retirement.
- Building an emergency fund – It’s important to have quick access to funds in case of an unexpected expense. You can invest a portion of your emergency fund in safer investments that offer higher returns than traditional savings accounts.
- Saving for a major purchase – Are you investing to buy a house, pay for education, or purchase a car? Establish timelines and target amounts.
- Generating passive income – Some investments like dividend stocks and real estate can generate regular passive income. Set goals for how much monthly or quarterly income you want to produce.
- Growing your net worth – Even without specific spending goals, investing can build your overall wealth over time. Determine target net worth milestones you want to hit at various ages.
Having clear goals makes it easier to choose appropriate investments, decide how much to invest, and track progress. Revisit your goals periodically and adjust as life circumstances change.
Understand Your Investment Risk Tolerance
All investments involve some level of risk. Before deciding where to how2invest, think about your personal risk tolerance or how much risk you’re comfortable taking. Assessing your risk tolerance involves factors like:
- Age – Younger investors may be able to accept higher risk with a longer time horizon. Older investors approaching retirement have less time to recover from losses so may want lower-risk investments.
- Income stability – If you have a stable, high salary you may feel more comfortable taking risks than someone with a lower or unsteady income stream.
- Time horizon – Are you investing for the next 6 months or for the next 30 years? Longer time horizons allow greater flexibility to take on risk.
- Temperament – How nervous do market ups and downs make you? More anxious investors may opt for stable, lower-return investments to minimize volatility.
In general, higher risk investments like stocks tend to have higher potential returns but greater chance of short-term losses. Lower risk investments like savings accounts or CDs offer limited returns but fewer fluctuations in value.
Choose Investment Types
Once you know your goals and risk tolerance, you can zero in on which broad investment types fit your situation:
- Stocks – Buying stocks gives you ownership shares in companies. Stocks offer high upside potential but with significant volatility risk.
- Bonds – Investing in bonds lends money to governments or corporations in exchange for interest payments. Bonds generally provide lower returns than stocks with less day-to-day volatility.
- Mutual funds and ETFs – These investments pool your money with other investors to provide instant diversification and professional management.
- Real estate – Options like REITs give you exposure to real estate without having to directly buy property. Real estate can diversify a portfolio.
- Cash equivalents – Savings accounts, CDs, and money market funds offer stability but very low returns. These work well for short-term savings goals or emergency funds.
Many investors construct diversified portfolios choosing a mix of stocks, bonds, real estate, and cash based on their target asset allocation. Just starting out? You can build a simple portfolio with just one or two low-cost mutual funds or ETFs.
Open a Brokerage Account
To invest in assets like stocks, bonds, and funds, you’ll need a brokerage account. Top online brokerages like Fidelity, Vanguard, and Charles Schwab offer easy online access.
Key factors to consider when choosing an online broker:
- Account minimums – Many leading brokers now offer $0 minimum accounts. Look for this if you want to start small.
- Fees – Brokers make money through commissions on trades and management fees. Compare fee structures.
- Investment selection – Ensure the broker offers all the assets you want to invest in.
- Platform – Choose an intuitive trading platform with helpful research tools.
- Customer service – Look for responsive customer support in case you need help.
Once you select a brokerage, you can open an account online in minutes. You’ll transfer funds over to get started investing.
Make Your First Investments
Here are some smart ideas for where new investors should put their first dollars:
- Index funds – Start with an S&P 500 index fund. Index funds provide instant diversification at low cost.
- Blue chip stocks – Build a core portfolio position with large-cap companies like Apple, Microsoft, or Johnson & Johnson.
- ETFs – Choose ETFs that match your strategy like high dividend yield ETFs for income or growth sectors like technology.
- Target date funds – Don’t want to hand-pick investments? Target date funds provide a diversified all-in-one option that rebalances over time.
Stick to broad funds and established large cap stocks while you’re learning the ropes. Avoid speculative investments like penny stocks, IPOs, or crypto until you gain experience.
Dollar cost average by making regular, equal-amount investments over time. This smooths out market volatility. Reinvest all dividends for compound growth.
Let Your Investments Grow
Once you make your initial investments, resist the urge to constantly tweak your portfolio or react to daily market movements. Give your investments time to grow through compounding.
Periodically rebalance your portfolio to bring your asset allocation back in line if it gets too imbalanced. You can also add new funds periodically to capture asset classes you want more exposure to.
Avoid panic selling when markets inevitably have downturns. Ride out short-term volatility and stick to the long-term plan. The longer you stay invested, the more your money can work for you.
Investing is a lifelong process. Make it a habit by setting up automatic contributions from every paycheck into your investment accounts. Small amounts invested consistently over decades can grow into substantial wealth.
Conclusion
While investing may seem intimidating as a beginner, taking it step-by-step makes getting started manageable. Define your investment goals, assess your risk tolerance, open a brokerage account, and make your first low-cost, diversified investments.
Ignore short-term market swings and give your investments time to compound. Reinvest dividends and make regular contributions. Adopting smart habits early in your investing journey can position you for potential exponential growth over time.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is the minimum I need to start investing?
A: Many top online brokers now offer $0 minimum accounts. This allows you to open an account and start investing any amount.
Q: What are safe investments for beginners?
A: Index funds, blue chip stocks, ETFs, and target date funds provide diversification for beginners without excess risk.
Q: How often should I check on my investments?
A: Avoid checking your portfolio daily. Review investments every few months to rebalance. Focus on long-term growth, not short-term changes.
Q: When should I sell an investment?
A: Consider selling if your outlook changes on the investment, you need money for another goal, or you want to rebalance your asset allocation. Don’t sell purely due to normal volatility.
Q: How do I choose an online broker?
A: Look for $0 minimums, low fees, a range of investment choices, an easy-to-use platform, and strong customer service. Popular picks include Fidelity, Vanguard, and Charles Schwab.