A common myth is that investing requires a large sum of money to start. In reality, many brokerages now allow fractional share investing, letting you buy a portion of a stock or fund with as little as a few dollars.
Before investing, it helps to have a small emergency fund in place and any high-interest debt under control, since investment returns are unlikely to outpace high-interest debt costs.
For a small, consistent budget, a low-cost diversified index fund is often a practical starting point rather than picking individual stocks, which requires more research to do well.
Setting up automatic, recurring contributions – even $25 or $50 a month – builds the habit and takes advantage of dollar-cost averaging, buying more shares when prices are low and fewer when prices are high.
The amount matters less than starting early and staying consistent. Time in the market, rather than perfectly timing it, tends to be the bigger factor in long-term investment growth.