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Here's a surprisingly useful number:
$1.
No, I'm not suggesting you build your financial future with a dollar.
I'm saying that the idea that you need $5,000, $10,000 or some magical pile of cash before you're "allowed" to start investing is outdated.
Today, Fidelity and Charles Schwab allow eligible fractional-share investments starting at $1. SoFi says its Active Investing can start with $5.
(Examples only — not investment recommendations. Always research any financial service before using it.)
So maybe the better question isn't:
"How much money do I need to start investing?"
Maybe it's:
"How much can I realistically start with?"
$100 is still $100
People have a strange relationship with small amounts of money.
Spend $20 on takeout? Normal.
Find $20 in an old jacket? Fantastic.
Invest $20?
"What's the point?"
But why does money suddenly become meaningless just because the amount is small?
Starting with $50 or $100 isn't impressive.
That's okay.
Starting doesn't need to be impressive. It needs to be a start.
The amount that's right for you depends on your finances, obligations and priorities. Even Fidelity's own guidance says there isn't one "magic number" that everyone needs before they begin.
So forget about finding the perfect number.
Find your number.
Maybe it's $25.
Maybe it's $100.
Maybe it's $500.
The first $100 may be harder than the next $100
There's another reason starting small matters.
Before you've started, investing is something you're going to do "someday."
After you've started, it becomes something you actually do.
That's a very different thing.
And once you stop believing that you need thousands of dollars to begin, another question becomes much more interesting:
Where could I find my first $100?
Maybe it's already in your bank account.
Maybe you save it gradually.
Maybe you work a few extra hours.
Or maybe part of it is sitting in your garage.
That old drill you haven't touched since 2019.
The game console nobody uses.
A kitchen appliance still in its box.
Old toys.
Collectibles.
Electronics.
Things that aren't doing anything wrong, exactly.
They're just... living with you for free.
You don't need to find $100 in one place
This is where people can make the problem unnecessarily difficult.
You don't necessarily need one thing worth $100.
Maybe you sell something for $25.
Something else for $15.
Then $40.
Then $20.
There's your $100.
No treasure chest required.
And if creating listings is the part that makes you think, forget it, that process is easier to reduce today too. Tools like Zetlis and other AI listing platforms can help create much of an eBay listing from your photos. Or use another tool. Or do it yourself.
The tool isn't the point.
Turning "I'll do it someday" into "I started" is.
Don't wait for your finances to look impressive
Obviously, investing isn't where every dollar should automatically go. Money you need for bills, necessities or near-term expenses has a job already.
But if you're waiting because you think investing only becomes legitimate once you have thousands of dollars available, that's a different problem.
You may be waiting for a starting line that no longer exists.
You can start small.
Then add more when you can.
$10 doesn't have to become $10,000 tomorrow to matter.
$50 doesn't need to make you rich.
And your first $100 doesn't need to change your life.
It just needs to change you from someone who's planning to start into someone who already has.
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