How to Start Investing (With Whatever You Have)
Learn how to start investing with whatever money you have right now — no financial background required, no minimum balance, no excuses left standing in the way.
About this course
Most people know they should be investing. They just don't know where to start, so they don't. This course is designed to close that gap. You'll start with the concepts that actually matter — why investing grows wealth in a way that saving alone never will, what the major asset classes are and how they generate returns, and what financial groundwork to lay before you put a dollar in the market. By the end of the first unit, you'll have a clear picture of how this all fits together, not a vague sense that you should "diversify."
From there, the course walks you through setting up the right accounts for your situation, choosing between tax-advantaged options like a 401(k), Roth IRA, and traditional IRA, and understanding when a taxable brokerage account makes sense. You'll make your first real investment purchase before the course is over. The portfolio unit shows you how to build a simple, diversified portfolio using three index funds — a strategy backed by decades of evidence and used by investors with $500 and investors with $5 million. You'll also learn how to maintain that portfolio over time without turning it into a second job.
The last unit covers something most investing courses skip: the psychological side. The math of investing is straightforward. The hard part is not selling everything when markets drop 30%. You'll learn exactly what to do when markets crash, which common mistakes quietly erase years of gains, and how to build a system that invests automatically so your returns don't depend on your motivation. By the end, you'll have an actual plan, not just information.
Details
Skills you'll learn
Account Selection
Choose the right investment accounts for your situation — 401(k), Roth IRA, traditional IRA, or taxable brokerage — and understand the tax consequences of each decision.
Portfolio Construction
Build a simple, diversified portfolio using low-cost index funds that requires minimal maintenance and holds up across different market conditions.
Risk Assessment
Evaluate your own financial situation to determine how much risk your portfolio should carry and how that should shift as your goals and timeline change.
Behavioral Discipline
Recognize the specific psychological traps — panic selling, performance chasing, overtrading — that cost average investors significant returns, and build habits that keep you from falling into them.
Automated Investing
Set up a recurring investment system that keeps your portfolio growing consistently without requiring you to make active decisions every month.
Syllabus
4 units • 12 lessons • 4 assessments
Learning activities
Every lesson gives you several ways to learn.
Frequently asked questions
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