How to Invest

When Should I Start Investing?

The earlier you invest, the better your chances of seeing a meaningful return over time. Social Security typically covers only about a third of the average American's retirement costs — the rest has to come from personal savings and investment returns.

There's more to invest for than retirement, too. Investing can help you buy a home, travel, fund a project, or build a cushion for the years ahead. Stocks give you a better chance of long-term growth; bonds can offer a steadier stream of income. Either way, investing is a long-term game — short-term profits are elusive, and often illusory. The longer your time horizon, the better your odds of realizing strong annualized returns.

Your goals will shift with your stage of life. When you're younger, you may be focused on building capital. Later, you might prioritize your family or a child's education. As you get older, retirement tends to take the lead. Knowing your primary goal at your current age makes it much easier to map out a plan.

How Do I Build an Investment Strategy?

Just as you can't build a house without a blueprint, you shouldn't start investing without a strategy. Set aside money you can commit to your future, then educate yourself enough to take calculated, informed risks toward your goal.

A few questions worth asking yourself before you begin:

What kinds of investment vehicles would work best for me?

What asset allocation fits my goals?

How should I balance my investments and protect against risk?

What sectors am I most interested in right now?

What's my risk tolerance — and at what point would I change direction?

What Are Some Popular Investment Options?

Stocks, crypto, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs are among the most common options available today.

Stocks are shares of ownership in a company — also known as equities — and are heavily regulated, typically bought and sold on public exchanges.

Crypto are digital currencies exchanged online for goods, services, or other assets. They run on blockchain, a decentralized technology spread across many computers that records and verifies transactions, which is part of what makes the model appealing from a security standpoint.

Bonds are debt instruments: an investor loans money to a company or government entity to fund projects or operations, typically in exchange for a fixed, regular payout.

Mutual funds pool money from many investors into a shared portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other assets — buying a share means owning a small piece of that whole portfolio.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) work similarly to mutual funds but trade on an exchange like a single stock, which tends to make them more liquid and often more cost-efficient.

How Much Do I Need to Start Investing?

You can start investing in stocks, crypto, options, and ETFs for less than $100, while many mutual funds ask for at least $1,000 to begin. A single share of stock can range from a few dollars to several thousand. Mutual funds and ETFs can be smart long-term picks since both spread your money across many companies, reducing the impact of any single one struggling.

How to Open an Account With Us

Select the application that matches what you want to open — an investment account, a cash account, or both. Complete the application, make a deposit using your preferred method, and verify your identity. Once verified, you're ready to start investing.