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I’ll be honest: when I first looked at Roth IRAs, I closed the tab. It felt like something for people who already had their life together. If that’s you too, good news: you don’t have to start there.
Fractional shares changed the game
With fractional shares, you buy a slice of a stock or fund instead of the whole thing. That means $5 can get you started. Apps like Acorns (which invests your spare change from round-ups), Robinhood, and SoFi Invest (easy if you already bank with SoFi) all make it simple.
The simple start
- Pick one app.
- Set a small automatic deposit, even the cost of a cup of coffee a week.
- Choose something broad, like an index fund, and leave it alone.
Once that feels normal, a Roth IRA is a great next step. Investing has risk and values can go down, so only invest money you won’t need soon.