Do I Need a Lot of Money to Invest Online?

By Motley Fool Staff | More Articles
Comments (8)

If you're just starting out as a new investor, you might not be rolling in dough. Fair enough. In that case, you'll want to focus on the account option that best serves your needs -- an account that has a minimum of $2,000 or less for initial deposits. Some discount brokers have no account minimums for getting started.

Don't have two grand in spare change hiding between the cushions of your couch? No problem. You can get started investing with as little as the price of one share of stock. One of the best ways to invest small amounts of money cheaply is through Dividend Reinvestment Plans, also known as Drips. They and their cousins, Direct Stock Purchase Plans (DSPs), allow you to bypass brokers (and their commissions) by buying stock directly from the companies or their agents.

We've got more details on Drip accounts in our "What if I can only invest small amounts of money every month?" Q&A.

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Report this Comment On March 07, 2012, at 4:41 AM, KeenTrader wrote:

If you are just learning to trade then some brokers let you start out with very small sums of money ~$100 USD.
Do not be sucked into leverage, you don't need it initially.
Statistics state that you are very much more likely to fail than make yourself into an overnight millionaire. They also state that you are only going to learn if you are trading real money - combine the two and learn live, but don't be silly.
Report this Comment On June 13, 2012, at 5:40 AM, napolinho wrote:

a luz de jesus me inspira em tudo que faço inclusive em meus investimentos como me inspirando em apostar sempre na carteira certa
Report this Comment On August 25, 2012, at 2:21 PM, Logicalinvester wrote:

Hello there all
I am relatively new to the investing world. So I am just getting started. Can anyone advise on a broker that will allow me to invest in commodities, as this is an area that I am definitely interested in, including stocks aswell? Much appreciated.
Report this Comment On August 25, 2012, at 2:22 PM, Logicalinvester wrote:

By the way just for the record, I live in the UK. Cheers!
Report this Comment On August 25, 2012, at 2:58 PM, IlanBigfoot wrote:

As the article says, you don't need to be rolling in the dough to invest. But you better not be rolling in the debt!
Obvious fact: you will NOT be making more than 15% annual returns when you start out. You will probably lose money until you learn how to invest and then make 6-8% per year until you read lots of books, practice a lot, learn how to trade options, etc. This takes a LONG time. Then you might hit 10-15% reliably. Maybe.
So, if you have credit cards with 15-20% interest rates, PAY THESE OFF FIRST!!
Report this Comment On August 25, 2012, at 2:59 PM, NOTvuffett wrote:

LogicalInvestor,
The Fool staff has made some good suggestions on how to invest small amounts. These plans lock you into one particular stock though.
I have seen advertisements for a brokerage service that has no minimum balance and only charges $4 per transaction. (about 2.5 british pounds)
Anyway, you should be able to find that broker by googling 'sharebuilder'.
You should be cognizant that frequent trading, even with that low fee schedule can dramatically erode your profits.
Best of luck to you.
Report this Comment On April 24, 2013, at 4:22 AM, businesscentre wrote:

The best and safe way to invest money in CPACONPRO CORP.
www.cpaconversionspro.com
It's not hyip. That's a CPA Agency. You can make around $1000 investing only $300 a month.
The best thing that it's safe and guaranteed. No risk at all.
Report this Comment On June 03, 2013, at 4:05 AM, DividendsGroup wrote:

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We pride our selves at being dedicated to providing our members with dividend opportunities that can ultimately Eliminate the burden of financial stress. http://TheDividendsGroup.com