If you've been telling yourself you'll “start investing once you have more money,” I have some bad news. You've already had enough money. For years.
The whole “you need a lot of money to invest” idea is something old-school brokers wanted you to believe. It's not true anymore. You can start with $100 today, on your phone, in less time than it takes to scroll Reddit for ten minutes.
I'm going to walk you through exactly how I'd start over if I was 22 years old with $20 to my name. No jargon. No “consult your financial advisor.” Just the apps that actually work, the bonuses worth grabbing, and the dumb mistakes to skip.
Take a breath. This is easier than you think.
TL;DR: Just Tell Me Where to Start
If you only read one section, this is it.
- Fractional shares from $1 (Apple, Tesla, S&P 500 ETFs)
- Open in 5 minutes, claim a free stock to start
- 3% IRA match on retirement contributions with Gold
Wait, $100 Actually Does Something?
Yeah. Here's the math, in 5 seconds:
(You only put in $36K)
(You only put in $24K)
How Much Do You Actually Need to Start?
Less than the price of lunch.
- $1 gets you a fractional share of almost any stock or ETF on Robinhood
- $10 gets you into a diversified real estate fund on Fundrise
- $20 opens a Public account (stocks + bonds + Treasuries) or a fractional share of a rental on Ark7
- $100 gets you into a single-family rental on Arrived
You can literally start investing today with what's in your pocket. The bigger question is what to put it into.
Best Apps for Investing in Stocks With Little Money
Two clear winners. Pick one to start, add the other later if you want.
1. Robinhood — Best for Most Beginners
Robinhood is the simplest way to start. The app is clean, signup takes 5 minutes, and you can buy a fractional share of any stock or ETF for as little as $1.
What makes it the default pick for beginners:
- $0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options
- No account minimum to open
- Fractional shares starting at $1 (own a slice of expensive stocks like Berkshire or Amazon)
- Free stock worth up to $200 just for signing up and depositing
- 3% IRA match if you upgrade to Robinhood Gold ($5/month)
For someone starting from zero, Robinhood gets you in the market faster than anything else. The free signup stock alone is worth opening an account for.
Claim a free stock worth up to $200
5-min Robinhood signup. No minimum deposit. Your bonus stock hits the account instantly.
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2. Public: What Robinhood Can't Do
Already have Robinhood? Most people reading this do. Public is what you open next, because it does several things Robinhood straight up doesn't offer.
Here's what you get on Public that you can't get on Robinhood:
- Bonds & US Treasuries. Robinhood doesn't offer either. Public lets you buy individual bonds and Treasuries directly in the app.
- 5.80% Bond Account yield, locked in. A diversified portfolio of investment-grade and high-yield bonds with a fixed yield, even if the Fed cuts rates. There's no Robinhood equivalent.
- AI Generated Assets. Type a prompt like “AI chip suppliers” or “companies Buffett would buy” and Public builds a custom index of stocks instantly. Robinhood has no version of this.
- Options rebates up to $0.18 per contract. Robinhood charges $0 to trade options, but Public actually pays you back when you do.
- Direct Indexing. Build your own personalized S&P 500 with automatic tax-loss harvesting. Not on Robinhood.
- 1% match on transfers from your old 401(k) or IRA. Free money just for moving an existing account over.
- Rated 4.6/5 by NerdWallet, with options trading rated 5/5.
The play here is simple. Keep Robinhood for the 3% IRA match and the free signup stock. Add Public for everything Robinhood can't do: bonds, Treasuries, AI-built indexes, and the 5.80% Bond Account. Two apps, zero overlap.
You can open Public with a $20 deposit and start trading the same day.
Earn 5.80% on bonds Robinhood doesn't offer
Open Public with just $20. Stocks, bonds, Treasuries, and AI-built indexes in one app.
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Best Apps for Real Estate With Little Money
Used to require a $50,000 down payment. Now $10 gets you in.
Real estate is one of the most reliable wealth-building assets in history. Until recently, you couldn't touch it without a chunk of cash and a mortgage. Three platforms changed that.
Arrived — Single-Family Rentals From $100
Arrived lets you buy shares of individual single-family rental homes. You pick the specific property, you see the rent it generates, and your share of the rental income gets paid out as a dividend each quarter.
- Minimum investment: $100
- You see the actual property, location, projected rent, and tenant info
- Rental dividends paid quarterly
- Long-term appreciation when the home sells
- Backed by Jeff Bezos and other notable investors
This is the closest thing to “owning a rental property” without being a landlord. You don't fix toilets, you don't chase tenants, you just collect a check.
Be a landlord without the headaches
Pick a rental home on Arrived from $100. Get quarterly rent checks. Backed by Jeff Bezos.
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Ark7 takes the same idea as Arrived but slices the shares smaller. You can start with as little as $20, which makes it the easiest real estate app to test if you're not sure yet.
- Minimum investment: $20 per share
- Monthly rent distributions (not quarterly like Arrived)
- Built-in secondary market so you can sell shares without waiting for the property to sell
- Curated single-family and multi-family properties
The secondary market is the underrated part. Most real estate platforms lock your money up for years. Ark7 lets you exit early if you need to.
Fundrise — Diversified Real Estate Funds From $10
Fundrise works differently. Instead of picking individual houses, you invest in a fund that owns hundreds of properties across the US. You get instant diversification with $10.
- Minimum investment: $10
- Auto-diversified across residential, commercial, and industrial real estate
- Quarterly dividends plus long-term appreciation
- Over 2 million investors and $7B+ assets under management
- Also offers private credit and venture funds at higher tiers
For someone who wants real estate exposure but doesn't want to pick specific properties, Fundrise is the easiest button to push. Set it and forget it.
Real estate investing for $10. Seriously.
Fundrise spreads it across 100s of properties. 2M+ investors. Quarterly dividends, hands-off.
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Need Help Picking Stocks? Add Zacks
If “what stock do I buy” is the part stopping you, this fixes it.
Most beginners don't fail at investing. They fail at starting, because they don't know which stock to buy first.
Zacks is one of the oldest stock research firms out there (since 1978). The Zacks Rank system grades stocks from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell) based on earnings revisions, and the #1-rated stocks have historically averaged a 24% annual return since 1988.
Their Zacks Confidential service flags specific stocks they believe are about to move, with detailed write-ups so you understand the thesis before you buy.
Pair it with Robinhood or Public:
- Get the buy recommendations from Zacks
- Place the trades commission-free in Robinhood or Public
- Use fractional shares so you can act on picks even with $5
- Specific stocks they believe are about to break out
- Full thesis so you know exactly why before you buy
- Pairs perfectly with your free Robinhood or Public account
Not sure yet? See exactly what worked and what didn't in our hands-on Zacks Confidential review →
Your 5-Step Starter Plan
Here's how to actually do this, in order.
- Open Robinhood or Public. Takes 5 minutes. Grab the free stock bonus while you're there.
- Deposit what you can. $10, $50, $100. Doesn't matter. The point is to get started.
- Buy a broad index ETF first. SPY, VTI, or VOO are the most common. This is your foundation. Boring but proven.
- Set up automatic deposits. Even $10 a week. Automation beats motivation every time.
- Add real estate or stock picks once the basics are in place. Once your stock account is funded and growing, add Fundrise or Arrived for diversification, or Zacks if you want help picking individual stocks.
Common Beginner Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
Waiting for the “right time.” Time in the market beats timing the market. The “right time” was 10 years ago. The next best time is today.
Putting everything in one stock. Even if your boss runs the company. Especially if your boss runs the company. Diversify with index ETFs first, single stocks later.
Checking the app every hour. The market goes up and down daily. Long-term investors look at their accounts monthly at most. Daily checking just makes you anxious and likely to sell at the wrong time.
Selling when it drops. A 20% drop feels terrible. It's also where most of the long-term gains start. The investors who held through the 2020 crash, the 2022 drawdown, and every other dip are the ones with the best returns today.
Skipping the IRA match. If you contribute to a retirement account, Robinhood Gold's 3% IRA match is essentially free money. Contribute $7,000 and they hand you $210. After the $60 Gold fee, you're still up $150 plus all the other Gold perks.
FAQ
Can I really start investing with $1?
Yes. Robinhood and Public both let you buy fractional shares of stocks and ETFs starting at $1. You won't get rich on a single dollar, but you'll learn the process, see how the app works, and start building a habit.
What's the safest thing to invest in as a beginner?
A broad-market index ETF like VTI (total US stock market), VOO or SPY (S&P 500), or VT (total world stock market). You're not betting on one company. You own a slice of every major business in the US or world. Boring, but it's how most wealth is built.
Stocks or real estate first?
Stocks first. They're more liquid (you can sell anytime), they require less money to truly diversify, and most stock platforms have free signup bonuses. Real estate platforms like Fundrise and Arrived are great for diversification, but they're a layer on top, not a starting point.
Do I have to pay taxes on small investments?
Yes, but only on what you earn. If you sell stock for a profit or receive a dividend, that's taxable. If your shares just go up while you hold them, no taxes until you sell. Investing in an IRA (especially with the Robinhood Gold 3% match) avoids most of these taxes entirely.
Are these apps actually safe?
Robinhood and Public are SIPC-insured, which protects up to $500,000 of your account if the broker fails. Arrived, Ark7, and Fundrise are SEC-regulated real estate platforms. The investments themselves carry risk (any investment can lose value) but the platforms are legitimate and regulated.
Ready to Start? Here's the Short Version
The hardest part of investing with little money isn't the money. It's getting past the idea that you need more.
You don't.
Pick one app. Open it today. Deposit what you have. Buy a fractional share of an index ETF. Set up automatic deposits even if it's $10 a week. Add real estate and stock picking later once the foundation is in place.
The single best move is the first one. Make it.
- Free stock worth up to $200 just for signing up
- Buy fractional shares of any stock from $1
- 3% IRA match with Gold, the highest in the industry
The 5 Best Beginner Investing Apps for 2026
Robinhood, Public, Fundrise, Ark7, and Arrived. Real comparisons, no fluff. Tap any card for the full breakdown.
- Buy fractional shares of any stock from $1
- Free stock worth up to $200 for new accounts
- 3% IRA match with Gold, the highest in the industry
- No real estate or alternative assets
- Bonds, Treasuries, options, and crypto Robinhood doesn't have
- 5.80% locked-in yield on the Bond Account
- 1% match on IRA transfers from your old 401(k)
- Smaller IRA contribution match than Robinhood (1% vs 3%)
- Auto-diversified across hundreds of properties
- Quarterly dividends plus long-term appreciation
- Also offers private credit and venture funds
- Liquidity limited (5-year hold preferred)
- Buy shares of specific rental properties from $20
- Monthly rent distributions, not quarterly
- Built-in secondary market to sell shares early
- Smaller property selection than Fundrise
- Pick the exact rental home you want to invest in
- See projected rent and tenant info before you buy
- Quarterly rent dividends plus appreciation on sale
- $100 minimum, longer hold periods
All investing involves risk including possible loss of principal. Real estate investments are illiquid and may take years to realize returns.
Disclosures & risk disclosures
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Brokerage services through Robinhood Financial LLC (member SIPC) and Public Investing (member SIPC). Real estate investments through Arrived, Ark7, and Fundrise are illiquid and may carry longer hold periods. Robinhood Gold is a $5/month subscription; the 3% IRA match requires Gold and a 1-year subscription from first eligible deposit, with funds remaining 5 years to avoid an Early IRA Match Removal Fee. Non-Gold customers receive a 1% match.
*Zacks Rank #1 historical return: 24.3% average annual return from 1988 through 2025, per Zacks. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Content may include affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you open an account through those links.
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