How do I start investing with no experience?

Start with your retirement account — it's the simplest, most powerful place for a beginner to invest. For most people that's a 401(k) at work, and if your employer offers a match, contribute at least enough to get all of it. That match is free money; leaving it on the table is like turning down a raise.

From there, Alexa von Tobel, CFP®, teaches the "Rule of Five": only put money in the stock market that you won't need for five years or more. Over the long run the market trends up — averaging roughly 10% a year over the past century — but in the short term it rises and falls. The Rule of Five keeps you from being forced to sell during a dip.

When you're choosing investments, favor low-cost, diversified index funds and ETFs over picking individual stocks. They spread your money across many companies, so you're not betting everything on one. You don't need to beat the market or get rich quick. You need to be in it, consistently, over time.

This is general financial education, not personalized investment advice.

Want to go from "I've never invested" to confident? The Financially Fearless course walks you through it step by step. Learn more today.