Investor education

Getting Started

Starting to invest is less about picking a winning asset and more about building a repeatable process: defining goals, understanding costs and risk, and verifying any provider before you send money. This guide walks through the first steps in a practical order that careful investors can follow at their own pace. Use the Glossary at /glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar, and return to the Education hub at /education for deeper guides on individual asset classes.

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Define your goals, horizon and risk capacity first

Before comparing products or brokers, write down what the money is for and when you expect to need it. A short time horizon usually calls for a different approach than money you can leave invested for many years. Separate your risk capacity, meaning how much loss your finances could absorb without disrupting your life, from your risk tolerance, meaning how much volatility you can accept emotionally. Many investors also build an emergency cash reserve before investing, so that market falls do not force them to sell at a bad time. Deciding these basics first makes every later decision, from asset mix to account type, easier to evaluate against a clear standard rather than against market noise.

Write down each goal, its target date and the money assigned to it.
Distinguish risk capacity (financial) from risk tolerance (emotional).
Consider keeping an emergency cash reserve outside your investments.
Match investment choices to your time horizon, not to short-term headlines.

Understand the building blocks: assets, accounts and costs

Most portfolios are built from a small set of building blocks: shares, bonds, funds that bundle them, cash and, for some investors, commodities or other alternatives. Each carries a different risk and return profile, and diversification across them reduces dependence on any single outcome. Account structures also matter: different account types can carry different tax treatments, contribution rules and restrictions depending on your jurisdiction, so check the rules that apply where you live and consult a qualified professional for tax questions. Costs deserve equal attention, because trading commissions, spreads, fund charges, account fees and currency conversion costs all compound against you over time. Before buying anything, list the total annual cost you expect to pay and confirm each figure in the provider's current documents.

Learn the main asset classes and how diversification spreads risk across them.
Account types and tax treatment vary by jurisdiction; verify the rules that apply to you.
Add up all costs: commissions, spreads, fund fees, account fees and conversion charges.
Confirm every cost figure in the provider's current fee schedule, not summaries.

Verify any broker before you open and fund an account

Choosing a broker is a verification exercise, not a popularity contest. Start by identifying the exact legal entity you would contract with, since large brands often operate multiple entities under different regulators. Confirm that entity's authorisation on the relevant regulator's public register yourself, rather than trusting a logo on a website. Read the current terms, fee schedule and any protection or compensation scheme details for your specific account type, noting that coverage differs by entity, jurisdiction and instrument. Check practical details such as supported markets, deposit and withdrawal methods and account currencies in the broker's own current documents, because availability changes over time. Never rely on third-party rankings or marketing claims as final answers. The Find my broker tool at /find-my-broker turns these steps into a structured research workflow you can repeat for any candidate.

Identify the exact legal entity and confirm it on the official regulatory register.
Read the current fee schedule and terms for the specific account type you would open.
Check compensation or protection scheme coverage for that entity and instrument type.
Reconfirm details at the time of opening, since features and fees change.

Continue researching

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Glossary

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FAQ

How much money do I need to start investing?

There is no universal minimum. Many providers allow small starting amounts, but minimum deposits, fees and available instruments differ by broker and account type. Check the current terms of any provider directly, and consider whether fixed fees are proportionate to a small balance before committing.

Should I pick individual shares or funds as a beginner?

That depends on your goals, time and willingness to research. Funds bundle many holdings and spread risk across them, while individual shares concentrate risk in single companies. Neither is automatically superior; understand the costs and risks of each in the relevant product documents before deciding.

How do I know if a broker is properly regulated?

Identify the exact legal entity named in the account agreement, then look it up yourself on the public register of the regulator it claims. Do not rely on logos, marketing pages or third-party lists. Also check which protection or compensation scheme, if any, applies to your account type and instruments.