If you’ve been waiting to get started with investing but think you need thousands of dollars to begin, think again. With just $100, roughly the cost of a concert ticket, you can open a brokerage account, buy your first shares or ETFs, and start building long-term wealth. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly where to invest that $100, how to automate your contributions, and which platforms make it easiest for beginners to succeed.
Choose an Online Brokerage with No Minimum Deposit
When you’re on a tight budget, the first step is picking a broker that lets you open an account with no minimum and zero commission trades. Two top picks for 2025:
- Charles Schwab — No account minimum, $0 commissions on stocks and ETFs, and robust research tools make Schwab ideal for new investors. Their mobile and web platforms are intuitive, and you can trade fractional shares down to a single dollar.
- Fidelity Investments — Also requires no minimum deposit and offers $0 stock/ETF trades. Fidelity shines with its extensive lineup of low-cost index funds, fractional shares, and educational resources for beginners.
How to get started:
- Sign up for an account (it takes 5 minutes).
- Verify your identity with a photo ID.
- Link your bank and deposit your first $100.
- Explore the platform’s “Fractional Shares” or “Partial Shares” feature to invest even small amounts.
Use a Robo-Advisor for Hands-Off Investing
If you’d rather set it and forget it, robo-advisors automate a diversified portfolio for you. Perfect when you have just $100 to start:
- Betterment — No minimum balance, automated ETF portfolios, and goal-based investing. You pay a 0.25% annual fee on your assets but gain access to tax-efficient strategies and automatic rebalancing.
- Wealthfront — Requires a $500 minimum, but you can start with $100 by linking your bank to recurring deposits. Wealthfront also charges 0.25% and offers Smart Beta and Tax-Loss Harvesting once you hit higher balances.
How to get started:
- Go to Betterment.com or Wealthfront.com.
- Answer a short questionnaire about your goals and risk tolerance.
- Deposit $100 (or start recurring $25/month for Wealthfront).
- Your robo-advisor builds and manages your portfolio automatically.
Micro-Investing: Turn Spare Change into Big Gains
Micro-investing apps let you round up everyday purchases and invest the spare cents with no extra effort required:
- Acorns — Automatically rounds up your transactions to the nearest dollar and invests the difference in a diversified ETF portfolio. Acorns now manages over $6.2 billion for 8.2 million users, with plans to expand portfolio options. Accounts start at just $1.
- Stash — Lets you buy fractional shares of stocks and ETFs for as little as $5. You can choose themed “Stock-Back” cards that invest in brands you shop with, and upgrade to Stash+ for more educational content.
How to get started:
- Download the app (iOS or Android) and create an account.
- Link your bank or card for round-ups (Acorns) or make a one-time $5 deposit (Stash).
- Watch your spare change and small deposits grow over time.
Invest in Low-Cost ETFs & Index Funds
With $100, your best bet is broad exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track major indexes:
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) – Expense ratio 0.03%, tracks the S&P 500.
- Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF (SCHB) – Expense ratio 0.03%, covers the entire U.S. stock market.
- iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) – Expense ratio 0.04%, adds bond diversification.
Why ETFs?
- Low fees → more of your money stays invested
- Instant diversification → you own hundreds of stocks in one trade
- Fractional shares → you can buy $100 worth even if one share costs $300+
Automate Contributions & Reinvest Dividends
The easiest way to turn $100 into a habit is automation:
- Set a recurring deposit of $25–$50/month in your brokerage or robo-advisor.
- Enable dividend reinvestment (DRIP) so any dividends automatically buy more shares.
- Review quarterly to adjust contributions as your income grows.
This “dollar-cost averaging” approach smooths out market dips, making your $100 investment a springboard to consistent, long-term wealth building.
Ready to turn your first $100 into a longer-term investment plan? Choose one of these platforms, make your initial deposit, and let compounding do the heavy lifting. For more in-depth guides and your FREE Investing Starter Checklist, subscribe to the Money Pinnacle newsletter today!