impact investing
how to pick the best impact investing app in australia, as a student.
Small amounts, paid in regularly, into something you can actually read. Here is what to check before you hand an app your money, and how inaam answers each one.
A product comparison guide. Updated October 2026. About an eight minute read.
what impact investing actually means
Impact investing is putting money into companies, funds or assets chosen to produce a measurable social or environmental outcome alongside a financial one. The word that separates it from ordinary ethical screening is intent. A screened fund can pass by avoiding the worst companies. An impact fund has to be built to back better ones.
In Australia that activity sits under ASICThe Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The government body that regulates financial services here., and the vehicles are usually structured as managed investment schemesA fund where your money is pooled with other investors and run to a set strategy. You hold units in the fund. or exchange traded funds. The rules are the same whether the app looks like a bank or looks like a game. The label on the front tells you very little. The documents behind it tell you everything.
the criteria
what to check before you pick one
Five things separate a platform that will treat a small balance fairly from one that will not.
1it is properly regulated
Anyone managing your money in Australia should hold an AFSLAustralian Financial Services Licence. A company needs one to deal in financial products or give advice. No licence, no business. or be a corporate authorised representative of a licence holder. That is the non-negotiable one. It means the fund has a responsible entityThe company legally responsible for running a registered fund, and for making sure it follows its own rules., a PDSProduct Disclosure Statement. What you are investing in, what it costs, and what can go wrong. and a TMDTarget Market Determination. Who the product is designed for, so the wrong product does not reach the wrong person. you can read before you put a cent in. Moneysmart’s check before you invest shows how to look a licence up on ASIC’s registers.
2you can see what you own
Can you read the full list of companies, by name? Some platforms show you everything they hold. Others give you a theme and hope the question stops there.
3the fee is predictable
A percentage fee takes a larger dollar amount every year your balance grows. A flat fee does not move. Either can suit you. You should know which one you are paying, and what it buys.
4the method is published
How does the platform decide what counts as impact? Look for a written framework, named companies and outcomes someone outside the company could check. Marketing copy is not a method.
5a small balance is welcome
A student is not putting $5,000 down on day one. Look for a low minimum, regular contributions that take a minute to set up, and no penalty for investing modest amounts.
side by side
how inaam answers each one
Our answer in one column. The question worth asking anyone else in the other.
| inaam | what to ask any other app | |
|---|---|---|
| who regulates it | ASICThe Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The government body that regulates financial services here. regulated.The inaam Impact Investments Fund, ARSNAustralian Registered Scheme Number. The registration number a managed investment scheme gets from ASIC. 691 614 132, with Primary Securities Ltd as responsible entity. inaam is a corporate authorised representative (CAR No. 1318254) of Non Correlated Advisors, AFSL 430126. Each is set out, with how to check it, on trust and licensing. | Who holds the licence?Who is the responsible entity, and where do the PDS and TMD live? |
| what you can see | Every company, by name.In the app, with the reason each one is held. | The whole list, or a theme? |
| how impact is judged | A published three pillar method.Financial robustness, purposeful impact, leadership calibre, the same questions for every company. | Is the method written down?And does it name companies? |
| what it costs | $10 a month, flat.$120 a year, whatever the balance does. | Flat, or a share of your balance?And what is included in it? |
| minimum to start | $100 into the fund.The subscription is a separate thing from the money you invest. | One number or two?Is the minimum the same as the fee? |
| fossil fuels | No company whose main business is coal, oil or gas.Members can check that against the holdings in the app rather than take it on trust. | Screened out, and can you verify it? |
| who can invest | Individuals, SMSFs and family trusts. | Individuals only, or trusts and SMSFs too? |
| where you sign up | In the app.iOS and Android. There is no web sign-up. | Where is the account opened?And what do you need to open it? |
| app store rating | 5.0 | How many reviews sit behind it? |
Check it yourself. Fees and product terms change. Read the current PDS for any platform before you decide, ours included. The detail above was accurate in October 2026.
pricing
ten dollars a month. that's the fee.
The subscription is $10 a month, flat. That is $120 a year whether your balance is $5,000 or $200,000. A percentage fee takes a larger dollar amount every year your balance grows. Ten dollars doesn't.
A buy-sell spread of 0.1% applies when you enter or exit the fund. It stays in the fund to cover transaction costs.
Illustrative only. The 1.5% comparison is fund, platform and advice combined: ASIC Moneysmart, June 2026, the low end of REP 702's 1.45% to 2.3% range. Typical published ranges, not a quote from any named provider. The fund carries its own costs, set out in the PDS. The $10 subscription is separate from your investment. The minimum to invest in the fund is $100.
at $120 a year, the flat subscription works out to
10.0% of that balance each year, building the habit
of that balance, every year. The percentage falls as the balance grows.
after one year of contributions, about $1,200
Once you reach an $8,000 balance, our flat fee is the best value we offer. Add whenever you want and that value comes sooner.
Their 1.5% is fund, platform and advice combined. ASIC Moneysmart, June 2026, the low end of REP 702's 1.45% to 2.3% range. Comparison figures are typical published ranges, not a quote from any named provider. The fund carries its own costs, set out in the PDS. Nothing in this chart is a statement about returns.
The subscription is the same $10 whether the balance is $500 or $50,000. Early on that is a large share of a small balance, and the calculator above says so rather than hiding it. As the balance grows the share falls, and past about $8,000 the flat $120 sits below the typical 1.5% all-in cost of fund, platform and advice.
The 1.5% comparison is fund, platform and advice combined: ASIC Moneysmart, June 2026, the low end of REP 702’s 1.45% to 2.3% range. Typical published ranges, not a quote from any named provider. The fund carries its own costs, set out in the PDS.
built for small balances
why this one suits someone starting out
Most platforms were built for people who already have money. This one was built for people who are starting.
small, regular amounts
The minimum to start in the fund is $100, and there is no lock-in period. You set a regular contribution in the app at whatever size the month allows.
you customise your themes
You rank the five themes in the app. Member weights are pooled, and they shape how the fund leans across health and wellbeing, renewable energy, waste and recycling, sustainable agriculture and sustainable consumption.
the five themesa portfolio you can read
The fund holds a curated set of companies, each one chosen against the same three pillars and each one published. You can check what you own, company by company, in the app.
how companies get ina proper financial product
The inaam Impact Investments Fund is a registered managed investment scheme, ARSN 691 614 132. Primary Securities Ltd is the responsible entity, the money is held in trust and there is an independent custodian. The same regulatory frame as the large Australian managed funds.
the asterisk project*questions students actually ask.
is impact investing safe for a university student?
Every investment carries risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest, and the value can go down as well as up. What makes a platform safer is regulation, not the word impact. Look for an ASIC regulated fund with a responsible entity, a published PDS and TMD, and fees written down in full. inaam meets all of those. No investment is risk free, and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
how much do I need to start impact investing in australia?
It depends on the platform, and on which number you are being quoted. With inaam the minimum to start in the fund is $100. The subscription that pays for inaam is $10 a month, or $120 a year. They are two separate things, and anyone who blurs them is worth a second look.
what is the difference between esg investing and impact investing?
ESG investing screens or scores companies inside an otherwise ordinary portfolio. Impact investing asks for intent as well: the money has to be aimed at a measurable social or environmental outcome. An ESG fund might exclude the worst polluters. An impact fund is built to back companies doing something. inaam judges every company on financial robustness, purposeful impact and leadership calibre.
can I invest ethically through my super?
Yes. Several Australian super funds offer ethically screened options. The catch is that super is locked away until you reach preservation age. If you want ethical money you can reach before then, you need a product outside super, such as a registered managed investment scheme.
how does inaam choose which companies to invest in?
Three questions, asked of every company: financial robustness, purposeful impact, and leadership calibre. Impact is measured against the Impact Management Project and Impact Frontiers frameworks, five dimensions of what, who, how much, contribution and risk. The holdings sit across health and wellbeing, renewable energy, waste and recycling, sustainable agriculture and sustainable consumption, and every one is published by name in the app. The method is written up in full on how it works.
where do I sign up?
In the app. Download it on iOS or Android, follow the steps, and customise your five themes from the start. There is no web sign-up.
General information only. It does not take your objectives or circumstances into account. Consider the PDS and TMD, and we recommend independent advice, before investing.
Comparisons on this page are for general education. inaam is not affiliated with any other platform, and nothing here is a recommendation about anyone else’s product.
keep reading
read it before you download it.
The method, the holdings and the costs are all published. The aim is impact without sacrificing your returns, and everything you need to judge that for yourself is written down. Read it first, then decide whether the app belongs on your phone.
the only asterisk* of investing with inaam is a better planet.
The fund lives in the app. Download it, read it over a coffee, customise your themes.
General information only. Consider the PDS and TMD before investing.
