You can start with a few hundred dollars, and with some products less. A first purchase of shares or an ETFExchange-traded fund. A fund that holds many companies and trades on the share market as a single investment. through a broker usually means $500. Micro-investing apps take smaller amounts, and some managed funds start at $100.
With inaam the minimum to invest in the fund is $100. The subscription is $10 a month, which is $120 a year, and it is separate from the money you invest. Sign-up happens in the app. The number that matters more than the first amount is what you can add each month, and how long you can leave it. General information only, not financial advice.
what australians think they need
Every three years the ASXThe Australian Securities Exchange. It runs the share market and, every three years, a survey of how Australians invest. asks thousands of Australians how they invest. The 2026 edition, run by Investment Trends, surveyed 4,495 adults in January and February 2026. One question asked people who do not invest yet how much money they think it takes to begin.
planning to start, or not
planning to start in the next 12 months$690
no plans to invest$1,400
women and men planning to start
women$520
men$860
planning to start, by age
aged 18 to 29$720
aged 30 to 49$610
The dashed line is $100, where some managed funds start.
Source: ASX Australian Investor Study 2026, table 1 and table 2.
The same study found that 44% of people who do not invest say they do not have enough money to start. So the first step looks bigger from the outside than it is, and the gap is widest for the people furthest from starting.
what actually holds people back
Money comes up, and confidence comes up more. ASX asked people who plan to invest within a year what has stopped them so far. They could pick up to three reasons.
| how many named it | |
|---|---|
| not confident in my investment knowledge | 35% |
| not enough money to invest | 31% |
| do not know which product to start with | 30% |
| do not know where to find the right information | 17% |
| think it costs a lot to begin | 13% |
| worried about market volatility | 6% |
The knowledge gap is wider for some people than others. 40% of women planning to start said they were not confident in their knowledge, against 26% of men, and 36% of women did not know which product to start with, against 20% of men. Among people aged 18 to 29 who plan to start, 47% named confidence. Worry about the market itself sits near the bottom of the list.
what the numbers say
confidence is a gap in information
Nobody is born knowing what an ETF is or how a managed fund works. The survey’s biggest barriers are about not yet having the information, and information is the cheapest thing on this page to fix.
what gets people started
ASX also asked what would make people ready. Knowing more came first, by a distance.
- 51% said when they know more about investing in the market.
- 41% said when they have more time to research and manage it.
- 37% said when they have fewer financial commitments.
- 28% said when they feel more confident about future returns.
- 16% said when the economy and markets feel more stable.
Most of what people are waiting for is in their own hands, and learning the basics takes an evening or two. ASIC’s Moneysmart guide to investing is a sound place to begin, and our guide to starting covers shares, funds, apps and super in the order you meet them.
what the entry points really are
Four common ways in, and what the first step usually looks like. Minimums move, so the current PDS is the place to read the number.
| what the first step usually looks like | |
|---|---|
| shares or an ETF through a broker | Buying a listed company or an ETF yourself. Most brokers ask for $500 on a first purchase, plus a fee per trade. |
| a micro-investing app | Spare change and small deposits swept into a ready-made portfolio. Built for small amounts, usually with a monthly fee. |
| a managed fund through an app | Your money pooled with other investors and run to a set strategy. Some start at $100, some have no minimum, and the fee may be a percentage or a flat amount. |
| a term deposit | Money locked away at a set interest rate for a set time. A savings product rather than an investment in companies. |
Our guide to low-minimum sustainable funds goes through the platforms by name, and a simple guide to ETFs covers the most common first investment for people under 30. ASX found that as many share market investors aged 18 to 29 made their first investment in an ETF as in property, 22% each.
what a fee does to a small balance
A low minimum gets you in. The fee decides what it costs to stay. A flat fee is the same every month whatever you hold, so it weighs more on a small balance. A percentage fee moves with your balance, so it costs little at the start and more as you grow.
Our own subscription is a flat fee: $10 a month, $120 a year. On a balance of $690 that is about 17% in the first year. On $5,000 it is about 2.4%, and on $10,000 about 1.2%. That is why the amount you add each month matters more than the amount you start with. The fee calculator runs the numbers for your own balance.
a better question than how much
So instead of asking how much you need to start, ask three things.
- Is my emergency money already set aside? Investing is for money you will not need at short notice. Keep a cash buffer first.
- How much can I add each month without missing it? A small regular amount does more over time than waiting for a lump sum. Moneysmart’s compound interest calculator lets you try your own figures.
- How long can I leave it? Shares rise and fall, sometimes for years. The longer you can leave money, the more time it has to sit through a fall. Money you need next year probably should not be in shares.
Then check who you are dealing with. Moneysmart’s check before you invest page shows how to confirm a provider is licensed, and every product’s PDSProduct Disclosure Statement. What you are investing in, what it costs, and what can go wrong. and TMDTarget Market Determination. Who a product is designed for, in writing. tell you what it is, what it costs and who it is designed for.
the part that counts
start with the habit
A small amount added every month builds a habit and a balance at the same time. Pick an amount you will not miss, set it to repeat, and read one guide a month.
where inaam sits
inaam is the impact investing app that makes your money meaningful. The minimum to invest in the fund is $100, you can add a lump sum or a monthly amount, and SMSFs and family trusts are welcome. You pick five impact themes and customise them yourself, and every company the fund holds is named in the app. The subscription is $10 a month, $120 a year, separate from the money you invest. Sign-up happens in the app.
If you are not sure where to begin, the money values quiz takes two minutes, how it works explains how the companies are picked, and compare puts inaam beside the other options.
sources
- ASX Australian Investor Study 2026, research by Investment Trends. Online survey of 4,495 Australian adults, January and February 2026. The amounts people think they need are on page 13 and in table 1 and table 2; the barriers are figures 27 and 28; what would get people started is figure 36; first investments by age are figure 47.
- Moneysmart, how to invest, and check before you invest, both by ASIC.
