Let me be clear—I wasn’t trying to become some finance bro.
At 29, I was tired of being broke, drowning in bills, and had no clue what a “portfolio” even meant.
All I knew was this: I needed to stop feeling helpless with money.
It All Started With a YouTube Video at 2AM
Rent was due. My car insurance was late. I had maybe $300 in my account.
I couldn’t sleep, so I searched “how to invest without getting scammed.”
That led me to a random video—bad lighting, whiteboard, calm energy.
He said, “You won’t get rich fast, but you’ll stop being poor slowly.”
Something about that clicked.
I Opened a Brokerage Account in 12 Minutes
Next day, on my lunch break, I downloaded the Fidelity app.
No plan, no clue—I just typed in the index fund he mentioned: VTI.
I bought $50 worth.
It wasn’t life-changing. But it felt like I was finally doing something.
For Months, I Invested in Small, Random Amounts
- No fancy spreadsheets
- No budget
- No strategy
Just… vibes.
Sometimes $50, sometimes $80 (usually after I felt guilty for ordering UberEats too much).
But one thing I never did?
I never sold. Not because I was disciplined—because I didn’t even know how.
I Discovered Roth IRAs and Panicked
Everyone online was talking about “tax-free growth,” so I opened a Roth IRA.
I skipped a weekend trip and tossed in $500.
That $500 is now worth over $800.
Did I fully understand what I was doing? Nope.
But it worked.
I Didn’t Aim for $10K. I Just Kept Showing Up.
I added a few more funds over time:
- VXUS (global exposure? sounded smart)
- SCHD (someone said it’s good for dividends)
I didn’t obsessively track anything.
Once a month—usually after payday—I’d check my account and toss in whatever I could.
Then, two years in, I saw this number:
$10,261.88
I stared at it.
Said out loud: “Wait… what?”
What I Learned by Accident (And You Can Too)
I’m still not great with money.
I’ve made dumb purchases. I’ve gone back into credit card debt. Life happens.
But that tiny portfolio?
It gives me peace. Like a plant I keep watering—no idea what I’m doing, but it’s still growing.
Final Thoughts: If You’re Hesitating, Just Start Small
This isn’t investment advice.
It’s just me, someone who googled “how to invest” at 2AM, saying:
You don’t need to know everything to begin.
I didn’t.
But now I kinda-sorta own small slices of Apple, Tesla, Toyota, and more.
And that feels… weirdly good.
💬 Thinking about starting your own portfolio but feel overwhelmed?
Drop your story in the comments. I’d love to hear how your first investment went.