Start investing

• What is investing?

  Investing is when you buy something in the hopes that it’ll appreciate (aka increase in value). People can invest in many ways, but in the financial world, investing most often refers to buying an asset, like a mutual fund, that you expect will help you grow your money over time. Investing is a way to make your money work for you—and give it a chance to potentially grow more than it could if it were sitting in a savings account.

  Keep in mind that there are no guarantees with investing.

• How much money do I need to start investing with the Fidelity app?

  How much money do I need to start investing with the Fidelity app? You can start investing in the Fidelity app with as little as $1. The Fidelity app offers tailored starter paths to guide you and tracks your progress anytime, anywhere. Plus, enjoy no account fees and no account minimums.¹

• Where is my money held before I invest it?

  When you deposit money into your Fidelity brokerage account, it is placed in a low-risk money market mutual fund that enables it to earn returns.² The fund is referred to as your "core position."

  2. You could lose money by investing in a money market fund. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. The fund may impose a fee upon the sale of your shares. An investment in the fund is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Fidelity Investments and its affiliates, the fund’s sponsor, is not required to reimburse the fund for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time, including during periods of market stress.

• How do I place a trade?
  • Step 1: Search for a stock, mutual fund or ETF.
  • Step 2: Tap "Buy" or "Sell."
  • Step 3: Choose an order type.
  • Step 4: Type in a dollar amount or a number of shares and select "Review."
  • Step 5: Slide to trade.

  For additional support, please use the Fidelity Assistant.

• What are different ways I can invest?

  Stocks
  Stocks are probably what you hear about most often when people talk about the "market." They allow you to invest in a company and each piece of ownership is known as a "share." Each share is worth a certain dollar amount that changes throughout the day as stocks are bought or sold in real time on stock exchanges. You can also buy a "fractional share" or a small slice of a company's stock rather than the whole share. This can make it easier to start investing since the stock for some companies can trade for hundreds or even thousands of dollars per share.

  Mutual Funds
  Think of mutual funds as an investment stew. Investments, such as stocks, bonds, and other ingredients are mixed together (some funds may invest only in stocks or only in bonds) and sold as 1 dish, creating a mutual fund. They offer a way to buy different investments packaged together, or served together like a "dish," and sold together as 1 entity instead of as individual companies. Investments in mutual funds change all the time, as they are managed by a team of professionals who decide which investments to buy and sell. They often come with additional fees (some low, some high) that stocks don't have because professional managers are making the investment selections. The price of a mutual fund is updated at the end of each business day. You can find out more about each fund's objective and strategies in its prospectus.

  Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)
  ETFs (exchange-traded funds) are another sort of investment stew that mixes together stocks and/or bonds, and sells them for 1 price. They often try to mimic a major stock index, like the S&P 500^®, which represents the 500 largest companies in the United States. Because you can't buy from the S&P 500^® directly, and may not want to buy stock in each individual company, you can buy 1 ETF "unit" or "share" and invest in all these companies at once, trading in real time like stocks.