Personal Finance · Starter

Your first investment,
step by step.

READ3 min · UPDATED2026-04-23

Reviewed against primary sources cited at the bottom of this page.

Not the theory. The actual steps. Open an account, pick a fund, set up automatic contributions. This is everything you need to make your first investment in under an hour.

This page covers US brokerage accounts and IRA rules. Outside the US, the fund tickers differ but the step-by-step approach is the same.

THE SHORT VERSION

Step 1: open a Fidelity account at fidelity.com. Select Roth IRA if you have earned income and are under the income limit. Step 2: fund it with any amount. Step 3: buy FZROX (a 0 percent expense ratio total-market fund). Step 4: set up automatic monthly contributions. Done. Everything else is optional.

Before you start: two checks

CHECK 1: EMERGENCY FUND

At least $1,000 in a separate savings account. If you don't have this yet, build it first. See Emergency Fund.

CHECK 2: HIGH-INTEREST DEBT

Any debt above 7 percent APR? Pay that off first. The guaranteed return of eliminating 24 percent credit card interest beats any investment. See Debt Types.

If both checks pass: proceed.

Open the account

Go to fidelity.com/open-account/overview ↗ verify×DON'T TRUST, VERIFYClaim: Fidelity's standard account-opening page is at fidelity.com/open-account/overview.Verify at: fidelity.com ↗Confirm the URL is current before following the link. Fidelity occasionally reorganizes its account structure..

Select account type:

Roth IRA: if you have earned income (W-2 or self-employment) and your modified adjusted gross income is under the limit (roughly $150,000 single / $236,000 married for 2026 contributions) verify×DON'T TRUST, VERIFYClaim: Roth IRA contribution phase-out ranges are roughly $150,000 single / $236,000 married for 2026.Verify at: IRS: Roth IRA phase-out ↗The IRS publishes annual inflation-adjusted phase-out ranges. Verify against current year..
Individual (taxable) brokerage: if you're over the Roth income limit, or want withdrawal flexibility.

Information needed: Social Security number, bank account and routing number (for the initial transfer), employment information.

Time required: roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Your account is open.

Fund the account

Link your bank account (Fidelity will prompt you). Transfer any amount, even $50. The transfer takes one to three business days to settle. Your money sits in a settlement fund until you buy something with it.

Pick a fund

For a Roth IRA or taxable brokerage at Fidelity:

FZROX

Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund

Expense ratio: 0.00 percent verify×DON'T TRUST, VERIFYClaim: Fidelity FZROX has a 0.00 percent expense ratio and tracks the total US stock market.Verify at: Fidelity FZROX fund page ↗Fidelity's ZERO funds have zero expense ratios and zero minimums, available only on the Fidelity platform.
What it holds: essentially every publicly traded US company.
Minimum investment: $1.

Alternative: FSKAX (Fidelity Total Market Index Fund, 0.015 percent expense ratio). Virtually identical to FZROX. Preferred if you might move the account to a different brokerage later, because non-Fidelity brokerages generally do not hold the ZERO-series funds.

HOW TO BUY

Type FZROX in the search bar.
Click "Buy."
Enter the dollar amount (not shares, dollar amount).
Confirm.

That's your first investment.

Set up automatic contributions

This is the most important step. A one-time investment is good. Automatic monthly contributions are how wealth is built.

AT FIDELITY

Accounts → Automatic Investments → Set up a recurring transfer from your bank → Select FZROX → Set amount and frequency.

Even $50 per month automatically invested becomes roughly $262,000 over 40 years at a 7 percent real return verify×DON'T TRUST, VERIFYClaim: $50 per month for 40 years at 7 percent compounds to roughly $262,000.Verify at: SEC compound interest calculator ↗PMT=50, r=0.07, n=40. Result is approximately $262,000..

What to do now

Nothing. Seriously.

Don't check it every day.
Don't move it when markets drop.
Don't switch funds when you hear about something better.

The behavior that loses returns is checking frequently and reacting. Set it up. Let it run. Check it once a year to confirm the automatic contributions are still going.

What comes later

Once the Roth IRA is set up and automatic, other moves make sense:

Add a small Bitcoin DCA. See How to Buy Bitcoin.
Set up a credit card that earns cashback. See Credit Card Strategy.
Open a Fidelity Cash Management Account for checking. See Banking.

Those come later. Not today. Today: open the account, pick FZROX, set up auto-contributions.

→ Zero to One, full starter framework → Order of Operations → Banking, where to hold cash → Common Misconceptions

Last updated 2026-04-23. Not financial advice.

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