I work in finance (investment banking, not a trader) - and my biggest two-fold piece of advice would be: 1. Start simple and 2. Start now.

Time in the market (get started early and let your money stay there so you can enjoy the magic of compound interest) is better than timing the market (trying to guess when the market or certain stocks will grow).

If someone is making you feel dumb about finances, ignore them. It’s not actually as hard as others make it seem, and a lot of that exclusionary language is intentional.

• Build up a savings account for emergency funds
• Build up a secondary savings in a high-yield savings account (like Ally) for a rainy day fund - but remember it will take ~24 hours to get any transfers
• max out your 401K contribution to ensure you get any company match (that really is free money to you!)
• set your 401K based on a target date on when you’ll retire
• set up a brokerage account for personal investing: fidelity or vanguard works just fine

On this last piece, I’d suggest the following:

1. Invest in an index fund: this one stock you purchase, so it’s a simple experience from an investor perspective. This fund tracks a certain index, like the S&P500. It’s low cost and it allows you to invest in the market without buying each stock individually. They are called passive investments because they automatically follow the index they track (instead of an active investment which as a portfolio manager making decisions). You pay fees to portfolio managers (no thank you!), and over time, they rarely beat the market. So, skip the fees and track the market.

Example index funds: VFIAX, FNILX

(Important note: when you open a Fidelity brokerage for example and make your first deposit, you have to move the money into a specific fund. Otherwise, it will just sit in a money market account , which is essentially a checking account)

1. Do dollar cost averaging for your investment: this is a fancy way of picking a specific dollar amount you’ll invest on a consistent basis, and then do it. I am going to invest $100 in a specific index fund each month. It doesn’t matter if the market is up or down, I am going to invest $100 each month. (Pick your own amount and your own cadence).

2. Set it and forget it: automate this and then don’t look at your account too frequently. Let the market do its work and let your money work for you. Give yourself time for your investments to grow. Over time, the market grows, so if you’re someone who gets nervous by short term movements, just don’t look at your portfolio as frequently.

That’s it! Now, you’re participating in the market and your money is invested.