As far as a lot of people are concerned, the idea of being to invest their money is simply impossible. There’s an incredibly pervasive idea that investment is purely for the very richest and most successful people with huge amounts of capital the throw around. And sure, you’re always going to need a little spare capital to start investing in any way, but over the last decade, the barrier to entry has been getting lower and lower. These days, investment has never been more accessible to just about everyone. So if you’re thinking about getting into the exciting world of investment, here are a few things that anyone can do to get started.

Use technology

For a long time, it felt as though investing was something that could only be done on the stock market floor, surrounded by other investors desperately trying to buy and sell stocks. And sure, that stereotype is still somewhat accurate, but it’s far from the only option anymore. In fact, one of the biggest revolutions in modern investment is the use of smartphones. There are now plenty of dedicated apps that can make the whole process of investing incredibly simple and accessible. The idea of being able to trade and invest whenever and wherever you want is something that might have seemed impossible before, but now it couldn’t be easier.

Do your research

As tempting as it might be to want to jump right in and start accumulating capital right away, it’s always a good idea to wait and do as much research as possible so that you don’t end up making any obvious mistakes or falling into bad habits. Places like Investormint are a fantastic resource for the kinds of details information that you really need if you want to make the most of your investments. It’s pretty much impossible to do too much research so don’t start throwing money around until you’re absolutely sure that you know what you’re doing.

Start small

Sure, when people think about investing they tend to imagine trading important stocks and investing enormous amounts of money at a time but the truth is, for most people, things are much smaller and simpler than that. Let’s face it, your first tries at investing your money aren’t going to be the most elegant or well informed. Investment, just like anything else, is something that you develop a skill for, and understanding of, over time. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew at once. Start small and build up your portfolio over time. That way, once you’re investing the big bucks, you’ll be much more confident that you know what you’re doing.

Of course, it’s incredibly important to remember that, no matter how accessible investment might have become, there are always going to be risks involved that you have to be aware of. Never assume that any investment is 100% secure and make sure that you’re choosing where to put your money very carefully. Plenty of people have ended up in financial difficulty because they tried to go investment opportunities that promised huge returns right away, but came with a level of risk that was simply too high.