She was 17, working as a support worker and saving to travel, when she typed her first investing question into a search engine. Most of the results were American. So she asked her dad. He pointed her toward an S&P 500 fund, and she bought four units for roughly $1000. Her reaction? "Is that it?" Now 28 — a mortgage broking business owner and Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree — Tash Invests has a net worth that passed $1.5 million earlier this year, and her advice to beginners starts far smaller than that first purchase.

The $5 habit that changes everything

Tash's core message is disarmingly simple: you do not need a large sum of money to begin investing. Micro investing apps now allow anyone to enter the market with as little as $5, and she argues the real value of starting that small is almost entirely psychological.

"We're so fine with spending $5 on a coffee," she said. "But the thought of maybe losing $5 on the stock market seems too much."

Many people tell her they plan to start once they earn more, save more, or feel they know enough. She says that thinking is back to front. Investing a small amount early builds the skill of understanding markets — so that when larger sums do arrive, the emotional and practical groundwork is already in place.

"Put $5 a week in and see how you go," she said, "because it's better to learn that skill with less money. Then if you do come into more money in the future, you have the skill of actually knowing what to do with it and the ability to ride the waves."

ETFs, patience and the compounding payoff

Tash's preferred vehicle is the exchange-traded fund, or ETF — a single investment that holds a basket of assets ranging from Australian and global company shares to commodities like gold. The appeal, she says, is straightforward: consistently outperforming the broader market over the long term is difficult, even for active fund managers, which makes broad diversification an attractive alternative for most everyday investors.

To illustrate what patience can deliver, she uses a straightforward example: $100 a week, at an assumed average annual return of 7 per cent, could grow to around $1 million over 40 years. She is quick to note returns are never guaranteed and markets move in both directions.

Compounding, she admits, felt abstract for years. It is only recently — with her portfolio now capable of moving by $30,000 or $40,000 in a single session — that she has truly felt its force. The hardest part, she says, is waiting in a culture wired for instant results, particularly for investors who entered during the COVID era and experienced rapid early gains.

Her method once invested is equally straightforward. "Treat it like a bill. Don't look at it," she said. When a fellow host admitted to checking his individual stock portfolio dozens of times a day — including during a 30-second lift ride — Tash was unmoved. "If I'm not going to sell for 30 years, why do I care what's happening in the short term?"

The mistakes she's glad she made cheaply

Tash's path was not without missteps. During COVID, she purchased an inverse leveraged ETF, effectively betting the market would continue to fall. It did not. Every point the market rose, she lost double — ultimately costing her around $5000. She also cycled through a range of different ETFs before eventually settling on a single diversified fund.

"I'm glad I made these mistakes with smaller amounts of money," she said — which is precisely why she encourages beginners to start tiny rather than wait.

She also cautions that money needed within the next few years generally does not belong in the share market unless the investor can afford to be flexible about timing. And for those of her followers who have watched for years before committing? "Some people take a while, and that's okay. That's just life."

For anyone keeping a close eye on the broader economic backdrop before taking that first step, interest rate movements and budget relief measures are among the factors worth understanding before putting money to work. Meanwhile, those interested in how global share markets are moving can track the latest ASX and Wall Street developments as context for any new position.