Invest Your First $100 in Stocks

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What You’ll Learn

• How to choose your first stock investments
• How to evaluate stocks for beginners
• How to place your first stock order
• How to start building a diversified portfolio

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Before You Start

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Prerequisites

• Ape AI account created
• Brokerage account connected (or paper trading account)
• At least $100 available to invest

• Basic understanding of what stocks are
• Awareness of investment risk
• Long-term investment mindset

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What You Need

• 15-20 minutes of focused time
• $100 to invest (or use paper trading)
• Clear financial goals

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Step 1: Set Your Investment Goals

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Open Chat with Money Monty

1. Go to Chat tab
2. Make sure you have Money companion selected (good for balanced beginners)
3. If not, tap your companion avatar → Select Money

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Ask About Your First $100

I have $100 to invest in stocks for the first time.
I'm a complete beginner. What should I invest in?

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What Money Will Ask You

• Time horizon: How long until you need this money?
  • 1-3 years = Short-term
  • 3-5 years = Medium-term
  • 5+ years = Long-term
• Risk tolerance: How comfortable are you with ups and downs?
  • Conservative = Stable, slow growth
  • Moderate = Balanced growth and stability
  • Aggressive = Higher growth potential, more volatility
• Preferences:
  • Individual stocks vs ETFs
  • Industries you understand
  • Companies you believe in

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Step 2: Get Stock Recommendations

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Money Monty’s Typical Recommendations for $100

• Large-cap tech stocks (AAPL, MSFT, GOOGL)
• Dividend-paying blue chips (KO, JNJ, PG)
• Index ETFs (SPY, VOO, VTI)

• $50 in a solid large-cap stock (e.g., Apple)
• $50 in a broad market ETF (e.g., SPY)

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Review the Analysis

• Why This Stock: Company strengths and growth potential
• Risks: What could go wrong
• Entry Price: Suggested buy range
• Time Horizon: How long to hold

Here's a balanced $100 starter plan:

$50 → AAPL (Apple)
- Strong brand, consistent growth
- Current price: $175
- Buy 0.28 shares (fractional)
- Risk: Moderate, tech sector exposure

$50 → SPY (S&P 500 ETF)
- Instant diversification (500 companies)
- Current price: $470
- Buy 0.10 shares (fractional)
- Risk: Low, tracks overall market

Why this split:
- AAPL gives you exposure to a strong individual company
- SPY gives you broad market diversification
- Both good for 5+ year hold

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Step 3: Research the Recommendations

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Deep Dive on Each Stock

• Current price and chart
• 52-week range
• Market cap
• Snapshot grades (Fundamental, Technical, Sentiment, Risk)

• Scroll to “Tesla’s Story” section
• Tap “Pricey or Cheap”
• Review valuation analysis:
  • P/E ratio vs history
  • Price vs sector average
  • Fair value estimate

• Tap “Bagholder Risks”
• Review 3 biggest risks
• Understand counter-signals
• Assess likelihood ratings

• Tap “Why It Could Pop or Drop”
• Read upside catalysts
• Read downside risks
• Check “What to watch next”

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Step 4: Make Your Decision

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Decision Checklist

• If no → Do more research or ask Money to explain

• If no → Ask Money Monty for more conservative options

• If no → Stocks might not be right for your timeframe

• If no → Consider more conservative investments

• If no → Don’t invest it in stocks

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Adjust Your Plan

This feels too risky for me. Can you suggest
more conservative options for my first $100?

I want more growth potential. Can you suggest
stocks with higher upside for my first $100?

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Step 5: Place Your First Trade

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Execute the Trade

• Ticker: e.g., AAPL
• Side: Buy
• Type: Market or Limit
• Quantity: Shares to buy (fractional okay)
• Estimated Cost: Total $ amount

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Choose Order Type

• Executes immediately at current price
• Guaranteed to fill
• Price might vary slightly

• You set maximum price you’ll pay
• Only executes if price reaches your limit
• Might not fill if stock doesn’t hit your price

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Review Before Submitting

• ✅ Correct ticker symbol
• ✅ Correct number of shares
• ✅ Buy (not sell!)
• ✅ Total cost fits your budget

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Submit the Order

1. Tap “Execute trade”
2. Review one final time
3. Confirm the order
4. Wait for fill confirmation (usually seconds for market orders)

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Step 6: Track Your Investment

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Monitor Your Portfolio

• Go to Portfolio tab
• See your new position under “Positions”
• View:
  • Current value
  • Gain/Loss $ and %
  • Entry price

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Set Check-In Reminders

• First week: Daily (get comfortable with volatility)
• First month: Every few days
• After that: Weekly or monthly

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What to Watch

• Company earnings reports
• Any major news about your stocks
• Overall portfolio performance

• Review if stocks still match your goals
• Consider rebalancing if needed
• Assess if you want to add more

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

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❌ Don’t Do This

• Stocks go up AND down
• Short-term volatility is normal
• Selling locks in losses

• Creates unnecessary stress
• Leads to emotional decisions
• Long-term investing requires patience

• FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is dangerous
• Hype doesn’t equal good investment
• Stick to your research

• Stocks are for long-term (5+ years)
• Don’t invest rent money
• Keep emergency fund separate

• Nobody can predict short-term moves
• Time IN the market beats timing the market
• Focus on long-term holding

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What’s Next?

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Continue Building Your Portfolio

• Wait 1-2 weeks to see how you handle volatility
• Add to your existing positions, or
• Diversify with a new stock

• Aim to invest regularly (e.g., $100/month)
• Dollar-cost averaging reduces risk
• Build diverse portfolio over time

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Keep Learning

What should I add to my portfolio after my first $100 investment?

How do I know when to sell a stock?

What's the difference between stocks and ETFs?

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Related Workflows

• Invest Your First $100 in ETFs → - Diversification strategy
• Research a Stock’s Valuation → - Deep analysis skills
• [Set Up Paper Trading →](<../Pre-Investor/Getting Started/paper-trading-practice.md>) - Practice before investing more

• Reading Snapshot Grades →
• Portfolio Monitoring →

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Troubleshooting

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”I don’t have enough money for whole shares”

• Most brokers support fractional shares
• You can buy $50 of Apple even if shares cost$175
• You’ll own 0.28 shares (perfectly fine!)

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”The trade didn’t fill”

• Price might not have reached your limit
• Change to market order, or
• Adjust your limit price

• Check your buying power
• Verify brokerage connection
• Contact support if issue persists

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”I’m scared after my first day”

• Stock prices fluctuate daily
• Down days happen to everyone
• Your time horizon is years, not days
• Consider not checking daily price

My stock dropped 5% on my first day. Should I be worried?

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Success Checklist