The biggest myth keeping men in their 20s out of the market isn’t risk — it’s the belief that investing requires money they don’t have yet. It doesn’t. Here’s how to start investing in your 20s with whatever you’re actually working with, whether that’s $50 a month or $500.

Before a single dollar goes into the market, handle these in order:

1. High-interest debt first. If you’re carrying credit card debt above 15-20% APR, paying that off is a better guaranteed return than the market will give you.
2. A starter emergency fund. $1,000-2,000 in a separate account before you invest, so a car repair doesn’t force you to sell investments at a bad time.
3. Employer match, if you have one. If your job offers a 401(k) match, contribute at least enough to capture the full match. That’s an immediate 50-100% return before the market even moves.

• Roth IRA: Your first move if you don’t have a 401(k) match to chase. Contributions grow completely tax-free, and in your 20s, your tax rate is likely the lowest it’ll ever be — so pay taxes now while they’re cheap.
• Brokerage account: For money beyond retirement accounts, or if you want access before retirement age. No tax advantages, but no restrictions either.

You don’t need to pick stocks. For the vast majority of men starting out, a low-cost broad market index fund (something tracking the S&P 500 or total U.S. market) is the highest-probability path to long-term returns, with expense ratios under 0.1%. Set it, forget it, and let time do the work.

Skip individual stock picking until you have a real base built — it’s entertainment, not a strategy, until you have enough capital and knowledge that losses won’t set you back.

Set up an automatic transfer the day after payday — before you see the money in checking, it’s already invested. This single habit does more for your long-term wealth than any amount of “trying to be disciplined” ever will.

$300 a month invested from age 25, assuming a 7% average annual return, grows to roughly $680,000 by 65. Wait until 35 to start the same $300/month, and you end up closer to $340,000. The decade you wait costs you more than double — not because you invested less, but because you gave compounding less time to work.

Not lack of money — inconsistency. Starting, panic-selling during a downturn, stopping contributions, starting again two years later. The men who build real wealth aren’t the ones who pick the best stocks. They’re the ones who stay invested through the boring, uneventful years.

Next up: Side hustles that don’t waste your time — for building the extra capital to invest.