How to Start Investing: Beginner's Guide
March 14, 2026
Before investing: prepare yourself
1. Pay off expensive debt — Pay credit cards and overdraft first. 15%/month interest outpaces any investment.
2. Build an emergency fund — 3-6 months of expenses in high-liquidity investments.
3. Know your risk profile — Conservative? Moderate? Aggressive? This defines your allocation.
4. Start tracking expenses — Use PaxMoney to know how much you can invest monthly.
First investments
For beginners, start with simple, low-risk investments:
Brazil: Tesouro Selic (safe with liquidity) → CDB/LCI/LCA → ETFs (BOVA11, IVVB11) → Stocks and FIIs
USA: T-Bills / Money Market → Index ETFs (VOO, VTI) → Individual stocks
Tip: Don't put everything in one asset. Diversify from the start. PaxMoney helps visualize your allocation with pie charts by asset class, country, and currency.