3 weeks ago
4
February 3, 2026 — 3:30pm
Through the education and coaching work I do, I’ve had the pleasure of helping many of my clients transform from nervous beginners, to confident investors with six-figure portfolios.
Today, I’m going to break down what to focus on at different stages of the investing journey.
Now, in all honesty, this is less about how much you have invested, and more about your level of investing capability and confidence. In reality, you can have $100,000-plus in investments and still be a beginner in terms of capability and confidence.
I’ve just picked these dollar-ranges because for most people, this is what the journey might look like if they’re starting from zero.
From $0 – $10,000
When you’re new to investing, it’s common to get caught up in worrying about finding a good investment. Is this going to give me a good return? Did I invest in the right thing?
But at this stage, don’t worry about the outcome too much. I’m going to be real with you – $10,000 in investments will not be the thing that makes you rich, and it’s also not going to be the thing that ruins you for life. So, take some of the pressure off yourself.
Investing is not an event – it’s a process, it’s a journey. It’s a skill you practise, refine and get better at over time.
Your focus at this stage should be learning (not succeeding) – just like any beginner in any arena. If you don’t know how to swim, you don’t need to worry about how fast you can lap a pool. With investing, your whole approach will shift when you stop thinking “I need to find a good investment” and start thinking “I need to learn as much as I can about how investing works.”
That’s why I often recommend that, at this stage, you start by learning how the money in your superannuation is invested. Since that money is already invested, it reduces the fear of making the wrong move. Whatever you learn in the process of optimising your super (e.g. picking the right portfolio, reducing fees etc) will help you build investing skills and confidence.
From $10,000 – $50,000
This stage is about getting enough clarity in what you’re doing, that you can start to build up a serious portfolio. It’s easy to dip your toe in the water, dabble a bit, buy a few random investments here and there – without ever building a serious portfolio.
Investing is not about buying a random collection of assets. If you’ve got a few stocks, a couple of ETFs, a bit of gold, maybe a term deposit – sure your money is invested in something, but is your portfolio as a whole actually moving you towards your long-term goals?
You want a clear strategy for how your investments are going to help you achieve your financial goals. Assets are like vehicles: they’re designed to get you somewhere. Do you have clarity on where you are going (goal), and what’s your plan for getting there (strategy)?
At this stage, you want to get clarity and confidence in your strategy. You want to feel solid in your plan – no more hoping or guessing. This is key to transitioning from simply having investments, to becoming a confident investor.
Without this, it’s difficult to build a serious portfolio because you won’t feel confident enough in your approach to put serious money behind it.
From $50,000 – $100,000
This stage is about refinement. You now have a strong foundation, a clear strategy, and the skills and confidence to continue growing and managing your portfolio. Now, it’s time to start fine-tuning your process and systems. This is where you go from having a plan – to having a fine-tuned process for creating repeatable, sustainable results in the long term.
Think about it like this: if you go for a holiday to Europe once, you need a plan. If you go to Europe every month, you’ll want to start developing processes and systems – a checklist of items to pack, a calendarised itinerary, a system for booking flights.
Processes and systems reduce decision-fatigue. You don’t want to be making decisions from scratch every time: “How do I log into my broker again? What do I need to do at tax time, again?” So, at this stage of investing – you don’t just know what you’re doing, you’re doing it well.
Investing is not an event – it’s a process, it’s a journey. It’s a skill you practise, refine and get better at over time. Yes, as you get better – it will get easier. Just like anything new you’re learning in life: the beginning feels overwhelming, complicated, hard; but as you start to figure it out, you build confidence, and eventually, it starts to feel easier.
If that’s a journey you’re willing to go on – I promise you, it will change your life and open up possibilities for your financial future in ways you cannot even begin to imagine right now.
Paridhi Jain is founder of SkilledSmart, which helps adults learn to manage, save and invest money through financial education courses and classes.
- Advice given in this article is general in nature and not intended to influence readers’ decisions about investing or financial products. They should always seek their own professional advice that takes into account their own personal circumstances before making any financial decisions.
Expert tips on how to save, invest and make the most of your money delivered to your inbox every Sunday. Sign up for our Real Money newsletter.
