The general answer is “as much as you can” and while this is true we know it’s not very helpful, so here is our, more nuanced, answer.

First, before you even think about investing, make sure you have a handle on your budget. Any money you invest should be money you’ve saved. Don’t go into debt to invest when you’re just starting out.

Next, you want to build an emergency fund which has enough money to cover 3-6 months of expenses. You should hold this in a liquid and low risk place like a high yield savings account so you can access the money whenever you need it.

Once you have a plan in place for your budget, then you can figure out how much to invest. No amount is too little, though we do suggest you start with at least $100 so you can buy a diversified portfolio of stocks.

Remember, the earlier you start investing, the better. When you invest for the long term, compounding grows your money exponentially. For example, by the time you’re 60, the money you invest in your 20s will likely be worth as much as the money you invest in your 30s, 40s, and 50s combined.

No matter how much you decide to invest, congratulations for getting started!

Yes, Pave can automatically place trades on your behalf. However, we don’t require that Pave trade for you. Money is deeply personal, and we want to ensure that you have complete control over how it’s managed. As a result, we offer two trading methods.

1. Autopilot: Pave automatically executes trades for you when suggestions arise

2. Manual: Pave notifies and requires you to approve suggested trades

We recommend that you use autopilot as it saves time and removes the risk of missing a trade suggestion.

Trading is the act of buying or selling an asset (stock, bond, etc.).

Ideal frequency is largely dependent on personal preference but as a general rule of thumb, trading daily can be very time consuming and cause you to miss out on long term trends. On the other end, holding indefinitely or only doing quarterly rebalances can lead to missing out on a lot of profit.

Your Pave portfolio is typically updates monthly and therefore encourages monthly trading. That being said, Pave may suggest trades as frequently as every week if the market circumstances require it.

We view this approach as the best of both worlds where short term and long term trends can be captured.

Portfolios are generated using Pave’s proprietary technology, which has been developed over 20 years and used to manage billions of dollars. The system works in the following way:

1. You are matched with a stock index, such as the S&P 500, that fits your risk tolerance

2. Stocks are added and/or removed from that index to create a custom group of stocks that fit your personal preferences

3. Each stock in your group is scored on its expected risk and return using proprietary artificial intelligence models

4. An optimal subset of those stocks is chosen to minimize expected risk and maximize expected return

Pave automatically updates your plan to keep you well positioned as stock scores change in accordance with shifting financial and economic conditions. If you decide to change your preferences or buy additional stocks, no worries, Pave will build you a new portfolio that fits your current situation.

All users will get their first 3 months of Pave for free!

After that, Pave will continue to be free for users who invest less than $10,000. Once you grow to an investment account over $10,000, Pave charges $10 per month.

Our goal is to make investing as approachable as possible. That’s why we only ask you to pay when we feel it’s appropriate.

We also believe that pricing should be incredibly transparent and predictable. Once you hit $10,000 invested, Pave’s price won’t change. As you grow your wealth, you will continue to pay $10 per month.

Pave’s team combines over 200 years of financial experience at Bank of America, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Merill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, HSBC, and numerous hedge funds. We have managed billions of dollars and built technology for some of the largest companies in the world. Most importantly, we are passionate about using technology to democratize access to financial guidance historically reserved for the ultra wealthy.

Unfortunately, Pave is only available in the US for the time being. We’re working hard to expand internationally as soon as possible.