July 18, 2025

A Beginner's Guide to Your First Stock: How to Pick What to Buy

Ready to buy your first stock but don't know where to begin? This guide simplifies the process of researching and choosing a stock that aligns with your values and goals.

The idea of picking your very first stock is exciting, but it can also be terrifying. With thousands of companies to choose from, how do you decide? Do you go with a brand you love or a company you've read about in the news? Let's break it down.

This guide will offer a simple framework for thinking about your first stock. But more importantly, it will explain why, for most beginners, there's an even better, less stressful way to startā€”and how Elivo will make it happen for you.

The Golden Rule: Invest in What You Know

A great starting point is to look at the companies you interact with every day. What brands do you love? What products or services can't you live without? Investing in a company you understand gives you a natural advantage because you're already familiar with its business.

Think about:

  • The phone in your pocket.
  • The shoes on your feet.
  • The streaming service you use every night.
If you believe in a company's product and its future, it could be a good candidate for your first investment.

The Smarter Alternative: Don't Pick Just One

While picking a single stock is exciting, it's also risky. If that one company does poorly, your entire investment can suffer. This is why most financial experts recommend that beginners start with **diversification**.

Imagine instead of buying just one stock, you could buy a tiny piece of hundreds of great companiesā€”like Apple, Google, Amazon, and moreā€”all in a single purchase. This is what an **ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund)** lets you do. It spreads your risk and gives you a stake in the growth of the entire market.

The Elivo Philosophy: Simplicity and Safety First

At Elivo, we believe in making investing as easy and safe as possible. That's why our platform will be built around diversified portfolios of ETFs. We do the hard work of building a balanced portfolio for you. You don't have to worry about picking the 'perfect' stock, because you'll be invested in a broad slice of the market, designed for steady, long-term growth.

Diversified ETFs
Risky Single Stocks

Learn Before You Leap

Even if you decide to go with a diversified portfolio, it's still smart to learn about individual companies. Understanding what makes a business successful is a valuable skill.

Elivo is here to help you learn. Our AI Tutor will be able to provide simple-to-understand information about different companies and investment concepts. You can learn about the market and build your knowledge at your own pace, all within the app.

Ready to Make It Simple?

Elivo is being built to do all the heavy lifting for you. Stop worrying about the 'how' and start building your future. Join the waitlist and be the first to experience investing, simplified.