What Is a Minimum Investment?
A minimum investment is the smallest dollar or share quantity that an investor can purchase when investing in a specific security, fund, or opportunity. A hedge fund, for example, may require that their clients deposit at least $100,000 with the firm. Or, a mutual fund may require at least $3,000 to be invested. This is the minimum investment required for the hedge fund to manage the client's money.
Often thought of in the context of mutual funds or hedge funds, minimum investments are also found in certain fixed-income securities (such as corporate bonds), collateralized mortgage obligations (CMO), and limited partnerships (LP), where a minimum specified amount of money needs to put forth in order buy the security. This means an investor cannot invest or buy any amount they want. They need to invest or buy the minimum amount required, or more.
Key Takeaways
- The minimum investment is the specified smallest amount of capital that is required to buy into or invest in a security, asset, or opportunity.
- Mutual funds and hedge funds typically have minimum investments, although these can vary drastically from hundreds or thousands of dollars right up into the millions.
- Purchasing certain assets may require a minimum purchase, such as bonds.
How a Minimum Investment Works
Minimum investment amounts can vary based on the mutual fund in question and can stretch anywhere from $1.00 all the way to $1 million or more. Hedge fund minimum investments can be even larger, as can some LPs and unit investment trusts. For retail investors, there remains a large selection of funds that have modest minimum investments, usually starting at $100 and up.
A big factor for a fund manager in determining a minimum investment size is the strategy and liquidity demands of the fund itself. By setting a high minimum investment, fund managers can effectively weed out short-term investors and regulate cash inflows to the fund, which can be helpful for the day-to-day management of the assets.
Funds may also impose a high minimum investment to avoid the paperwork and bookkeeping of having lots of clients. A fund may have only a handful of large clients, while another firm may have the same amount of capital under management but that capital was provided by thousands of clients.
Some firms prefer to cater to smaller clients, with low minimum investment products, while other firms prefer higher minimum investments geared toward higher net worth individuals. Other funds may have minimum investment amounts that vary by trading platformdue to arrangements between the broker-dealer and the fund company.
Special Considerations
Generally, investorsmust consider minimum investment allocations when seeking new investments. In other markets, a minimum investment may be set by a broker, or simply by the purchase price of the security (multiplied by the quantity the security can be bought or sold in).
For example, many brokers will require a minimum investment of $5,000 to buy corporate or Treasury bonds. When dealing with larger clients or businesses, the minimum investment may be $25,000, $100,000, or even $1 million or more.
Many mutual funds and hedge funds follow a strategy or simply track an index. Most indexes can be invested in today by buying exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs do not have the minimum investment requirements of many mutual and hedge funds, yet may offer similar returns in many cases. Since ETFs trade like stocks, an investor can purchase as little as one share. Therefore, the minimum investment in an ETF is one share multiplied by the trading price of the ETF.
Examples of Minimum Investment
Minimum investments vary drastically across mutual and hedge funds.
The Vanguard Windsor Fund Investor Shares (VWNDX) has strong long-term performance averaging 11.40% per year going back to 1958, as of April 2021. The minimum investment in the large-capitalization value fund is $3,000. Once invested, clients can invest further funds in increments of as little as $1. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.29%.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 Index Fund Institutional Shares (VSPMX) has a $5 million minimum investment. As in many cases though, the fund's strategy of tracking the is also available in an ETF which can be purchased for the price of one share. While the price of the Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF (IVOO) fluctuates daily, since as little as one share can be purchased investors can invest with as little as a couple of hundred dollars.
FAQs
A minimum investment is the smallest dollar or share quantity that an investor can purchase when investing in a specific security, fund, or opportunity. A hedge fund, for example, may require that their clients deposit at least $100,000 with the firm. Or, a mutual fund may require at least $3,000 to be invested.
What is an example of a simple investment? ›
WHAT ARE THE BASIC TYPES OF INVESTMENTS? Cash and cash equivalents such as savings accounts, money markets, and certificates of deposit (CDs) are intended to be relatively safe and accessible.
What is the minimum you need to invest? ›
The general rule of thumb is to have at least six months' worth of your household income set aside for emergencies, such as unexpected medical bills or losing your job. If money is tight, start by setting aside a small amount automatically every month. Remember: Starting small is better than doing nothing at all.
What is investment in simple words with example? ›
The meaning of investment is putting your money into an asset that can grow in value or produce income or both. For example, you can buy equity stock of a listed company in the hopes of receiving regular dividends and capital appreciation in the form of the share price.
Which is an example of a short investment? ›
Common examples of short-term investments include CDs, money market accounts, high-yield savings accounts, government bonds, and Treasury bills. Although short-term investments typically offer lower rates of return, they are highly liquid and give investors the flexibility to withdraw money quickly, if needed.
What is the best example of investment? ›
Perhaps the most common are stocks, bonds, real estate, and ETFs/mutual funds. Other types of investments to consider are real estate, CDs, annuities, cryptocurrencies, commodities, collectibles, and precious metals.
How much money do I need to invest to make $3,000 a month? ›
Imagine you wish to amass $3000 monthly from your investments, amounting to $36,000 annually. If you park your funds in a savings account offering a 2% annual interest rate, you'd need to inject roughly $1.8 million into the account.
What is the minimum investment? ›
The minimum investment is the specified smallest amount of capital that is required to buy into or invest in a security, asset, or opportunity. Mutual funds and hedge funds typically have minimum investments, although these can vary drastically from hundreds or thousands of dollars right up into the millions.
Can I invest with $20? ›
The good news is that most brokerages have done away with account minimums and commissions, which means you can get started with any amount of money, even $20. Some brokerages will let you purchase fractional shares, which means you can buy a piece of any company in the stock market regardless of share price.
Can I invest 10 dollars in stocks? ›
Some of the best US stocks to invest in under $10 include Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE:SWN), New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:NYCB), Alight, Inc.
Investing is the act of buying financial assets with the potential to increase in value, such as stocks, bonds, or shares in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) or mutual funds. Investments are not guaranteed to hold or increase their value over time.
How to start investing for beginners? ›
Here are 5 simple steps to get started:
- Identify your important goals and give them each a deadline. Be honest with yourself. ...
- Come up with some ballpark figures for how much money you'll need for each goal.
- Review your finances. ...
- Think carefully about the level of risk you can bear.
Meaning of real investment in English
money that is invested in equipment, machinery, etc., rather than in shares or bonds: Manufacturing output has fallen by 6%, with real investments falling by 12%. Higher taxes on oil should be recycled into real investment in wind and solar power.
Is it illegal to borrow money to invest? ›
Personal loans are generally free of spending restrictions, so you can potentially use the funds to invest. However, some lenders disallow the use of loan proceeds to make certain investments.
How does short investment work? ›
The opposite of a “long” position is a “short” position. A "short" position is generally the sale of a stock you do not own. Investors who sell short believe the price of the stock will decrease in value. If the price drops, you can buy the stock at the lower price and make a profit.
What are some short-term investments examples? ›
Examples of short-term investments include CDs, money market accounts, high-yield savings accounts, government bonds and Treasury bills. These investments are typically high-quality and highly liquid assets or investment vehicles.
What is an example of a simple interest investment? ›
Thus, if simple interest is charged at 5% on a $10,000 loan that is taken out for three years, then the total amount of interest payable by the borrower is calculated as $10,000 x 0.05 x 3 = $1,500. Interest on this loan is payable at $500 annually, or $1,500 over the three-year loan term.
What is the simplest investment? ›
Cash. A cash bank deposit is the simplest, most easily understandable investment asset—and the safest. It not only gives investors precise knowledge of the interest that they'll earn but also guarantees that they'll get their capital back.
What is investing simple? ›
Investing is the process of buying assets that increase in value over time and provide returns in the form of income payments or capital gains.
What is the simple investment rule? ›
However, if you want to benefit from the power of compounding, then starting to save early is important. This investment rule says that investors should start by investing at least 10% of the current salary and increase it by 10% every year.
