Pooja started her first job eight months ago. Dussehra is a few days away, and her cousin has been telling the whole family that it is a good day to “start something new.” Pooja has ₹3,000 left after rent and bills. She has wanted to start investing for months, but every video she watches talks about lakhs, and she assumes ₹3,000 is too small to count.
So she does what a lot of beginners do. She downloads three apps, opens a few reels, and closes everything. By evening she has not invested a rupee, and she has seen four people promising her “guaranteed 3% a month.”
Pooja’s problem has two parts. She does not know how small she can start, and she does not know who to trust.
How little can you actually start with?
Much less than most people think. Many mutual funds accept a SIP from ₹100 to ₹500 a month, and the minimum varies by fund. A small amount is a normal way to begin, and plenty of people who now invest regularly started with a figure like this.
The amount matters less than the first step. ₹100 a month will not change your life this year. What it does is get you through the part that stops most people, which is setting something up and seeing that it works. We covered this in the Week 2 articles: the delay costs more than the small starting amount ever will.
If Dussehra feels like the right moment, use it. Pick a small number you will not miss, and start this week.
What is SEBI asking people to watch for?
This is the part Pooja skipped. SEBI, the market regulator, has asked stock brokers to show investor awareness messages on their websites and trading apps. The circular dated 1 October ties these to its Project Jagrook campaign and World Investor Week 2026, and the messages move onto landing pages from 1 November.
You do not need to read the circular. The takeaway is simple: the regulator thinks new investors need reminders to be careful. If you are starting with a small amount, that caution applies to you as much as to anyone.
How do you check who you are investing through?
Before you put in even ₹100, spend two minutes on these.
Is the intermediary registered? SEBI’s website lets you search for registered intermediaries. Mutual fund distributors carry an AMFI registration number (ARN), which you can look up on AMFI’s site.
Is anyone promising a fixed or “guaranteed” return? Market-linked investments, including mutual funds, go up and down. A promise of a fixed monthly return on one of them is a reason to walk away.
Do you understand what you are buying? If you cannot explain it to a friend in two sentences, wait. A slow start costs you little. A rushed one can cost you the money.
Is the money you invest money you can leave alone? Keep an emergency buffer first. We covered that in Week 1, and it still comes before any investing.
What does a sensible first ₹100 look like?
Keep it plain. One fund, one small SIP, one fixed date each month. Skip the trading tips and the group chats. If the price drops in month two, nothing has gone wrong, because small and regular amounts are made for that.
Over a year, ₹100 a month is ₹1,200 of contributions. That is the money you put in, and it says nothing about what it will be worth, since market-linked investments can rise or fall. Once the habit holds, you can raise the amount, which is a few taps in most apps.
Pooja sat down with her phone that evening, closed the reels, and picked one amount. Then she checked that the platform and the distributor were registered, which took about five minutes.
That check is the step Bachatt cares about most. Bachatt helps first-time investors start with mutual funds, from Insta FD for money you want to withdraw anytime, to Wealth baskets and Gold & Silver funds. Check the minimum amount for each option in the app before you begin, because it differs. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk, so read all scheme-related documents carefully.
Pooja started her SIP on Dussehra. She told her cousin about it the next day, and he asked how small was too small. Her answer was that small enough to keep doing was the right size.
Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk. Please read all scheme-related documents carefully before investing. This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Bachatt is operated by Trusave Fintech Private Limited (AMFI ARN-321640).
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