The Compound Engine

Start Here

If you've never invested before, this page is your map. The posts below are designed to be read in order — by the end you'll understand what you're buying, why fees matter, and how to set up a simple portfolio that runs itself.

The path

  1. Understand what you're buying. What a share is, what an ETF is, and why beginners mostly don't need anything fancier. (First posts publishing soon.)
  2. Get the foundations right. Emergency fund first, debt decisions, and how much you actually need to start (less than you think).
  3. Open an account and look around. I use Trading 212 — I'll walk through every screen, including Practice Mode so you can explore with virtual money before a penny is at risk.
  4. Make it automatic. Recurring deposits and AutoInvest — the habit matters more than the stock-picking.
  5. Learn to do nothing. Markets drop. The plan for when it happens is decided now, not then.

New posts land every week — browse everything published so far.

A promise: nothing on this site will ever tell you what to buy. I share what I do with my own money and explain how things work. What you do with yours is your call — and your responsibility.