Want to start investing? 5 expert tips to follow before you begin

(BPT) – If you’re interested in getting started with investing but you’re not sure what your first steps should be, you’re not alone. A recent survey by Magnifi found that one-third of Americans are planning to invest by themselves in 2023, but even though they want to invest on their own, nearly half of them (41%) don’t think they have the knowledge or confidence — and another one-fourth of them (27%) don’t even know where to begin. Today’s investors want independence to invest on their own, and the control to find and pick investments that are most important to them, but ultimately need personalized guidance so they’re not left guessing and gambling.Fortunately, now it’s easier than ever to build a personalized investing plan and become a well-informed, confident investor backed by an investing assistant.Here are some tips — and tools — to help you get started with investing this year.1. Don’t be afraid to get started. Start small, with an investment that allows you to get a feel for the process of investing. Most brokerages offer fractional shares, which lets you dip your toe in when you’re just beginning. You can always add more investments as you further develop your plan and determine how much you want to invest over time.2. Aim for diversification. This simply means not putting all your eggs in one investment basket. The truth is, diversification is easier than you may realize. You can accomplish this by buying a fund that holds a stock you’re interested in (as well as other investments) instead of just buying that single stock — or by adding a bond fund that will add fixed income and offset risk from equities investments. With an investment search engine, it can be easy to find a variety of investments and all the details about each investment to help you determine if it matches your goals.3. Make a plan. Too often, investors will make one single purchase and never come back. Having an actual plan before getting started helps you determine how much you want to invest overall, and allows you to develop your strategy to invest regularly over time to take advantage of dollar cost averaging. Your plan can also help ensure that you’re investing in things that represent you and your priorities.4. Invest in what you believe in. As you begin to realize how much more you can invest in, you might be surprised to find how easy it is to find investments that represent your personal values, such as social responsibility, and/or your interests (everything from electric vehicles to nanotechnology). The great thing about many modern online investing marketplaces is that you can find anything you want quickly, and even have fun investing.5. Lean on technology. Thanks to the explosion of technology, you suddenly have the opportunity to make more informed — and more personalized — investing decisions. Now you can buy investments like you buy everything else, with the power of technology to make it simpler and quicker, as well as a better fit to your individual priorities.Using the Magnifi app, for example, you can individually invest in strategies, ideas and values that are unique and important to you — using data, insights and market intelligence that will help you make more informed decisions to achieve your financial goals. If 2023 is the year you plan to make investing a serious part of your financial future, try AI-assisted investing from Magnifi Personal. This technology lets you speak with the app’s first-of-its-kind AI investing assistant, which uses cutting-edge technology to offer access to intelligence, education and guidance. The investing assistant uses robust “conversational AI,” so investing and getting answers about investing questions is as simple as texting. It’s like having an investing assistant on-call in your pocket at all times.Excited to get started? Visit Magnifi.com/personal to learn more.