You don’t need a large sum to begin investing—just consistency and a clear goal. Local experts break down stocks, retirement accounts and cryptocurrency, along with the risks and rewards of each. If you’re looking for a practical guide to building wealth over time, we’ve got you covered.
You don’t need thousands of dollars to start investing for the future,
says Jack Graddy, private wealth market manager for BOK Financial. “Investing small amounts consistently can be very powerful over time,” he says. “Regardless of which platform or provider you choose, it’s prudent to understand fees as well as your financial goals.”
Investment vehicles include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and real estate, and all come with their own level of risk and returns.
“Stocks give you the most growth potential but also the most ups and downs,” Graddy says. “Bonds tend to be steadier but grow more slowly, while mutual funds and ETFs bundle investments together to spread out risk.”
Outside of stocks and bonds, Graddy says, “real estate can generate income, but it usually requires more money and hands-on involvement – and is also less liquid.”
To match investment choices with your personal financial goals, “it ultimately comes down to when you’ll need the money and what it’s for,” Graddy says. “Short-term goals call for safer choices such as bonds or cash, while long-term goals like retirement can usually handle more market ups and downs in exchange for higher growth.”
A widely-used investment option is the 401(k), often provided
by employers.
“With a traditional 401(k), your contributions aren’t counted as income for tax purposes; that reduces your annual tax bill,” according to the AARP.
“For example, if you earn $50,000 a year and contribute $5,000 of your salary to a 401(k), you shelter $5,000 from state and federal income taxes that year. If you’re in the 20 percent combined state and federal tax bracket, that will reduce your tax bill by $1,000.”
Having your contributions automatically deducted from your paycheck is more convenient than writing checks or making transfers to the bank or investment company that holds your account, AARP says.
“Without that hassle, you’re more likely to continue saving, year after year, which makes it more likely you’ll have enough money to retire on when the time comes.”
Cryptocurrency in 2026
To understand how cryptocurrency works, it’s best to “zero in and focus on it,” says Matthew J. Moore, host of The Money Block television and radio show on the BizTV Network. “You almost have to be self-taught,” says Moore, who lives in Tulsa and has been involved with cryptocurrency since 2017.
The best-known of the cryptocurrencies is Bitcoin, a decentralized digital currency that uses blockchain technology to enable peer-to-peer transactions. Block chains are decentralized databases, Moore says.
“There’s no one owner, no one controller. It’s just
open-sourced software,” he says.
Bitcoin, the original cryptocurrency, went live in 2009, Moore says. It was created in 2008 and attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto, but it’s not certain if that is one person or a group of people, Moore says.
“It’s definitely a grassroots movement,” he shares. “People love this stuff. It’s been one way to beat inflation.”
Ethereum is a global software platform driven by blockchain technology, according to Investopedia.
“Known for its native cryptocurrency, ether, Ethereum is pivotal in the world of blockchain and decentralized finance. It is designed to be scalable, programmable, secure and decentralized, allowing anyone to develop secure digital technologies,” according to Investopedia.
Altcoin, Moore says, “is anything that’s not Bitcoin.”
Cryptocurrency is volatile, Moore says, “but that’s just the price of admission for any market. Any market you are involved in has risk.”
Cryptocurrency kiosks, also called crypto ATMs, convert cash into digital currency and often resemble traditional ATMS. They are located in such businesses as supermarkets, bars and convenience stores.
AARP reports that seniors are particularly at risk of being defrauded through the use of crypto ATMs, and supports states that have regulated their use.
Cryptocurrency kiosks were used in scams that led to more than $333 million in reported losses in 2025, according to FBI data. More than 12,000 complaints were filed with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, which noted a “clear and consistent rise” in cryptocurrency kiosk scams over recent years “that is not slowing down,” according to AARP.
In a February survey by AARP, more than 8 in 10 senior citizens said they perceive laws regulating kiosks as ways to support responsible growth of cryptocurrency, rather than barriers to innovation.
The Prediction Market
Emerging cryptocurrency markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi are prediction markets, says Moore.
“You are basically buying a yes or a no token,” says Moore. “With prediction markets, you are betting on whether an event will happen or not. You are making these bets among peers.
They are all based on real-world outcomes.”
Polymarket is the cryptocurrency native version, Moore says, while Kalshi is a centralized, regulated U.S. exchange using traditional dollars.
Kalshi gained attention in 2024 when a federal appeals court upheld its right to offer election-related contracts, making it the first fully regulated platform in over a century to provide legal election trading in the United States, according to Kalshi.com.
“These markets cover presidential races, congressional control and various political outcomes. Subsequently, traders on Kalshi correctly called the outcome of the 2024 election,” according to its website.
Sports markets have become one of Kalshi’s fastest-growing segments, offering contracts on game outcomes across football, basketball, baseball, golf, MMA, tennis and more. Cultural events include Oscar winners, Grammy awards and streaming viewership numbers. Climate and weather contracts let traders take positions on hurricane intensity, temperature records and other meteorological events, according to Kalshi.com.
Polymarket was founded in 2020.
“What started as a COVID-19 pandemic–era experiment in crowdsourced forecasting has evolved into one of the world’s most active platforms for event-based speculation,” according to Britannica.
A drawback of event-driven trading is that “it has binary outcomes,” Moore says.
“You lose 100% if you are wrong, he continues. “There’s a lot of emotion involved. There is potential for overtrading, and there could be disputes over ambiguous outcomes.”
The prediction market is different from investing in cryptocurrency at large, Moore says.
“You can sell if the price changes,” he says. “It has a lot of liquidity.”
Managing Risk
You don’t need to watch the stock market every day to stay informed, says Graddy.
“Stick to reliable news sources, focus on big trends, and ignore the daily noise — long term investing works best when emotions stay out of it,” he says.
Staying informed is one way to be aware of investment risk. A diversified portfolio is another method of managing risk.
“Diversification simply means not betting everything on one idea,” Graddy says. “Mutual funds and ETFs make this easy by spreading your money across many companies, industries and even countries, but it’s important to understand the associated fees.”
Saving in a 401(k) can give you the advantage of dollar-cost-averaging.
“Dollar-cost averaging is the habit of investing the same amount on a regular schedule, no matter what the market is doing,” Graddy says. “This helps reduce the stress of trying to time the market and smooths out the impact of market ups and downs over time.”
AARP has this to add: “By investing the same amount consistently, at regular intervals, you are effectively buying more shares of your investment when stock prices are low and fewer when prices are high. Just as a smart shopper might buy more of a favorite item when it’s on sale, you’re buying more shares of stock when they’re on sale.”
Your investment strategy should evolve as your needs change, according to the AARP.
“In early retirement, many shift toward more conservative investments to protect their principal. However, if you need to grow your nest egg, selectively increasing risk in certain areas might be necessary,” AARP suggests.
Working with an advisor can help ensure your allocations reflect your current goals and market conditions.
Understanding Hidden Fees
Potential taxes shouldn’t prevent someone from investing, but choosing the right account and holding investments long enough can make a big difference, says Graddy.
“Some investments create taxable income (like interest, dividends, or profits when you sell), while others grow tax-deferred or tax-free in retirement accounts (like 401ks and IRAs),” Graddy says.
Taxes can take a bite out of your retirement income, according to the AARP.
If you’re facing Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from a traditional IRA or 401(k), there are strategies to consider, AARP says. With Roth conversions, you pay taxes now to enjoy tax-free withdrawals later. Donating RMDs to charitable causes can reduce taxable income, AARP says.
And when withdrawing from tax-free accounts, you can avoid higher tax brackets by strategically choosing where your income comes from, according to the AARP.
“Every investment has costs, and even small fees can quietly eat into returns over time,” Graddy says. “Paying attention to expenses and choosing low-cost options helps keep more of your money working for you.”
“If you’re investing through a retirement account, fees matter,” according to the AARP. “Even a 1% management fee can eat into your returns over time. Opt for lower-cost options.”
Those include index funds, which typically charge less than 0.1% in fees, and fixed index annuities, which offer principal protection and potential for market gains—some with no fees.
“Lower fees mean more of your money stays invested and growing,” says AAR
