*Web Novel chapter below*
How to Invest in Index Funds: A Beginner’s Guide to Effortless Wealth-Building
Investing can feel like a maze of confusing options and risky bets—especially if you’re just starting out. But there’s one strategy that cuts through the noise with its simplicity, low cost, and proven results: index fund investing. If you’re searching for a beginner-friendly way to grow your wealth over time, index funds are your golden ticket. In this guide, we’ll explain what index funds are, why they’re perfect for beginners, and how to get started today—complete with trusted platforms where you can sign up. By the end, you’ll have a clear, actionable path to launch your investment journey.
What Are Index Funds?
Imagine owning a small piece of the entire stock market without having to pick individual stocks. That’s the magic of an index fund. It’s a type of mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that mirrors a specific market index, like the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Instead of betting on one company, you’re investing in hundreds—like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon—all at once. It’s less about chasing winners and more about riding the market’s natural growth.
Why Index Funds Are Perfect for Beginners
Index funds are the go-to choice for new investors, and here’s why:
- Instant Diversification: One fund spreads your money across hundreds of companies, so a single stock’s stumble won’t derail your progress.
- Low Fees: No need for expensive stock-picking experts—index funds keep costs down.
- Set It and Forget It: No market expertise needed. Just invest and let time do the heavy lifting.
- Proven Track Record: Studies show index funds often outperform actively managed funds, making them a reliable path to long-term wealth.
How to Start Investing in Index Funds: A 3-Step Guide
Ready to take control of your financial future? Follow these simple steps to begin your index fund journey.
Step 1: Choose a Brokerage Account
A brokerage account is your gateway to buying index funds. Think of it as your investment dashboard. Here are three top platforms perfect for beginners:
- Vanguard: The pioneer of low-cost index funds. Sign up here.
- Fidelity: Offers zero-fee index funds with no minimums. Get started.
- Charles Schwab: Known for stellar customer support. Open an account.
Pro Tip: Look for platforms with low fees, a variety of funds, and an easy-to-use interface. Most let you start with as little as $1!
Step 2: Pick the Right Index Fund
Once your account is set up, choose a fund that matches your goals:
- S&P 500 Index Funds: Tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies (e.g., Vanguard’s VOO). Perfect for broad market exposure.
- Total Stock Market Index Funds: Includes small, mid, and large-cap stocks (e.g., Schwab’s SWTSX). Maximum diversification.
- International Index Funds: Invests globally (e.g., Fidelity’s FZILX). Adds worldwide balance.
Newbie Hack: Start with an S&P 500 or total market fund for simplicity and growth potential.
Step 3: Make Your First Investment
Now, it’s time to put your money to work:
- Fund Your Account: Transfer as little as $1–$100 to get started.
- Buy Your Fund: Search for your chosen fund (e.g., VOO at Vanguard) and hit “buy.”
- Automate It: Set up automatic investments—like $50 a month—to grow your wealth effortlessly.
Quick Links:
Why Index Funds Are a Smart Choice
- Lower Risk: Diversification cushions you from single-stock disasters.
- Tax-Friendly: Fewer trades mean fewer taxable events.
- Long-Term Gains: With the market’s historical 7–10% annual return, index funds are a retirement-building powerhouse.
Risks to Keep in Mind
No investment is bulletproof. Here’s what to watch:
- Market Swings: When the market dips, so does your fund. But history shows it bounces back.
- No Big Wins: You won’t beat the market—but for most, matching it is a win.
Tips for Index Fund Success
- Invest Regularly: Use dollar-cost averaging to smooth out market highs and lows.
- Diversify Further: Add international or bond funds as your portfolio grows.
- Stay the Course: Don’t panic-sell during downturns. Long-term investors win by holding steady.
Real-Life Success Story: Sarah’s $240,000 Nest Egg
Meet Sarah, a 30-year-old teacher who invested $200 a month in an S&P 500 index fund. After 30 years, her $72,000 in contributions ballooned to over $240,000—thanks to the market’s average 7% return. No stock-picking, no stress—just consistent investing through platforms like Fidelity or Vanguard.
Start Your Investment Journey Today
Index funds are your beginner-friendly path to low-cost, reliable wealth-building. Sign up with a trusted brokerage like Vanguard, Fidelity, or Charles Schwab, pick a fund, and start with as little as $50 a month. The sooner you begin, the more time your money has to grow. Take that first step now—your future self will thank you!
Dungeon Start Heroine Tamer and Training Mission! ~Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about strong, cute, and beautiful female adventurers… All of them are my followers!
The healing Sunday has ended, and the despairing Monday begins.
Why did people have to invent something like “days of the week”?
Even if they had to come up with it, why couldn’t they think of a 7-day weekend system?
Since so many people feel gloomy on Mondays, you could say that Monday shoulders the burden for the other days.
This is a defective system.
Therefore, let’s change “Monday” to “Sunday” from now on.
That means it will be Sun-Sun-Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Sat.
You could also see this as Sun-Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun.
Then, according to Othello Theory (the strongest), the “Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Sat” sandwiched between Sundays would flip over and become all Sundays.
…Amazing. I’ve made a genius discovery.
I’m scared of my own talent.
There’s also the plan for passive income through [Hero Tamer].
With a Nobel Prize-level discovery, there might be a future where I can keep getting money without working.
“Good morning~”
“Yo~”
“Yesterday, I went to the XX Dungeon and reached the 6th floor…”
Continuing to escape reality with such trivial thoughts, I finally arrived at school.
The students around me were all bright and lively, without any hint of the peculiar atmosphere Mondays usually bring.
They found their friends and talked about their dungeon achievements over the break.
…I see.
If you have friends to share fun topics with, Monday becomes a wonderful day to meet up with them.
“……….”
As usual, I observed my surroundings quietly, not exchanging words with anyone, and silently took my seat.
And then, I asked myself:
―What should someone who has no one to talk to do?
There’s nothing I can do.
Quietly living like the walking dead, I’ll just lead a gray student life.
Ah, it’s tough.
While thinking stupid things like “I wonder if I’ll get transported to another world soon,” I was killing time when suddenly, the hallway became more lively.
This is―
“―Good morning~”
“Ah, Kageri-kun! Good morning!”
Many classmates reacted to the laid-back voice.
It was Saionji who had arrived.
“Good morning, Saionji.”
“Oh, Ōno-kun. Good morning. I heard? You were amazing in the dungeon, right?”
Ōno-kun is apparently a promising student adventurer.
Though it pains me to admit it, he’s a fresh-faced handsome guy and part of the top caste in the class.
“Nah, it wasn’t like that. It was all thanks to everyone in the party. So, Saionji, how about―”
The central figures of the class gathered, naturally forming a circle of people.
It’s the usual scene.
In the classroom dynamics, whether or not you’re active as an adventurer is an important factor.
Those who achieve spectacular results in dungeons.
Those who make big money despite being students.
Those with high ranks.
People with these easily understandable traits tend to become popular.
…In the midst of all this.
Saionji-san, who belongs to the top caste despite having no accomplishments as an adventurer, is truly astonishing.
Her overwhelming cuteness, her personality that everyone likes, and who she is as a person—
Even without achievements as an adventurer, these qualities make Saionji popular.
―Eh, so if I train Saionji, that plus her adventurer achievements might make her even more incredible!?
…I see.
So basically, I’m trying to create a monster.
Saionji, I’m sorry.
But I have to turn you into a monster among the popular kids.
After all, my dream of a passive income lifestyle depends on it—
“―Good morning, Amasaki -kun.”
“Hya!?”
Whoa, I got startled.
Saionji, who had somehow left the circle, was standing next to my desk.
I was so surprised I let out a weird voice.
“O-Ohayou gozaimasu, Saionji-san. The weather is nice today.”
Terrified that my inner thoughts might be exposed, I blurted out something nonsensical.
“Hehe. Amasaki -kun, why are you using polite speech? The weather is nice, but…”
What does she mean by “but” at the end of “The weather is nice, but…”!?
Is Saionji implying that her heart isn’t as calm as the weather behind her smile!?
“So, um, well…”
But she didn’t pursue it further.
Instead, Saionji seemed like she wanted to say something.
It felt like she was waiting for some secret code word only the two of us knew.
At first, I didn’t understand what she meant, but then I noticed her glancing repeatedly at the upper-left side of me.
―Ah, she’s checking the [Taming Mission].
Realizing that, I responded with a small nod.
It seemed Saionji caught on too.
“Thank you! See you later.”
Saionji returned to the group.
She was being questioned by the girls in the group and Ōno-kun, but knowing Saionji, she’d handle it well.
Alright―
[Taming Mission]
●Daily Mission
Stay inside the dungeon with your master for 30 minutes
Reward: Taming Points +100
The [Taming Mission] had been updated, huh.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
“…Although it’s already been conquered, I never thought I’d actually come to a dungeon.”
After school.
One stop away from the station closest to the school by train.
I arrived at the designated meeting place in front of the dungeon.
Dungeons are ranked based on their level of danger.
From the most difficult S-rank to the G-rank, which is considered safe and secure even for beginners.
Adventurers also have ranks, and it’s said that dungeons within ±1 rank of your own are appropriate.
And here we are, a G-rank dungeon that’s already been conquered.
Thus, for now, there weren’t any other adventurers in sight.
Killing time by looking at my phone, I noticed an email had arrived.
‘Sorry, I’ve just arrived at the station. I’ll head over soon.’
It was from the first person outside my family whose contact info I recently added.
Attached was an emoji of cute hands clasped together in apology.
…How girly.
“―Ah, Amasaki -kun. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Just as I was lightly moved by receiving an email from the opposite sex, I heard her voice.
Looking up from the screen, Saionji was already almost right in front of me.
“No, I haven’t been waiting long, so it’s fine.”
“I see. …But since our destination is the same, we should have gone together.”
No, that’s, well…
Going out of school together with Saionji, who is already popular, would only cause trouble.
Also, Ōno-kun seemed to have invited her somewhere, so I didn’t want to interfere.
“Well, Amasaki -kun has his own reasons, right? Okay ― let’s go.”
For some reason, she accepted it on her own.
Good, phew…
Matching Saionji’s pace, we headed towards the entrance of the G-rank dungeon.
“―So, um, this [Taming Mission], it’s about entering the dungeon, right?”
Saionji casually asked, pretending as if it were nothing.
However, when she mentioned the word “taming,” there was a clear sense of embarrassment and shyness mixed in.
…A pure and innocent girl was trying hard to hide it.
I decided to pretend not to notice.
“Just entering isn’t enough. Apparently, we need to stay inside the dungeon for 30 minutes.”
I held my adventurer card up to a machine resembling a ticket gate at the station.
Since I’m a paper adventurer, I hadn’t used my adventurer card in a while.
I was nervous about whether the internal chip would respond properly.
But the gate opened with a cheerful sound, and I sighed in relief.
“Hmm, I see. But 30 minutes will pass quickly.”
Saionji followed and entered through the gate as well.
A huge hole, probably over 3 meters tall.
Beyond the entrance lay an alternate space — connected to the dungeon.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
[Taming Mission]
●Daily Mission
Stay inside the dungeon with your master for 30 minutes
Reward: Taming Points +100
Current time: 00:06.38
When I turned around to check if Saionji was following me, both she and the [Taming Mission] screen appeared in my view.
Inside the display, a timer had been added, and the numbers continued to increase.
“Current time: 00:11.71” ― Ah, it passed 10 seconds.
“It seems to have started properly. Now we just have to wait for 30 minutes.”
Upon saying this, Saionji let out a sigh of relief.
The surrounding area was an open cavern. Despite the lack of light sources, the brightness and visibility were maintained.
It was a very strange space.
“So, what should we do? Should we go deeper?”
“No, there’s no need to go.”
Unless there were other conditions attached.
This time, we just needed to “stay for 30 minutes.”
We stopped at a spot near the entrance.
To demonstrate that we didn’t need to do anything, I sat down on the ground.
…Ow, my butt hurts.
But standing back up would look awkward, so I stayed put despite the risk of hemorrhoids.
Future me, sorry!
Once I can live off passive income and laze around, I’ll visit a proctologist or something to get treatment.
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to a G-rank dungeon where monsters spawn maybe once a day. I worked hard on my muscle training yesterday. When there’s a chance to relax, let’s enjoy it.”
To get stronger, there’s no need for dramatic events.
Leave that kind of stuff to the protagonists of stories.
“I see, you’re right… yeah.”
As if agreeing, Saionji plopped down next to me on the right.
…Uh, no, you don’t have to sit that close.
There are plenty of other places to sit, aren’t there?
But pointing it out would be awkward, and besides, she smelled nice, so I decided to silently keep track of the time.
Afterward, silence continued between us for a while.
But it wasn’t unpleasant; it was a comfortable and peaceful silence.
“Current time: 18:43.11”
…Almost two-thirds done.
“Amasaki -kun… thank you for coming with me.”
Suddenly, Saionji murmured.
“Hmm? …Yeah, well, even though it’s a G-rank, it’s safer with more people.”
Since I was spacing out, I gave a safe answer.
“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant―”
A soft denial came back.
“―This mission. I can’t do it alone, right?”
Oops~.
“…Huh, did I ever say that?”
I was pretty careful with my words.
So even after carefully recalling, I still didn’t remember mentioning the part about “with the master.”
Then, a chuckle escaped from Saionji.
“No, you didn’t say it. …But when I looked at Amasaki -kun’s actions, I somehow thought that. Because if I could do it alone, there’d be no need for Amasaki -kun to wait here.”
Sharp.
Saionji-san is more than just cute, huh.
“That’s because, you know, I have ulterior motives to get closer to a beautiful girl, yeah.”
“B-Bisho, Bisho!? — Trying to divert the topic with flattery won’t work!!”
Did some weird animal just cry out?
Technically, it wasn’t flattery though…
Anyway, a beautiful girl turning red and saying “bisho bisho”…
Saionji-san is more than just erotic, huh.
“…You’re trying not to make me worry, right? Like now. — Yeah, I’ll just assume that. Thank you, Amasaki -kun.”
What is with this girl?
She sees right through me.
Do I have a Level 1 certification or something?
She’s tough…
[Taming Mission]
●Daily Mission
Stay inside the dungeon with your master for 30 minutes
Reward: Taming Points +100
Current time: 30:00.00 Complete
And so, without any dramatic events like monsters appearing,
By simply spending a relaxed 30 minutes, the mission was completed.