Whispers of Becoming

Hello, my name is Wendy. I am 23 years old from London, and I started investing when I was just 20 years old. I have always had an interest in the financial markets and studied economics at university, which I guess amplified my interest. If I could go back in time, here is what I wish I knew back then about investing.

Let’s face it. The world of investing seems built for people in suits who use words like “diversify” and “portfolio” at brunch.
But here’s the truth they don’t tell you: you don’t need thousands of dollars, a finance degree, or even confidence to start building wealth.

You just need a phone, a few minutes, and the willingness to stop letting your money sit there doing nothing.

And the best part?

You can claim a completely free stock (worth up to $175) just for signing up using my Robinhood link below:

https://join.robinhood.com/wendyt-5f75c78

Now, back to the blog.

If no one in your family ever talked about investing…
If you were never taught how money actually grows…
If the stock market feels like a mysterious “rich people” game…

You’re not alone. Because I was there too. My parents were not financially literate. I had to learn about this topic step by step.

Firstly, choose your broker. As a UK citizen, I use a Trading212 Stocks and Shares ISA. It is tax-free up to £20,000 a year. And recently, I have been using Robinhood as well. They are both very easy-to-use platforms, and the simplistic design of the apps makes investing very easy to do.

Now, what is an investment?

An investment in its simplest form is when you buy something with the hope of it increasing in value. However, when you invest there are no guarantees and you could receive back less than you invested.

When you first decide to invest you don’t need to start with a large sum of money, just be comfortable with the amount of money that you choose to invest.

There are a number of different ways that you could choose to invest, including stocks and shares and funds.

Invest for income

If you want to create income from investing one option is to choose investments that provide regular payments. For instance, shares may pay a dividend and a bond pays interest.

Invest for growth

Investing for growth is the aim of increasing the value of your investment known as capital gains. If you were investing in stocks and shares for example, growth would be the result of an increase in the price of the shares.

Compound growth

If you re-invest any income from your investments the overall value may increase faster and help you reach your financial goals. Both the original and the added income will accumulate any growth.

Most investors will invest for both growth and income, for example an income investor could use the income from their investments and reinvest this with the aim of generating, and a growth investor might sell their investment to gain an income.

My investing strategy is a mix of the S&P 500 and US growth stocks.

When I first started investing, I didn’t want to spend hours analyzing charts or guessing which stocks would blow up next.
I just wanted a simple, smart way to grow my money without constantly stressing about it.

That’s why my strategy today is a mix of two things:

1️⃣ The S&P 500 – The Foundation

The S&P 500 is a group of the 500 largest public companies in the U.S., like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
When I invest in this, I’m not betting on one company. I’m betting on the economy as a whole.

It’s:

• Low-maintenance
• Historically high-performing over the long run (about 8–10% per year)
• One of the easiest ways to start investing with low risk

If you’re a beginner, this is where I recommend most people start. It’s stable, diversified, and doesn’t require constant decision-making.

2️⃣ US Growth Stocks – The Spice

This is where I add a bit of excitement to my portfolio.

Growth stocks are companies that are expanding quickly — think tech, innovation, and future-focused industries.
They’re riskier, but they also have huge potential upside if you believe in them long term.

I keep this portion smaller, but it allows me to:

• Invest in companies I personally believe in
• Potentially get higher returns
• Stay excited and engaged in my financial journey

My Advice to You: Keep It Simple, Stay Consistent

You don’t need to be a stock-picking genius.
Here’s what I recommend if you’re just starting out:

✅ Start with the S&P 500 or a broad-market ETF
✅ Use dollar-cost averaging: invest a little each week or month
✅ Don’t try to time the market: just give it time
✅ Treat growth stocks like seasoning, not the whole meal.

The key is to start. Even with just £1.

Love,

Wendy