When I first started investing, I put most of my attention on retirement, and then slowly expanded from there. But retirement wasn’t the only thing on my mind. I also had other financial goals I wanted to make room for.

If you’re new to investing, it can feel like a lot. And honestly, social media doesn’t always help. You can scroll through TikTok or Instagram for hours looking for advice and still end up feeling more confused than when you started.

The good news is that getting started doesn’t have to be that complicated. Here’s the approach I took in my 20s after spending a lot of time learning about investing and personal finance.

First, I made sure the basics were covered

Before I got too deep into investing, I wanted my day-to-day finances to feel stable. That part matters more than people sometimes admit. If you have high-interest debt, like credit card debt, it may make sense to focus on paying that down first.

When I got my first full-time job, my biggest priority was building an emergency fund. I think of this as my “just in case” money. It helps me sleep better knowing I could cover something unexpected, like a car repair or a few months of rent if life took a turn.

I keep my emergency fund in a high-yield savings account, which usually pays a much better interest rate than a regular savings account. Rates change over time, but they’re often somewhere around 3% to 4%.

That might not sound exciting, but it still makes a difference. If you kept $5,000 in an account earning 3.5%, for example, you’d make $175 in a year without doing anything except leaving the money there.

How much you need in an emergency fund depends on your life and expenses, but a common guideline is three to six months’ worth of expenses. One thing I learned is to be realistic. I got so used to sending part of every paycheck into savings that I probably built my emergency fund a little higher than I needed to. Some of that money could have been invested instead.

I also started contributing to my 401(k)

While I was building my emergency fund, I also started putting money into my 401(k) through work. A 401(k) is a retirement account, and it’s one of the easiest ways to begin investing if your employer offers it.

My advice is to start with a percentage of your paycheck that feels manageable. But if your employer offers a match, try to contribute at least enough to get the full match. That’s one of the best benefits out there. In the draft, the annual contribution limit for people under 50 is listed as $24,500.

Another reason I liked my 401(k) is the tax benefit. Contributions are pretax, which means you don’t pay taxes on that money now. Instead, you pay taxes later when you withdraw it in retirement. If you’d rather pay taxes now and withdraw the money tax-free later, your employer may offer a Roth 401(k).

What I especially liked as a beginner is that a 401(k) doesn’t have to be complicated. Many workplace plans offer target-date funds, which are basically a simple “set it and forget it” option. These funds automatically adjust over time, becoming more conservative as you get closer to retirement.

When I started contributing at 22, I didn’t know much about investing yet, but choosing a target-date fund still felt pretty straightforward. They’re named by approximate retirement year, so mine is a 2065 target-date fund. Right now it’s mostly invested in stocks, but over time it’ll gradually shift toward safer investments like bonds.

Then I looked for more ways to save for retirement

Once my emergency fund felt solid and I was comfortable with my 401(k) contributions, I started asking myself what to do next. I ended up talking with a certified financial planner about what other types of accounts might make sense for me. That was helpful, but I don’t think it’s something everyone has to do right away.

One account they suggested was a Roth IRA, which is another retirement account.

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t exactly thrilled about putting even more money toward retirement. Part of me still feels that way. It’s strange to put money somewhere knowing I won’t really touch the investment gains for decades. But I also know that even if I feel motivated to work now, my future self may want more flexibility. I want to have the option to slow down later, and that makes saving in multiple retirement accounts feel worth it.

Compared with a 401(k), an IRA usually gives you more investment choices. For beginners, simple options like low-cost index funds or ETFs that track a broad market index, such as the S&P 500, can be a good place to start.

IRAs do have lower contribution limits than 401(k)s. In the draft, the limit for people under 50 is $7,500 this year. With a Roth IRA, you pay taxes on the money now, but qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. If you’d rather get the tax break now and pay taxes later, a traditional IRA may be the better fit.

At the same time, I started investing for non-retirement goals too

Retirement mattered to me, but I also wanted to make space for other goals. Maybe you feel the same way. You might not have one exact goal in mind, but you also don’t want extra money just sitting around. Or maybe you do have a goal, like something 5 to 10 years away.

That’s where general investing can come in.

Another account my financial planner suggested was a brokerage account. This kind of account gives you a lot more flexibility. There are no income limits, contribution limits, or special withdrawal rules. The tradeoff is that it doesn’t come with the same tax advantages as retirement accounts. One tax benefit you may get is a lower rate on investments you hold for more than a year, which is known as the long-term capital gains tax rate.

In my brokerage account, just like in my IRA, index funds or ETFs make up most of my investments. I felt comfortable choosing and managing those investments myself, but that’s not the right setup for everyone.

If you’re brand new, you may not want to worry about how to divide your money between investments or when to rebalance your portfolio. If that sounds like you, a robo-advisor could be a good option. It manages your investments for you, which can make the whole process feel a lot more hands-off.

This isn’t financial advice. It’s just the approach that has worked for me. If you want guidance tailored to your own situation, it can help to talk with a financial professional.

If you want to learn more about investing, take beelinger course. It’s free and will cover everything you need to get started and build wealth.