<prompt> Human: Most of the time I only see people asking what to do with large lump sums of money that they have either inherited or fell into. Currently, we are working on becoming debt free we are currently working the avalanche method. This may be a stupid question, but every time I think of investing, I think to myself that its only for those who are well off. Is there ever a time when someone should not invest assuming they are debt free, outside of mortgage? What would you say to be the minimums to get started meaning, 1k saved, or a weekly amount put into it, etc? I have read the investment FAQ and the How to Handle . Im just looking for a discussion on the topic. Im not in the position right now to invest, and I am not looking for advice on fixing my situation, or how do I invest Xk?. Rather, Im just looking at whether this is something that everyone myself included, should look at doing regardless of income brackets.  <response>: Saving vs investing is not black and white; it is a continuum. Thus we have things like savings bonds. If you dont plan to live paycheck to paycheck the rest of your life, you want savings, and you can put some of these savings in investments. 