I’ve been thinking lately: why do many people say you need millions to invest? This idea is actually already outdated. Just look at what’s going up now—rent, food, and daily necessities. Every month, your purchasing power is quietly being diluted. Instead of waiting until you’ve saved up a million before taking action, it’s better to start investing with 100,000.

I’ve noticed that many office workers around me get stuck on the same problem: saving up 1 million takes years, but putting together 100,000 isn’t that difficult. The key is: don’t underestimate this money. It’s not just a number—it’s your weapon for fighting inflation.

When you boil investing down, there are three things: mindset, projects, and time. With the right mindset, choosing the right projects, and giving yourself enough time, investing 100,000 can flip the switch to wealth.

First, you need to understand your own situation. I’ve noticed that the investment approach that suits different people can be completely different. For example, for office workers with stable jobs, the most suitable options are regular fixed investments in dividend-paying funds or high-yield ETFs. This way you don’t have to constantly watch the market, and the dividends can provide extra income. I’ve seen people who use their monthly dividends to pay their phone bills. With 100,000 principal and an annual dividend yield of 7 to 8 thousand, it might not seem like much, but over the long term, compounded returns make a difference.

As for high-earning doctors and engineers, it’s a different story. Their capital accumulates quickly, but they don’t have time to research, so the best fit is ETFs that track broad market index performance. For example, Taiwan’s 0050 and the US’s SPY—these indexes will automatically weed out the weak and keep the strong. I’ve calculated that the S&P 500’s average return over the past 100 years has been 8 to 10%, compared with 5% for a fixed deposit. After 10 years, the difference becomes very obvious.

There’s also a group of people who have time and want to be more proactive—they can try to capture market volatility. For instance, the US interest rate-hike cycle is close to peaking, and a rate cut is highly likely in the future. At that time, the supply of dollars will increase, and the odds of shorting the dollar will be high. This kind of short-cycle trading requires time to research, but with a 100,000 investment, this strategy can roll growth quickly.

When it comes to specific targets, I’ve organized four types of assets worth paying attention to. Defensive assets: gold has always been a go-to safe haven, especially during times when the economy is unstable. Transformational assets: Bitcoin is no longer just a pure speculative tool—sovereign funds are allocating to it, and its role is shifting into a digital reserve asset. Growth assets: NVIDIA and TSMC represent the core infrastructure of the AI era, with deep “moats.” Foundational assets: 0056 and SPY are steady long-term tools for value growth.

For 0056, a Taiwan high-dividend ETF, it paid out 60% in dividends over the past 10 years, with a 40% rise in the stock price. The outlook for the next 10 years is estimated to be similar. If you invest 100,000 each year, even if you spend all the dividends, after 13 years you’d have 100,000 in dividends per year just from the dividend income, and after 25 years your monthly dividends would exceed 20,000. By comparison, SPY has gained 116% over the past 10 years. Although its dividends are lower, its capital gains are astonishing.

My suggestion is to first establish your investment goals. Use dividend funds to match your monthly expenses. Use swing trading to achieve larger expenditures. Use index ETFs for long-term asset allocation. That way, investing 100,000 will have a clear direction.

Finally, I want to say: you don’t necessarily need a lot of money to start investing. As long as you have the right mindset, choose the right projects, and are willing to wait for compound interest or spend time analyzing when to enter and exit, becoming “a small wealthy person” isn’t as far away as you think. Many platforms now have very low thresholds, and you can even use leverage to amplify returns. The key is to find the approach that suits you. Don’t keep waiting—start investing with 100,000 and let time work for you.