Can I buy part of a single share of an expensive stock?

Yes. Fractional shares let you buy a slice of a stock or ETF based on a dollar amount rather than a whole share, so you can invest $50 in a stock trading at $500 and own one-tenth of a share. Most major brokers now offer this at no extra cost, which is a game-changer for beginners and for automating investments, since your entire contribution goes to work instead of leaving idle cash. Fractional shares still earn proportional dividends and grow with the stock. A few things to know: fractional positions can be harder to transfer if you switch brokers, and they typically must be sold rather than moved. For steady, small-dollar investing into index ETFs, fractional shares make dollar-cost averaging seamless.