How to automate your investing in AustraliaHow to automate your investing in Australia

It's Monday morning. You're rushing to get the kids ready for school, and your phone is buzzing with work emails. Amidst the chaos, you remember you were meant to invest some money.

But between school lunches, meetings, and grocery shopping, it never happens. Sound familiar?

When it comes to investing, building a habit that sticks is just as important as building your knowledge. Let’s explore why investing regularly can be a challenge, and how automation tools like auto-invest and round-ups can help.

And if you're wondering about the best investment apps Australia has to offer for automation, check out Sharesies, highly commended in the ‘Auto-investing Share Trading Platform’ category at the 2025 Finder Awards.

Why we struggle to invest regularly

Many investors fall into the ‘procrastination trap’—prioritising today’s needs over future goals. When you’re juggling work, family, and social commitments, a long-term goal like retirement can feel abstract and easy to postpone. 

Then there's analysis paralysis. With thousands of investment options available across various micro-investing and wealth platforms, many people get stuck researching the ‘perfect’ investment or waiting for the ‘right’ time to invest. Meanwhile, time (one of investing's most powerful tools!) keeps ticking away.

Traditionally, investing in Australia also had a major hurdle: the $500 minimum for investing in ASX-listed shares. This made it difficult to invest smaller amounts more regularly. With investment apps like Sharesies, Australians can now invest with no minimum, making regular investing more accessible for everyone.

Three reasons to automate your investing

Automation tools can help to make investing a habit by handling investment transactions (like deposits and buy orders) for you. Instead of relying solely on willpower or memory, tools like auto-invest and round-ups can help to reduce the mental load—although you’ll still want to regularly review and adjust as needed.

Automation also makes it easy to invest affordable amounts consistently, rather than waiting to invest lump sums sporadically. You can even sync your automated investments to your pay cycle (whether you get paid weekly, fortnightly, or monthly) so it fits with your budget and is more sustainable over the long term.

It can be tempting to let emotions drive your decision-making when investing manually. With share markets always moving up and down, automation can help you stick to your plan and maintain a long-term perspective without getting caught up in these short-term movements.

Real-life stories from investors who automate

Automation features have helped many of the 800,000+ investors using Sharesies to build consistent investing habits—with no minimum investment required.

Read about their experiences in our Investor Journey interviews, including:

• Hannah, who auto-invests her dividends

• Gerry, who says “I can find apps a bit hard to navigate, but features like auto-invest make it easy”, and

• Brooke, who “[uses] auto-invest to benefit from dollar-cost averaging”.

Wrapping up

Automation can be a powerful tool to help you invest consistently. The key is to start with a plan that fits your life, your values, and your financial situation. 

Consider these questions:

• What amount could you comfortably invest regularly without impacting your day-to-day life? Start with an affordable amount that you can stick to over time. You can always increase your investment amount as your income grows or your habits strengthen. 

• How often do you want to invest? Weekly? Fortnightly? Monthly? Instead of focusing only on returns, zone in on building a habit of regular investing.

• What types of investments align with your values and goals? When you choose investments that reflect your values and interests, you may be more likely to stick with your plan long term.

• How can you make the process easy and sustainable? Automation can help to streamline your investing. But it doesn’t mean you can ‘forget forever’. Review your investments regularly so they still align with your goals and circumstances.

Ready to start your automation journey? Explore Sharesies’ auto-invest and round-ups features—rated among the best investment apps in Australia—and discover how easy it can be to build consistent investing habits that fit your lifestyle. Whether you're interested in micro-investing smaller amounts or larger regular contributions, automation can help you stick to your strategy. 

New to investing? Our investing 101 guide covers the fundamentals of investing for beginners in Australia.