Source: Lipper, Inc.

It doesn't take a fortune to begin fund investing. In fact, if you're opening a taxable personal account, there are thousands of funds to invest in that only require a few hundreds dollars to get started.

What follows is a list of fund names that have initial minimum investment requirements of $500 or less. Also included: the fund's investment objective ( as Lipper sees it); toll-free telephone numbers; the fund's symbol; and the fund's minimum initial investment requirement.

$100 or Less $250 Minimum $500 Minimum

If $500 is too much to handle, most fund families allow everyone to begin a dollar-cost-average kind of investment program in which you agree to add the same amount of money each and every month into your fund account until the fund's minimum investment requirements are met. Once that's done, you may keep on investing monthly--often a wise idea--or decide not to.

Keep in mind, when opening a qualified retirement account where taxes are deferred until a later date---like funds held in an IRA or 401(k)---the minimum investment requirement amounts are typically much lower. Hence, you're pick of funds is much broader.

Thanks to Lipper, Inc., for providing this information.