Investments for Beginners

Surport Local Team said:

Looked into this but I know nothing, is now a good time to invest or should I wait?

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Really is impossible to answer.......depends on your objectives, time horizon (how long you're prepared to tie money up for), degree of risk you're prepared to take, other assets you have, view on the economy/future etc etc......I wouldn't even consider it unless you're prepared to stay in for perhaps 5 years min though.

Dick Swiveller said:

Not that relevant but I actually took note of a Twitter Ad, did a bit of poking around and joined the Moneybox App. Very simple premise - links to your bank account or debit card and rounds transactions up to the nearest pound and once a week, does a direct debit transfer of the total into a stocks and share ISA. Very gimmicky but a good way of saving a few quid without thinking about it. The equivalent of putting your spare change into a piggy bank. You can add lump sums as well. Probably not the best stocks and share ISA but a nice little 'sideline' savings account.

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Very impressed with the way the Moneybox app has been marketed. Undoubtedly it will appeal to many but I would have to question whether the app is value for money. It could be argued the fixed fees and the platform costs which you will have to pay in addition to the underlying tracker fund costs represent a significant price to pay for the novelty value. Here are the costs as I found them on their website:

"You will pay the following fees to Moneybox in connection with your Moneybox Account:
A fixed charge of £1 per month for each of your Platform Products (the “Fixed Monthly Fee”);
An annual platform charge equal to 0.35% of the value of each of your Platform Products (the “Moneybox Annual Charge”)"

I had my SIPP and ISAs with Hargreaves Lansdown for many years. Made all my own investment decisions (a range mutual funds with a global spread ce.g. UK equity income, UK smaller cmpanies, Global Equity Growth, Global Income, Asia Pacific Equity Growth, India Growth, Equity and Bond Income). I did plenty of research n their website and reading their quarterly investment magazine and they've performed pretty well over time. The only reason I didn't keep all my investments with them was because I emigrated and was abe to move everythng offshore into a QROPS and another investment vehicle for the ISAs. I didn't change the underlying funds though.
Do you research but a selection of equitiy income funds in an ISA is a good place to start. The benefit over a SIPP is that you can access the money at any time. The downside is that you don't get the tax relief on the way in.

I have been interested in shares for over 40 years. I have an account with TD Waterhouse. Google it.It is very easy to trade .I expect some of you have company shares . Witjout doubt you should transfer them into a share ISA. All easily done. Most of my shares are in the share ISA. Last Friday I bought BT and sold on the Monday. Up £120. Not much but nice.Mind you it is very easy to get your fingers burned. Keep away from gas and oil shares on the Aim stock market. You can easily lose money.If you are fed up with just having your money doing nothing then open a share ISA. A very good investment to put in there is called Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. Do your own homework and have a look at its performance. Your money is spread in a lot of companies throughout the world.