Possibly repeatedly asked question

Arryhall

Not entirely sure how often this has been asked because I haven't been here before, but, I have a cheque for £5000, and basically don't know where to put it. I have an ISA which I have filled for this year, and a Barclays current account, but I have no idea where to put this money. I know it isn't a lot which limits options.
Also, I don't earn shedloads of cash either, so again, I am limited in options.

Looking at this site, I see that Birmingham Midshires seems the best place to stick the money, but I have no idea if I have missed something somewhere. I don't need the money now, and don't need access to it anytime soon, so the 5 year options seems the best bet, but I have no idea!

And, sorry for going on here, but I can't make head nor tail of which current account I ought to be in. I have looked and read and filed to understand most of what's been posted.

Can anyone clear any of this up for me please, and thus earn my eternal gratitude?

Fatboy_NSS

Well the first thing to do is pay it in somewhere. A cheque sitting on your desk isn't earning you anything, so even if your current account only pays 0.1% at least it would be earning you a tiny amount.

Second, decide how to want to be able to get at the money. If you're confident that you wouldn't need to access it for some time then a fixed term bond might be the best bet. If you'd want to be able to access it in case of an emergency then you might prefer an instant access account. You just need to shop around and find what is right for you.

Finally, don't be so down! Most banks would welcome a new customer with "only" £5k to invest.