where to start??

MyMFDream

Can someone point me in the direction of where to start with looking for an investment opportunity building a portfolio??

I am looking to invest a small amount each month around £100 in something a little bit more high risk than I would normally.

Current position is 11/12 cash ISA maxed out for both me and partner and we have a FD regular saver each contributing the maximum. A smallish family loan from 3 years ago is now getting paid back at £100 a month and as we have not missed this money I fancied having a dabble in something, maybe building a shares portfolio or maybe metals as I have several 1oz krugerrands from the early 70's already but I don't want to just jump in blind and want to do some research for myself but I need a starting point.

Anyone have any ideas?

jimjames

Without knowing what you mean by "high risk" it is difficult to know. If your current savings are in cash ISAs then pretty much anything else is higher risk.

My personal preference would be to start as stocks & shares ISA using one of the discount brokers such as Best Invest, HL or iii. Rather than buying shares you could invest in funds that spread your money across the whole of the stock market reducing the risk of any one company doing badly. If you use a tracker fund then the costs are much lower and the performance should match the market it tracks.

xrjtg

Look into unit trusts/OEICs. These are unit-linked manged investment funds with straightforward charges that are suitable for those looking to make small investments. Funds are available that invest in almost every area you could be interested in: UK small companies, global index trackers, commercial property, precious metals, oil exploration, emerging markets infrastructure, are six arbitrary examples. To be absolutely clear UT/OEICs are just investment vehicles, and you need to think separately about where you want the money to be invested.

If you decide to go down this route then the cheapest way to proceed is to buy through a discount broker, a company that will rebate some or all of the initial charges usually incurred when buying funds. Hargreaves Lansdown are a popular option that will accept monthly investment instructions from £50 a month.

MyMFDream

Thank you both. Lots to think about there. I'll get reading up this week