Fully managed S&S ISA for a beginner

eskbanker

Polly05 said:

Another quick question... For the vanguard one.. You either need to deposit £500 or a monthly £100 direct debit. Not sure what is better. Anyone have any ideas? I know you're meant to drip feed it. But is £500 too much? Then I think u can only do £500 one off payments? So am I better going for the £100 a month installments so I can choose a different fund each month? Or top up one, most months but maybe put the new £100 into something different now and again?
Hope that makes sense. Thanks

There isn't any golden rule that says that "you're meant to drip feed" - it's true to say that in general it'll be better to commit money as soon as it's available instead of trying to build up a lump sum first but conversely if you already have a lump sum then getting it invested will typically work out better than drip feeding.

In terms of what to invest in, it's unlikely to be sensible to spray your money around multiple funds unless you really feel that your objectives are best met by a portfolio that differs significantly from one of the 'fire and forget' LifeStrategy products that are likely to be Vanguard's most suitable offering for beginners.

grumiofoundation

Polly05 said:

Another quick question... For the vanguard one.. You either need to deposit £500 or a monthly £100 direct debit. Not sure what is better. Anyone have any ideas? I know you're meant to drip feed it. But is £500 too much? 

Depends how much money you are planning to invest. Statistically better to invest in one go (as markets overall go up mroe than go down) but if you dripfeed then you average out drops/rises. If you are planning to invest for a long period of time, continually adding each month, won't make much difference.

https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/articles/latest-thoughts/how-it-works/what-is-pound-cost-averaging

 Then I think u can only do £500 one off payments? 

Once you have made first payment into a fund subsequent one-off additions don't have to be £500.

So am I better going for the £100 a month installments so I can choose a different fund each month? Or top up one, most months but maybe put the new £100 into something different now and again?

If you are planning on investing in VLS range then you don't really need different funds. The idea of the product is a one stop shop solution.