Stocks & Shares ISA's - Do It For Me Options & Opinions

TojoRalph

I have a number of cash ISA's just matured or due to mature and I am looking to move the monies to S&S ISA's to try and improve on the meagre returns that Cash ISA's are paying. Having looked at Martins limited guide in relation DIY options and the do it for me (DIFM) options with Evestor, Nutmeg and Wealthify and having read info on this forum, I am looking for opinions on other platform options and perhaps opinions on what to own within those platforms? I anticipate that I will go for a small DIY option at this stage, the remainder DIFM and see how I get on.

My target would be to hold them for 5 years or more before considering touching any of them and thus allow for some market volatility. I am not looking to try and set the heather alight with regards to growth, just get a better degree of potential growth to mitigate the erosion were monies to remain in low rate cash ISAs. That said, I am happy to accept a degree of risk, albeit at the low end where the lesser growth typically is.  

So what should I be reading to better educate myself on all things S&S ISA and where should I be looking online for information? Is there a generally accepted approach to S&S growth based on leveraging steady low growth in established funds, stocks and shares at the lower end of the risk spectrum? Lastly, are there any funds folk think I should be looking at based on my criteria? Thanks.

masonic

Those options come at a price in terms of charges, which is less of a consideration for someone investing a small amount while learning, but become quite expensive for larger amounts (fees are typically charged as a percentage of your investment per year).

Don't overlook the single fund options that can be held in pretty much any whole of market S&S ISA, such as Vanguard Lifestrategy, L&G Multi-index, HSBC Global Strategy. Essentially you just pick your risk level at the fund level rather than the provider level. A fund fee plus platform fee for a DIY platform may be quite a bit cheaper than the total fee payable at a DIFM provider.

There is a wealth of useful introductory information here: https://monevator.com/category/investing/passive-investing-investing/

Trustnet is a very useful resource for looking up funds to see how money is spread between different sectors: https://www.trustnet.com/

The 'do it for me' providers will usually give some information about how they invest your money too, so it can be a useful exercise to compare and contrast. You can also make use of their 'attitude to risk' questionnaires to understand what risk level might be best for you, then take that knowledge and invest in a suitable product elsewhere.

dunstonh

 I am looking for opinions on other platform options and perhaps opinions on what to own within those platforms?

The three providers you mentioned are not platforms.  So, perhaps first you need to decide if you want to use a robo-provider or a platform where you self select the investments.

Albermarle

 Is there a generally accepted approach to S&S growth based on leveraging steady low growth in established funds, stocks and shares at the lower end of the risk spectrum? 

The generally accepted approach is to the medium to high risk end to ensure a decent growth over the long term ( > 10 years ) although if you are the very cautious type then better not go to high risk.

Also you need to be clear about what risk means in this context .

If you buy a mainstream investment fund , then there is almost zero risk it will go under and you lose all your money .

However it can be volatile with the price moving up and down , occasionally down very quickly .