Vanguard Life Strategy 60/40 best platform please

OldScientist

havingaball74 said:

Thank you everyone. So useful. I appreciate you all taking the time to help. My take out is this:
Vanguard Direct:  Pros: Simpler as less choice, good customer service when I called up, known platform name, reputable. Cons: more expensive with larger amounts, less choice (although this can be a good thing!), no partial transfers in
iWeb: Pros: cheaper for larger amounts, more choice of investments (or decisions to make!), allows partial transfers. Cons: Unfamiliar to me. 
How are iWeb on the phone if you need to call them up? I am a nervous investor so being able to talk to a human is really important to me.
Have I missed anything? Over all, which one would YOU opt for?

We have accounts with both iweb and vanguard. Never yet needed to contact vanguard customer service, but have done so for iweb but only online where they solved a problem to my satisfaction within a few days. I have contacted iweb by phone to buy individual gilts and the service was prompt and got the job done.

Buying and selling is simple enough on both platforms.

Neither website could be described as 'flashy' but they are functional (give me dull every time!).

Aminatidi

Jesus there's no wonder the OP is nervous.

My 2p.

IWeb is fine.

Vanguard is fine.

I've used both and had zero issues.

Fees matter but the Vanguard platform fee would still only be £90/year which is a rounding error v daily fluctuations on a £60K investment.

LifeStrategy is fine in so much as you'll end up there or there abouts IMHO.

This thread is a really good example of why some people want to invest but never manage to summon up the courage to do so (no offence intended to havingaball74) because there's always something else to think about.

Swipe

I had an email today from Vanguard which said they are no longer charging platform fees on cash held on account

dunstonh

Swipe said:

I had an email today from Vanguard which said they are no longer charging platform fees on cash held on account

That is starting to happen with other platforms and follows an FCA briefing that found some platforms were double dipping (platform charge and a cash management charge)

havingaball74

Aminatidi said:

Jesus there's no wonder the OP is nervous.

My 2p.

IWeb is fine.

Vanguard is fine.

I've used both and had zero issues.

Fees matter but the Vanguard platform fee would still only be £90/year which is a rounding error v daily fluctuations on a £60K investment.

LifeStrategy is fine in so much as you'll end up there or there abouts IMHO.

This thread is a really good example of why some people want to invest but never manage to summon up the courage to do so (no offence intended to havingaball74) because there's always something else to think about.

No offence taken! 😊 I have been trying to invest for ages but there are so many factors to consider, especially when you are dealing with your life savings. I have no idea what I'm doing, but what I do know is that I'm doing nothing at the moment as I'm stuck in a state of indecision. 

Aminatidi

Yeah if you're not careful you just end up in analysis paralysis and you don't actually do anything.

Honestly I think if you went with IWeb or Vanguard and LS60 you'd be fine.

Something will always be doing better and something will always be doing worse and you'll never get 100% agreement on what the best/right fund is.

Remember you don't need to invest right away but from how I've read your posts I would make sure to use up the 2023/24 ISA allowance by opening an account and putting the maximum into it ready to invest.

If you're not comfortable investing in big chunks do so in smaller chunks so you get used to seeing the value going up and down.

Main thing is open an account and put the money in it so it's in the tax wrapper this tax year.