"If I knew then what I know now" what would you invest in?

DiamondLil

EthicsGradient said:

It wasn't the very first investment I made, but the one I've held continuously for longest is F&C Investment Trust - since Nov 94. I'd have probably done better if I'd just invested everything in that, until decent global index trackers came along and then switched to them, rather than trying to guess which world region was most likely to do well next (which is why I'm still underweight in the USA - so often I thought "they've just had a good run, it won't continue, put the money somewhere else" - and have a mess of funds and ETFs to try and balance/simplify/optimise for charges and CGT). 

Oooh yes !  When I first bought F&C they were well under a pound a share - 84p comes to mind. And I still hold F&C today, although not continuously. .

solidpro

Apple stock in 1995 would have been a good idea. Excite!, not so much.

cambs1999

I am trying to help my son look for a company/fund to start investing with on a monthly basis. 

He is 21 and I went to help him start off investing with £500 and then he put something in every month.  

However, I have no idea where to start other than maybe we need to consider a global trackers with Vanguard - not sure which one - but then I have been reading the other thread on investing with Dodl HSBC FTSE All World Index Fund 0.12%.

Can anyone offer me any guidance on where to start for a low cost fund? 

sevenhills

cambs1999 said:

He is 21 and I went to help him start off investing with £500 and then he put something in every month.  

Can anyone offer me any guidance on where to start for a low cost fund? 

I am going to do similar with my daughter, into a SIPP. But I prefer a single share that will hopefully grow faster.

I will see what she wants to do.

FIREmenow

Good question OP and a chance to reflect.

Up to now, I have by complete chance, had good market timing that has influenced my life choices, so probably shouldn't mess with my timeline! I know I won't always be lucky in the future. I've only ever bought index trackers and still would.

I started thinking and learning about investing (and early retirement and pensions) around 2013-14 from this forum, Mr Money Moustache, and Monevator, and then Tim Hale's book. I think my first investment was in 2015 just before the market picked up. 

Things I might change:
-Buy a cheaper global tracker without home bias, not Vanguard's LS100 (and other LS funds). Although I still hold a bit of my original LS100 for sentimental reasons.
-Allocate a lower percentage to bonds considering I was around 30 at the time, although it wasn't a massive.
-Be consistent with setting up automatic monthly investing for the times when I periodically lose interest in finance and end up with cash languishing in a current account.
-Perhaps I would have put some money into a SIPP rather than S&S ISA in the years when I was earning below the personal allowance at uni, but not being able to access that money might have also impacted my life choices.
-I did join my work DB pension before I was earning enough for auto-enrollment, but wish I'd taken advantage of the 1% match which ceased a few years later.

There are a more choices and more investing information is accessible and written for the general public now, even though it's only been 10 years! Vanguard had no public platform in the UK at that time and their funds had multiple charges, but I think they all did. I started out with Charles Stanley Direct at about 0.25% and I think they were the cheapest.

[Deleted User]

Not buy the rubbish shares I bought and just kept my money in funds and property. 

[Deleted User]

friolento said:

I’d do global trackers all over again.

Really good, No regrets and sleep well at night. 

alanyau88

I would have taken the plunge on a profitable business sooner!  I should have also educated myself sooner on finance, tax wrappers, global trackers, and pensions!  

Hoenir

N6xxy said:

I'd be really interested to know what people would invest in today if they knew then what they know now. 

Tesla. A whole combination of factors would have made this a once in a lifetime investment. 

Though I'd have totally cashed out once the company entered the SP500. Remains to this day grossly overvalued. 

Bobziz

Hoenir said:

N6xxy said:

I'd be really interested to know what people would invest in today if they knew then what they know now. 

Tesla. A whole combination of factors would have made this a once in a lifetime investment. 

Though I'd have totally cashed out once the company entered the SP500. Remains to this day grossly overvalued. 

You been consistent in your view of Tesla for some time. Are you shorting it ?