If you could go back in time...

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  • Vet
    Vet Posts: 180
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    I would wait until you leave before buying a house to live in.
    Don't bother with BTL - it's way too much risk and hassle.

    Property prices are probably going to gradually reduce (in GBP terms) over much of the UK in the next few years. The days of needing to buy before prices ''rise out of reach'' are long gone.

    Even if house prices were rising, you could keep up by investing in equities and property funds etc.

    Do you think the rate at which I am investing, the platform, and the funds are adequate? I put other money away in savings each month - taking advantage of the 5% current accounts etc. :T
  • Apodemus
    Apodemus Posts: 3,384
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    Vet wrote: »
    If you could travel back in time and give a 20-something year old version of yourself advice on investing, what would you tell them?

    Spend less, Save more!

    ...and reinvest the dividends!
  • pearl123
    pearl123 Posts: 2,048
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    Stick with the job you are in. Buy shares in the company you were working for. Party less and start a private pension.
  • bertiewhite
    bertiewhite Posts: 1,904
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    I'd tell myself to avoid the girl with the northern accent at Mick Rudd's sister's wedding in 1996 - I'd be way richer now.
  • At least you have the right idea regarding saving.
    Savings, and I don't necessarily mean the bulk of disposable income, because one has a life to live, but always keep in mind something for a rainy day. The reality is there are lots of rainy days and unfortunately some of them are 'torrential'.
  • LHW99
    LHW99 Posts: 4,135
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    Avoid anything that says "with profits" (not much about now though). Keep insurance & investment separate, and understand where you money is and what your pension schemes actually are (read the "instructions"!!)
  • Don't bother with individual stocks - you won't have time to properly research them in the first place, and subsequently stay up to date on them, so you'll make bad decisions.

    I figured this out from experience, but fortunately that was when I had less money so there was less to lose.
  • If I could go back in time and give myself at 20 some advice, it would be to not sell that Mk1 Ford Escort Mexico for £650 and to buy 3 more :(
  • Clive_Woody
    Clive_Woody Posts: 5,852
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    I would advise myself to invest in a Euromillions lottery ticket with the winning numbers for the £100million+ jackpot the following weekend.

    Or start a website and call it MoneySavingExpert then cash in and sell it for millions
    "We act as though comfort and luxury are the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about” – Albert Einstein
  • I’m still clinging to my twenties but I now wish I hadn’t wasted so much money on cars when I was younger. I also wish I had invested my student loan as I received it (when equities were lower) rather than post uni/recent times when equities are higher.
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