I know, it’s pretty shocking that as a personal finance blogger and financial journalist I haven’t invested before this week. But truth be told, a lot of the common misconceptions weighed pretty heavily on my mind. The stock market seemed like a scary place. However, I wanted to try investing, so set about learning how to start investing. Here’s my guide to investing for beginners.
The (already low) interest rates on my savings accounts were slashed as banks tried to mitigate the economic damage caused by Covid-19. This meant there was little left to lose and potentially a lot to be gained from investing.
Recently, I took a big leap and set up my first investment account. I thought I’d share five key things I learnt from this experience in case you’re considering taking the leap yourself.
It’s important to note that this does not constitute personal advice. If you’re not sure whether an investment or savings account is right for you please seek professional financial advice.
1. Investing for beginners – it’s really easy to get started
While there’s many different ways to invest, setting up a basic account was remarkably easy. Most high street banks offer an investment hub alongside their main offering. This can be a really good place to start. I decided to try out my main bank’s (Santander) offering. As an existing customer, setting up an account was easy and took less than 30 minutes.
Don’t rush your decision. However, at this point there was no financial commitment involved. Instead, I gained access to the investment hub. Here, I could look at all the available opportunities and decide which would work best for my own circumstances. I would recommend spending some time familiarising yourself with all the options to make sure you choose the best one for you.
Different banks’ versions will differ in their offerings. For most, the basics will be similar as this is a standard offering for novice retail investors.
2. You don’t have to invest huge sums of money
As mentioned in my previous post about common investing misconceptions, a lot of people think they need to have thousands of pounds to invest. While I knew this wasn’t the case, I still thought the minimum investment would be around £500 – a significant sum for a lot of people!
There are accounts like this, but you can also start with much smaller sums. For example, the account I opened has a minimum investment of a £20 monthly direct debit or a £100 lump sum. This made me feel more relaxed about the situation, as I could try out investing and see if it’s for me. I also didn’t have to risk losing a huge amount of money in the process.
This also makes investing accessible to a lot more people than most would think. It is not (and shouldn’t ever be!) reserved for the super-rich. Making everyone’s money work as hard as the individuals do to earn the money could go a long way to lowering wealth inequality.
3. Your money is not locked away
I used to think that when I invested money it would be very difficult to access and it would be lost for a significant period of time. Some accounts might make it difficult to withdraw funds, particularly if larger sums of money are involved. But, with lots of basic accounts you can access your money whenever you like. This again reduces the financial risk you’re undertaking and making investing more accessible.
That said, investments are not designed to be held for short periods of time. You shouldn’t necessarily rush to withdraw your money as soon as you see a slight downturn. Financial markets are notoriously volatile and it’s likely your investments will recover and exceed their previous value in time. Remember: Compound interest is your friend.
Having flexibility is always a good thing, as you can access your money in an emergency or if an unexpected expenditure comes your way. But in general, it’s better to try and hold any investments for at least five years to maximise your returns.
4. Stocks and Shares ISAs are your friends
There’s a plethora of different accounts out there, all offering slightly different things. For me, an ISA seemed like the natural choice- being new to investing, it was nice to use an account that was familiar.
Aside from being familiar, Stocks and Shares ISAs have the added bonus of falling within a tax free wrapper. This means you won’t have to pay any tax up to the ISA limit, which currently stands at £20,000, but is subject to change. This could save you significant sums, especially if you start investing larger amounts. You can save tax in three ways: no capital gains tax on gains received within an ISA (this is good if you exceed the annual £12,000 CGT limit); dividends are tax free; and there’s also no income tax on interest received from corporate bonds.
When you start investing, you’re unlikely to make enough to have to pay tax right away. However, it’s good to consider these options so you’re prepared when you do.
5. Always read the small print
We’ve all got used to just scrolling through and clicking ‘Yes, I’ve read the terms and conditions.’ Has anyone ever read Apple’s 100+ pages of T&Cs??
But, with investments, or any financial document for that matter, you must read the small print – and there’s a lot of it. It’s easy to think you already know it all and there’s no need to bother. But, a lot of the information is important and explains your entitlements and your liabilities as an investor.
Skipping over aspects like minimum balance requirements, dividend payments and risk appetite may mean you face some nasty shocks down the line. These could all have been avoided by taking an extra few minutes to read all the documents. So when it comes to investing for beginners, it’s important to read and understand the fine print.
As I mentioned earlier, I plan on taking you on this journey with me and sharing any successes or problems I encounter along the way.
If you found this post about investing for beginners interesting, please like and share across social media or send it to your friends. I’d also love to hear your experiences, particularly if you’re embarking on a similar journey! What are your top tips on how to start investing?
35 responses to “Investing for beginners – 5 key tips”
[…] you want to invest, you’ll need to decide if you want to buy individual stocks or funds. Understanding what they are […]
[…] Investing often seems complicated, which puts many people off. However, a lot of people do things everyday that are very similar in many ways. By drawing on the similarities between investing and fantasy football, I hope to make investing seem less scary and more accessible. […]
[…] Consultant Charlie Goodman said you should because tax is a key contribution to society. However, he did warn that it’s more important to encourage people to start investing at first. You don’t want to put off potential investors! […]
[…] have to be exciting and a lot of the time won’t be worth shouting about on social media. Investing part of your income for the long term may be boring, but it does […]
[…] many of you will know, I’m very new to investing, so thought it would be best to seek advice from someone with more […]
[…] lot of people ask me how to start investing. It’s great to see so many people engaging more with investing, but it is important to fully […]
[…] spoken about my own investing journey on this blog before and plan to continue to do so, in the hopes of inspiring others to start […]
[…] a month ago I took the leap and made my first investment. Investing during a recession is difficult at the best of times. It’s even harder now because the […]
Love it, glad you’ve started! Try taking a look at commission free brokers (like 212 and free trade and robinhood who are coming to the uk soon!) With santander it looks like your paying 0.35%? Might not sound like a lot but it really does affect compound interest taking it’s full effect. Looking forward to see your progress!!!
Will definitely look into that – thanks for the tip!
I actually love your investing posts
Thank you so much! I’ve got another few coming up in the next couple of weeks 🙂
You are welcome 🙏
That’s great to know!
I will anticipate 👌
Wow 🤩
Really got some valuable tips from this
Thanks so much
Great stuff Katie, I hope your investment journey goes well – sounds like you’re starting with all the right principles.
I love the post! Great tips x
Thank you so much!
Great post, I agree. The first time I invested was in October 2018 and I was so nervous about pressing that button! It felt so dangerous, but over the months, I’ve gotten used to it and now it’s part of the routine.
ISAs are great and that is what I started with, but if you are under 40, consider a LISA as there’s a 25% government top-up. You can invest up to £4000 and get £1000 extra for free.
Especially important for anyone approaching 40, as you can contribute until you’re 50 but only if you already have one open!
It is so interesting that I am reading this now, as my brother just went into investing. It is definitely a more long-term thing, and takes dedication to see results, but I think it is worth it to have your money make money. 🙂
I agree, I’m glad you found the post interesting! 🙂
Great post! Thank you for the advice!
I, too, was apprehensive about investing in the stock market, but I have definitely learned a lot along the way. Not needing to invest a lot and being able to figure it out before investing more is a great suggestion.
Thank you! I’m glad investing is going well for you 🙂
I’ve always been nervous about doing this so this was a great article for me to read. Thank you!
That’s great to hear, I hope it helps you become more confident with investing!
Wow, am not ever thought of investing, but will try them out. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you for reading, I’m glad you found it useful!
Some good tips here. #2 is an important one. You don’t need a huge amount of money to get started. The important thing is to get started!
Couldn’t agree more, thanks for reading!
Hi Katie,
Kudos for a brilliant post. Finance, particularly investments, are like rocket science to so many. I love how you have explained it in simple words. I have not yet made any investments, but after reading this, I am motivated to get started.
I loved the point the Compound Interest is a friend. Also, the fact that investments reap benefits when held for the long-term. So many of us are scared to put money purely because of lack of knowledge. I think your tips are a good source to learn more about this subject. And lastly, the critical point about reading the fine print. We take it for granted but in finance it can make or break the investment.
Thanks for a great post. Subscribing for more tips and learning in the future too. 🙂
Hi Dev, thank you so much for reading and taking the time to subscribe. I hope you continue to find my posts informative and interesting!
These are some great tips. I know nothing about investing and this post is extremely helpful. I will take your advice for sure. Thanks for sharing
I’m glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!
This sounds really interesting! Thank you for sharing!
-Kyra xx
Glad you enjoyed the post 😊 xx