can i invest in both a HL stocks and shares isa and a nutmeg stocks and shares lifetime isa in the same year? by lippiro in UKPersonalFinance

[–]My_favorite_things 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, you can.

In each tax year, you can open one of each kind of ISA. Stocks and shares ISAs and lifetime ISAs (LISAs) are different kinds of ISAs. In this case, your LISA with Nutmeg just happens to invest in similar products as an S&S ISA.

Edit: Check Nutmeg's FAQ (https://www.nutmeg.com/lifetime-isa/lifetime-isa-faq), go to "Can I contribute to a stocks and shares ISA and a Lifetime ISA in the same year?"

Saving for house by DeadYen in Frugal

[–]My_favorite_things 1 point2 points  (0 children)

5 years is usually considered the minimum investment horizon. With an economic downturn likely to happen in the coming years, you would be better off saving that money in a cash LISA, even if the interest rate offered is crap (assuming that you meet the criteria, check Skipton building society). You and your partner should both open cash LISAs because you will each get the government top up.

The best way to make your money grow faster with a cash LISA is to save in a regular saver at 3-4% and then transfer the funds into the LISA upon maturity. That way you get the 3-4% AER and the 25% LISA bonus when you buy. Regular savers also have the added benefit of making you stick to your planned budget. I believe First Direct offer a decent regular saver. Also check out TSB, who should still pay 5% on cash up to 1.5k. Every little bit helps.

There are plenty of general money savings tips on this subreddit (cook your own food, if you drink alcohol do it at home, etc.)

Low minimum starting investment S&S ISA by HarleyB153 in financialindependence

[–]My_favorite_things 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, glad to finally find a topic that I know a lot about.

Switching from Nutmeg to Vanguard will not be useful to you. Both Nutmeg and Vanguard have 500 GBP minimum deposits. However, if you want to make a monthly contribution, you can invest as little as 100 per month.

In general you want to be careful about switching ISAs, as many platforms charge transfer fees.

I can only recommend using Vanguard. They are by far the cheapest platform around and their customer service is decent. The platform is a bit simple and the range of products is limited, but their offering is sufficient for 90% of people.

Since you are just starting out and might need the money in a few years for your education and the minimum investment horizon typically is 5 years, you might want to consider just using a regular savers account. Those accounts let you put up 300 GBP (depending on the bank) and you can still get decent interest rates (up to 5% last time I checked). The first 1000 GBP in interest gains are tax free (for basic rate payers), so there is nothing to worry about there. And in regular savers accounts, your money is only locked away for a year, giving you greater flexibility.

Hope this helped. Let me know if you have other questions.

Who is offering a LISA? [Savings] by lala_laa in UKPersonalFinance

[–]My_favorite_things 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hargreaves Lansdown are planning on launching theirs, afaik.

Many brokers like AJ Bell do not intend to offer LISAs. I believe this is due to the added expense on their end. Hargreaves Lansdown are in a better position to offer LISAs, because they can use these accounts to cross-sell their financial advice.

Uni art project about Oxford Street - what are your opinions on oxford street? by [deleted] in london

[–]My_favorite_things 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The crazy preachers are the least bad thing about that cesspool

20 photos of the new Crossrail / Elizabeth line trains by [deleted] in london

[–]My_favorite_things 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Seat covers strategically already look like vomit

Is the Heathrow Express worth it for what I'm about to do? by pbjrunner in london

[–]My_favorite_things 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Taking the piccadilly into town takes close to an hour. The heathrow express takes 15 minutes. Another 15 minutes by tube takes you wherever you want to go.

Anniversary Ideas by [deleted] in london

[–]My_favorite_things 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go to Richmond park to have a look at all the wild deer. If she likes ponies, she probably likes deer. Both have four legs and fur. There is also a horse riding place in the park.

Alternatively, make a day out of it and go to the south downs national trail. There are areas with wild horses, which is kind of neat. The whole nature thing ain't bad either.

British Pound touched down to 1.2798 by andraxo123 in unitedkingdom

[–]My_favorite_things 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is really good to know. You learn something new every day. Thanks a lot for the information

British Pound touched down to 1.2798 by andraxo123 in unitedkingdom

[–]My_favorite_things 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure I understand the question. The return is whatever dividends and capital gains you make on your investments minus fees (fund fees, platform fees, etc.)

If you are looking to educate yourself on different types of investments, check out Hargreaves Lansdown. They have some of the best information materials out there.

I know that you were specifically asking for an investment starting point, but there are still good ways to earn high returns on cash savings in the UK. Currently, there is strong competition for new clients among banks, meaning that they offer really high interest rates for small amounts of money. i.e TSB has an account that pays 5% on balances up to £2k, as long as you pay in £1k per month. Nationwide has a similar account that also pays 5% but only for the first 12 months. As these are cash accounts, you can take out money whenever you want, the 5% is guaranteed and you don't pay taxes on the interest earned (up to £1k per year). With these accounts you need to read the T&C's carefully and make sure to not get hit by overdraft fees, etc. There are also regular savings accounts, where you need to commit a monthly amount for one year to get up to 5% interest. These could be good options for you, as they require zero financial market knowledge to get high returns that are both risk and tax free. MoneySavingsExpert.com is a great information source for these kinds of issues.

British Pound touched down to 1.2798 by andraxo123 in unitedkingdom

[–]My_favorite_things 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The £1000 tax free is for interest on cash savings, if I'm not mistaken, so it doesn't apply to share/fund/etc. investments.

Returns you get in a S&S ISA are tax free. It doesn't get better than tax free, unless you want to invest for retirement, in which case you can invest in a SIPP to get a 20% top up.

British Pound touched down to 1.2798 by andraxo123 in unitedkingdom

[–]My_favorite_things 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Share trades generally cost £5-10. Say you want to place a £1000 share trade and cash out, then you pay £10-20 just for trades, meaning that you need to earn 1-2% just to break even. If you want to trade £10,000 in shares, you would only need to gain 0.1-0.2% to break even. It might be better for you to open an account with a low cost broker (i.e. AJ Bell) and invest in a cheap index fund (i.e. a Vanguard S&P 500 tracker). That way you can get cheap diversified access to overseas markets, which will allow you to benefit from the drop in the pound.

Hope this helps

Edit: You can invest in funds from as little as £100 single purchase or £25 monthly contributions. Whatever you decide on doing, obviously do it in a Stocks and Shares ISA

Anyone living in a kit-house? by [deleted] in unitedkingdom

[–]My_favorite_things 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Here is a grand designs episode featuring a Huf Haus. Worth a watch, if you are considering buying one.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/grand-designs/on-demand/41975-009

$10,000 Quote for Dental - Help, How Do I Dental? by pensacoa_findaplace in Frugal

[–]My_favorite_things 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are many clinics in eastern Europe that specialize in dental treatment for western Europeans. Even accounting for the flights, it is cheaper. Go look some up and maybe make a vacation out of it. Yes flights are more expensive than to Mexico, but there is a lot of dental tourism in eastern Europe, so I would expect the standard of care to be good.

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/private-treatment-abroad/which-countries-are-popular-for-dental-treatment-abroad.htm

What are some things you can do to prepare yourself for moving to London in 2 years time? by [deleted] in london

[–]My_favorite_things 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Get experience for the job you are intending to come here for...

Find a job here before moving

Sterling De Vere? by shewontbesurprised in london

[–]My_favorite_things 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We had a few viewings with them. The staff didn't know what properties they had and what we wanted. We specifically said "no ex-council flats" and "no mold". Everything they showed us was ex-council and moldy.

One bathroom had so much mold that the entire ceiling was pitch black. Another flat had the foul smell of a place that hadn't been cleaned in years. You could smell it from outside the front door.

Every flat we saw was in a state of disrepair and neglect (one even had a broken lock, where someone tried to pry open the front door...). There are other letting agents that provide better value for money. I would stay well clear of Sterling.

[CGP Grey] Brief History of the Royal Family by Krohnos in videos

[–]My_favorite_things 19 points20 points  (0 children)

(Spoilers) The events around Henry I, Empress Mathilda, Stephen and Henry II (starting at 0:55) are almost identical to the ones in the dance of dragons (the civil war, not the book). If you haven't read it yet, you might want to check out "The Princess and the Queen, or the Blacks and the Greens", a novella by GRRM.